SULPHUR SPRINGS, Texas-There's no substitute for a good defense.
Pleasant Grove's Golden Curtain defense shackled Celina en route to a 33-14 win in a Region II, Class 4A, Division II regional semifinal at Gerald Prim Stadium Friday.
The Hawks' defense allowed just seven first downs and held the Bobcats to 106 total yards. Pleasant Grove totaled 363 yards of offense and 17 first downs.
"We played great defense and the guys played phenomenal tonight," Hawks' head coach Josh Gibson said. "We played well in all three phases, and this win is extra sweet."
Pleasant Grove (13-0) will take on Melissa (12-1) in the Class 4A state quarterfinals next week.
The Hawks lost to Celina last year in the regional semifinals, 23-19, but would not be denied in this rematch.
Chauncey Martin led Pleasant Grove's rushing attack with 115 yards on just 10 carries and three TDs. Martin scored on a 67-yard run in the first quarter, 26-yard run in the third, and a 3 yarder in the fourth.
"I run aggressively," Martin said. "When I run, I think about not letting the first man bring me down, and then I think about the end zone. It feels good to be doing new things for Pleasant Grove and getting into the
state quarterfinals."
After taking a 16-7 halftime lead, the Bobcats turned the ball over on downs in the first possession of the third quarter.
Sophomore Hawk quarterback Ben Harmon threw a 47-yard pass to Xavier Benson, and Pleasant Grove set up on the Celina 36-yard line. Two plays later, Martin broke some tackles and stiff armed his way into the end zone to give the Hawks a 23-7 lead.
After the Bobcats were forced to punt, place kicker Dillon Williams hit a 22-yard field goal to pad PG's lead, 26-7.
Caleb Porchia sacked Celina's quarterback for a 7-yard loss on third down on the ensuing possession.
After the Bobcats punted, Pleasant Grove marched down the field and capped a 57-yard drive with a 3-yard Martin TD run. The Hawks took a 26-point lead.
Celina scored with 4:03 left on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Noah Ross to Jimmy Allan.
The Hawks recovered the Bobcats' onside kick attempt and ran out the clock for the win.
Pleasant Grove took a 16-7 halftime lead and held the Bobcats to just 3 yards and one first down in the first half. The Hawks racked up 187 yards of total offense in the first half.
Celina won the toss and deferred. The Hawks started at their own 33-yard line and drove down the field to the Bobcats' 19.
Senior receiver Carson Cox caught a 19-yard pass from Ben Harmon to put Pleasant Grove up 7-0.
The Hawk defense forced a punt on Celina's next possession, and Xavier Benson blocked the punt. The ball rolled out of the back of the end zone for a safety, and PG had a 9-0 lead.
The Hawks went for it on a fourth down on its next series, but were unable to convert. On the ensuing play for the Bobcats, the running back fumbled and PG's Drake Fowler recovered.
A run fell short on a fourth down for the Hawks, and Celina took over on its own 34-yard line. Pleasant Grove's defense forced a punt. Landon Jackson tipped a pass for the Hawks on the next Bobcat possession.
After the teams swapped punts, a Hawk running back fumbled the ball deep in Hawk territory.
Celina recovered and capitalized when quarterback Noah Ross ran it in from 6 yards out to make it 9-7.
On Pleasant Grove's first play from scrimmage after the kickoff, Martin broke a tackle, bounced to the outside, and ran down the left sideline for a 67-yard touchdown. The score gave the Hawks a 16-7 lead.
#
Celina 0 7 0 7 - 14
PG 9 7 10 7 - 33
First Quarter
PG-Carson Cox 19 pass from Ben Harmon (Dillon Williams kick), 9:18
PG-safety, punt blocked in end zone, 8:01
Second Quarter
C-Noah Ross 6 run (Eli Price kick), 8:13
PG-Chauncey Martin 67 run (Williams kick), 8:01
Third Quarter
PG-Martin 26 run (Williams kick), 8:18
PG-Williams 22 field goal, 2:10
Fourth Quarter
PG-Martin 3 run (Williams kick), 7:34
C-Jimmy Allan 20 pass from Noah Ross (Price kick), 4:03
=C=PG
First Downs=7=17
Yards Rushing=22-63=51-263
Yards Passing=43=100
Passes A-C-I=14-3-0=9-6-0
Fumbles-Lost=2-1=2-1
Penalties=4-41=8-70
Punts-Avg.=6-34.5=2-32.5
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING-Celina, Logan Point 13-51, Ismael Ortiz 4-6, Noah Ross 3-31, team 2-(minus 25). Pleasant Grove, TJ Cole 16-66, Ben Harmon 7-16, Martin 10-115, Garrett 12-71, Josh Roberts 2-15, team 4-(minus 20).
PASSING-Celina, Ross 3-14-0-43. Pleasant Grove, Ben Harmon 6-9-0-100.
RECEIVING-Celina, Ortiz 1-0, Allan 3-35, Major Martin 1-8. Pleasant Grove, Cox 3-37, Cole 2-16, Xavier Benson 1-47.