Holcomb roars past Ulysses

The Holcomb Longhorns bounced back from their week 2 loss, overwhelming the Ulysses Tigers 35-8, with 28 unanswered points in the 2nd half.

Holcomb, which struggled to run the ball against Scott City a week earlier, opened this one with a strong rushing attack, marching 80 yards in 14 plays with all but 20 yards coming on the ground. A holding penalty called back a 19-yard Trey Gilbert scamper, but 3 plays later, Gilbert hit Carter Blackburn from 9 yards out. Chance Rodriguez’ extra point gave the Longhorns the early 7-0 lead, with just over 5:30 to play in the 1st quarter.

Ulysses then answered with a 17-play, 67-yard drive that used up the final 5:30 of the 1st quarter and almost 3:30 of the 2nd, as QB Zak Anderson pushed his way into the end zone on fourth-and-goal from the 3 yard line. It was the second 4th down that Ulysses converted on the drive. The 2-point conversion put the Tigers up 8-7.

Both defenses stiffened on the next two possessions, as the two teams traded punts. Holcomb then squandered a golden opportunity after starting on the Ulysses 36 following a short punt. The Longhorns had fourth-and-one at the 19, but a false start made it fourth-and-six, and Gilbert’s pass fell incomplete.

The teams entered the locker room with Ulysses up 8-7 at halftime.

Holcomb’s defense forced a punt to open the 2nd half and the Longhorns drove from their 34 to the Tiger 3. But on fourth-and-goal from the 3, another false start penalty pushed the Longhorns back again and again Gilbert’s pass fell incomplete.

Holcomb got the ball back after another 3-and-out and another short punt and this time, the Longhorns didn’t waste the opportunity. Trey Gilbert found a wide-open Chance Rodriguez streaking down the right sideline and hit him in stride for a 27-yard TD. Rodriguez then scored the 2-point conversion and Holcomb led 15-8.

That score would hold until the 7:25 mark of the 4th quarter, when Gilbert hit Blackburn for his 2nd TD of the night, this pass covering 20 yards, to cap a 62-yard drive. Gilbert ran in the 2-point conversion to make the lead 23-8.

After Ulysses turned it over on a fake punt, Gilbert immediately went deep to Peyton Leonard for a 41-yard TD strike and Holcomb was up 29-8.

The Longhorns put the finishing touches on the win as Rodriguez scored his 2nd TD on a 13-yard pass from Gilbert.

Holcomb gained 336 yards on the night, 182 on the ground and 154 through the air. Trey Gilbert completed 8 of 13 pass attempts with 5 touchdowns. Carter Blackburn and Chance Rodriguez each had two TD catches, with Peyton Leonard adding the 5th. Kaden Tichenor led the Longhorn rushing attack with 75 yards on 15 carries.

 Ulysses falls to 0-3, while Holcomb improves to 2-1 and will host Goodland on Friday, September 22. Pre-game is at 6:30 with kickoff at 7:00 on 1030 AM KBUF.