Bucs Hold Off Hawks in Thrilling 24-21 Battle

By Sharisa Nelson, Sports Reporter

The East Chambers Buccaneers traveled to Sour Lake Friday, September 4^th and came away with a hard-fought 24-21 victory over the Hardin-Jefferson Hawks in a game that came down to the final seconds. This improves the Bucs to 2-0 on the season.

The Bucs wasted no time making their presence known, opening the game with an onside kick that was recovered at the Hardin-Jefferson 48-yard line.

East Chambers took advantage of the early field position, but the drive ended with an interception. The Hawks answered with the game’s first touchdown to take a 7-0 lead with 8:28 remaining in the opening quarter.

The Bucs responded with a strong offensive drive, eventually finding the end zone to tie the game at 7-7 with 1:25 remaining in the first quarter.

East Chambers took the lead in the second quarter after the defense created another opportunity. The Bucs forced a Hardin-Jefferson fumble and recovered at the Hawks’ 23-yard line. East Chambers was unable to punch it into the end zone, but kicker #8 Adan Garcia connected on a 22-yard field goal to put the Bucs ahead 10-7.

Hardin-Jefferson answered with a touchdown to regain the lead, 14-10.

The Bucs weren’t finished.

With 4:30 remaining before halftime, QB #13 Brycen Wells scored on a rushing touchdown, putting East Chambers back on top, 17-14 heading into the break.

East Chambers continued its momentum into the third quarter. The Bucs put together another scoring drive, with RB #5 Rashard Hale finding the end zone for his second touchdown of the night. Garcia’s extra point extended the lead to 24-14 with 10:19 remaining in the third quarter.

Hardin-Jefferson battled back with a fourth-quarter touchdown, cutting the deficit to 24-21 with 9:17 remaining.

The Hawks’ comeback attempt ultimately came down to their final possession.

With the Bucs clinging to a three-point lead, the East Chambers defense held its ground and came up with a crucial fourth-down pass breakup with 19 seconds remaining, allowing the Buccaneers to run out the clock and secure the victory.

Bucs Put Up 304 Total Yards

East Chambers finished the night with 304 total yards, including 218 yards rushing and 86 yards through the air. The Bucs averaged 6.4 yards per rushing attempt and recorded three rushing touchdowns.

RB #0 Earius Ceasar led the Buccaneers’ rushing attack with 84 yards on 10 carries, averaging 8.4 yards per carry, while also catching two passes for 22 yards. Ceasar finished with 106 total yards.

RB #5 Rashard Hale carried 10 times for 59 yards and two touchdowns, adding nine receiving yards for 68 all-purpose yards.

QB #13 Brycen Wells completed 6 of 13 passes for 86 yards and rushed three times for 28 yards and a touchdown, accounting for 114 total yards.

Through the air, WR #2 Colby West led the Bucs with three receptions for 55 yards, including a long reception of 45 yards. West also contributed 18 kickoff-return yards.

Defense Comes Up Big

The Buccaneers recorded 79 total tackles, including six tackles for loss.

LB #12 Tanner Salazar led East Chambers with nine tackles, including one tackle for loss. Hale and DB #6 Micah Collins each recorded eight tackles, with Hale adding two tackles for loss.

DE #20 Rylan Fontenot finished with seven tackles and a tackle for loss, while Colby West added six tackles.

DB #1 KJ Fontenot and DL #52 Aiden Baker each recorded five tackles. Baker also registered two quarterback hurries, while Fontenot added a tackle for loss.

The Bucs recorded four quarterback hurries as a team, with Baker accounting for two and Fontenot and LB #22 Mason Jordan recording one apiece.

Special Teams Perfect

Garcia had a perfect night kicking for the Bucs, going 3-for-3 on extra points and connecting on a 22-yard field goal. He also handled all five East Chambers kickoffs, totaling 152 yards.

The victory was a complete team effort for East Chambers, with the offense producing when opportunities came and the defense making the critical stops when the game was on the line.

After scoring seven points in the first quarter, 10 in the second and seven in the third, the Buccaneers were held scoreless in the fourth—but their defense made sure the 24-21 advantage held up.

East Chambers now turns its attention to the next challenge as the Buccaneers look to remain undefeated. The Bucs will travel to Houston to take on the St. Pius X Panthers on Friday, September 11^th with kickoff at 7:00pm.