By JIM OTTS

Register Correspondent



WICHITA FALLS — The best football playoff run ever for the Callisburg Wildcats ended in the semifinals Saturday at Memorial Stadium, but not before they gave the undefeated Bushland Falcons a roller coaster ride worth remembering.

The Wildcats came from two touchdowns behind twice and led going into the fourth quarter, but bowed out 42-34 Saturday.

"I have been in this business 28 years and I have never been around a group of kids with the courage this team has," coach Jerry Bomar said. "To have come from two touchdowns back twice in a game of this magnitude is unbelievable."

Bomar said earlier in the week that his charges would have to play nearly flawless football to keep pace with the vaulted Falcons, who came in with a 14-0 record and a boatload of offensive weapons.

However, the Wildcats made three critical errors that got them in trouble in the first half.

On Bushland's opening drive, a 36-yard running play and a pair of passes got the Falcons to the Wildcat 20 with a second-and-four situation.

The Wildcats jumped offside as the play began and many of the Maroons stopped.

There was no whistle, Falcon quarterback Bret Wilhelm continued and passed into the left corner of the end zone for highly recruited 6-foot-6, 230-pound receiver, Crockett Gillmore.

The fact that Gillmore pushed defender Cory Harmon to the ground before making the catch went unnoticed by officials and Cale Maupin's kick put Bushland ahead early.

The Wildcats gained four on running plays and quarterback Bobby Dorman threw a pass over Kevin Bartley's head, setting up error number two.

The snap sailed over Dorman's head during the punt attempt.

He retreated, picked up the ball, scrambled away from a flock of Falcon chasers and got off a kick that saved some yardage, but the net was a loss of 13 and Bushland got possession at the Wildcat 35.

A 17-yard pass, Wilhelm to Mason Harris, got the Falcons to the Callisburg 18 but a holding penalty moved them back to the 27. A pass completion for lost yardage moved them further away and a couple of runs were handled by the Wildcats, bringing up a fourth-and-20.

Wilhelm stepped back, delayed, then scampered for 26 to the Wildcat two, then scored on a sneak with the next play.

The Wildcats were down 14-0, halfway through the first quarter, and they had run just three offensive plays, but the Falcons had their attention.

Jordan Weaver recovered a short Falcon kick to start the Wildcats off at their 29.

Weaver then took a handoff from Dorman and went 29 yards and Callisburg's initial first down.

Langston Jones swept to the left for 16 and another first and Dorman started left, then cut back to the right and went the final 26 to paydirt. Three plays, 71 yards, a Dorman PAT kick and the Falcon lead was cut in half.

Three plays later the Falcons were forced to punt.

A Dorman to Bartley pass and running plays from Jones and Dorman moved the Wildcats steadily into Falcon territory and Dorman snuck into the end zone from the one to knot the contest 14-14 with 11 seconds remaining in the opening quarter.

Bushland answered quickly.

Harris had back-to-back running plays of 22 and 11 yards and Michael Matthews had back-to-back gains of 24 and 13 yards to reach the Callisburg seven.

Wilhelm passed to Travis Latham from there and Bushland regained the lead 20-14, but Bartley came around end and blocked Maupin's PAT kicking attempt, giving the Wildcats a glimmer of hope.

The Callisburg drive stalled near midfield, however, and Bushland balanced their running attack with the passing game to get to the Wildcat 12.

Wilhelm's pass to Cody Weiss was complete at the two, but the receiver fumbled and the Wildcats took over at their own one.

That set up big error three.

After three running plays to gain a little space, Dorman dropped into punt formation hoping to give the Wildcats breathing room. His shanked effort went just seven yards, giving Bushland the ball at the Callisburg 12.

Scott Fugua stuffed Harris for no gain on first down, then Wilhelm lobbed a high one to his left where Gillmore reached over defenders for the reception and touchdown. A Wilhelm to Harris pass on the PAT play put the Callisburg club in the hole 28-14 at intermission.

"We made some adjustments and I told (the team) that we had come from two touchdowns back once and we could do it again," Bomar said of his halftime talk.

His charges listened.

Bartley took the opening kick of the second half and rambled 25 yards to the 38. Cole Wescoat and Bartley caught passes and Dorman and Jones stepped up for rushing yardage to get to the Falcon 34.

Dorman sailed a pass into the middle and Bartley made a lay-out reception to get the Wildcats to the three.

A dive play by Jones got the ball as close to the goal line as it can get without being called a TD and Dorman snuck in on the next play.

Dorman got his foot too far under the ball and sent it straight up on the PAT kicking try, leaving the Falcons in front 28-20.

Brandon Rochell raced ahead and stopped Maupin for a 1-yard kickoff return.

Dorman put the Wildcats back in business with an interception two plays later. He picked off Wilhelm's pass, intended for Gillmore, at midfield and returned it all the way to the Falcon five, but a holding penalty during the runback put the Wildcats back to the 38.

Seth Wolfe blasted through the middle for 29 yards and a touchdown to make it 28-26. A Dorman run to the right on the point after try was stuffed.

Bushland gave the Wildcats a short field with their ensuing possession after an attempted punt fake was sniffed out at the Falcon 39.

A pass to Wescoat was good for 12, Jones swept to the left for 13 and then swept for 13 more and Callisburg's third TD of the third quarter and its first lead. Dorman kicked for the point after and was clobbered, so Bomar took the point off the scoreboard, accepted the penalty and went for two. Wolfe got that with a dive into the line for a 34-28 edge.

The Falcons, who used six rushers and nine receivers for its 494 offensive yards, had too many weapons for the Wildcats to cover.

Gillmore had one reception of 34 yards and then reached over the Callisburg defender to knot the contest 34-34 early in the fourth quarter. Maupin's kick regained the lead for Bushland.

Callisburg got into Falcon territory with aid from a personal foul call against Bushland on the ensuing kickoff but a pair of incompletions halted the drive.

Wildcat defenders held and forced a Falcon punt and Dorman runs and a pass to Jones got Callisburg into Bushland territory, but a halfback passing attempt from Jones intended for Weaver wobbled to the turf on a fourth-down play.

Bushland responded with runs by Matthews and Caleb McGuire to get deep into Wildcat territory and Matthews went 18 yards for the TD. Maupin's kick gave Bushland the 8-point lead, 42-34, but the Wildcats had 2:55 left on the clock.

Dorman passed to Wescoat for 12 and rushed once for 17 to get the Wildcats close, but a long passing attempt from Dorman for Dusty Hammond sailed a little and Harris intercepted to seal the deal for Bushland.

"We have had a good season," Bomar said. "It's just too bad we couldn't take advantage on those possessions in their end of the field."

Bushland will face Daingerfield for the Class 2A, Division II state championship Saturday at 5 p.m. That game is also to be played at Wichita Falls in Memorial Stadium.