The Taylor Ducks varsity football team escaped with a 34-16 victory over the Travis Rebels on Friday night.
Freshman wide receiver Elijah Afekhena continued his breakout season with two touchdown catches.
Afekhena opened the scoring on a 40-yard screen pass to make it 7-0. The Ducks' defense then forced a fumble on a sack at the Rebels' 24-yard line as freshman quarterback Jeremiah Caldwell replaced sophomore Johnny Guzman for undisclosed reasons.
Taylor was unable to capitalize on the short field, turning the ball over on downs.
The Ducks also failed to score on their next drive, fumbling in the red zone and giving the Rebels possession at their own 19-yard line.
Special teams swung momentum back in Taylor’s favor when the Ducks blocked a punt, taking over at the Travis 23-yard line. This time, junior running back Eric Walker powered in a 23-yard touchdown run to make it 14-0.
Travis responded with a long drive capped by a field goal before halftime, cutting the lead to 14-3. The Rebels struck again on the opening kickoff of the second half, narrowing the deficit to 14-10.
Taylor answered quickly as the defense scooped up a fumble and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown to make it 21-10.
Travis drove downfield once more, scoring to cut the lead to 21-16 after a failed two-point conversion.
Walker responded with a 25-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 28-16. The Rebels drove into Ducks territory late, but the defense forced a key fourth-down stop.
Caldwell then connected with Afekhena in the back of the end zone to seal the win.
The victory does not affect Taylor’s postseason path, as the Ducks will face Canyon Lake on Friday, Nov. 14.
However, it gives the team momentum heading into playoff action.
Taylor Ducks junior running back Eric Walker runs in a touchdown in a 34-16 victory over Travis on Friday night. Photo by Larry Pelchat
