Improvement was something the Taylor football team sought on Friday when it hosted Pflugerville Connally.
The Ducks improved but still had one problem — Jonah Garcia. The Cougars’ junior running back carved through the Taylor defense to the tune of 215 yards and four touchdowns on 28 carries in Connally’s 42-28 victory at the Duck Pond.
Garcia had touchdown runs of two, 20, five and 12 yards. As a team, Connally (1-1) ran for 347 yards.
“It’s good for us to see a team like this because at the end of the day, you have to line up and stop somebody,” said Earven Flowers, Taylor Head Coach. “We didn’t do a good job of that (Friday). We got tired and got beat off the line of scrimmage. It’s a tough deal.”
The Cougars also benefitted from the passing of Jase Watkins. The junior quarterback completed four of 11 passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns — both to Rahsaan Franklin.
Taylor (0-2) was led by sophomore quarterback Johnny Guzman. He accounted for 210 yards and two touchdowns passing and led the Ducks in rushing with 73 yards on 10 carries.
Attrition played a role in Friday night’s final result. While Connally had at least two to three players in each position, Taylor was putting in players on both sides of the football.
“We had four injuries last week and our guys went both ways. It’s been hard,” Flowers said. “But that’s no excuse. You have to pull it off. We have to do a better job of getting in shape. We have to find a way to get a win. We have to get some people healthy.”
Depth began to make a difference in the second half. The Cougars, who scored right before halftime to tie the game at 14, took the lead for good, 21-14, on a 42-yard touchdown pass from Watkins to Franklin.
The Ducks lost a fumble at their own 20-yard line on the ensuing play and Connally made them pay. Lining up in the single-wing formation, Garcia took a direct snap and ran off right tackle to extend his team’s lead to 27-14.
Taylor didn’t give up. The Ducks answered with an eight-play, 75-yard drive to cut their deficit to 27-21 at the 6:21 mark of the third quarter on a 19-yard touchdown run from Landon Coulter.
But the Cougars answered with a long drive of their own. Garcia’s five-yard touchdown run capped a 12-play, 76-yard drive and increased the Connally lead to 34-21 with 1:35 remaining in the third.
Guzman took over on Taylor’s next drive. He had runs of 13 and 18 yards before connecting with Damian Calico for a 31-yard score to pull within six, 34-28, at the 11:27 mark of the fourth quarter.
But Garcia’s fourth touchdown run of the night and a two-point run from Watkins gave the Cougars a 42-28 lead with 7:52 left in the contest. Neither team scored again.
After the first three drives ended in punts, Connally struck first. Watkins hit Franklin for a 33-yard touchdown pass to put the Cougars on top, 6-0, at the 3:37 mark of the first quarter.
But Taylor answered with a 3-yard touchdown run from Eric Walker to give the Ducks their first lead of the season, 7-6, at the 11:23 mark of the second quarter. The key play of the eightplay, 72-yard drive was a 54-yard completion from Guzman to Zavier Stokes.
Following a Connally punt, Taylor struck again. This time, Guzman hit Calico for a 44-yard score to increase the Ducks’ lead to 14-6 with 6:36 remaining in the second quarter.
But the Cougars didn’t go away. Garcia carried 10 times for 58 yards, including a twoyard touchdown run, and caught a two-point conversion pass from Watkins to tie the game at 14 with 46 seconds remaining before halftime.
In addition to 283 yards of total offense from Guzman, Calico caught five passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns. Stokes caught two passes for 60 yards, while Coulter and Walker each had touchdown runs and ran for 44 and 33 yards, respectively.
Taylor hosts Lago Vista at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
