BY JOE ZIGTEMA
Sports Editor

MINERAL WELLS — One chain link.

Tevian Parnell reaches for the end zone Saturday against Everman in Mineral Wells. Parnell led the team with nine grabs for 160 yards and a touchdown in the team's 49-18 loss.
--Herald Photo/Tony Claxton

That piece of metal in Mineral Wells on Saturday played a key role in Big Spring’s 49-18 loss to Everman on Saturday at Ram Stadium in Regional action.

Late in the third quarter, Everman faced a fourth down and inches from the Big Spring 44 yard line. The Steers appeared to stop Everman running back Cory Franklin short, and after the chain crew measured for the first down, the Big Spring sideline erupted only as the referee awarded a first down to the Bulldogs.

Was he short? The Steers said yes. The referees said no.

“I saw it short,” head coach Phillip Ritchey said. “That’s all I saw. I didn’t think it was a first down. He said the ball broke the plane of the stick, and I disagreed with him.”

The Steer sideline was flagged for a personal foul following the measurement, and Everman’s Shawn Sanders caught a touchdown pass from Robert Davis a few plays later to put the game effectively out of reach for the Steers.

“That’s an enormous moment right there because we were still in the game,” Ritchey said. “(If) we get the ball right there and go score, it could have been a different result. The game was not over at that point for sure.”

That wasn’t the only moment that doomed the Steers on Saturday. Franklin and quarterback Barry Browning both ran for 100 yards on Big Spring’s defense, a blocked punt return for a touchdown to begin the second half and five turnovers were all factors in ending the Steers’ season.

“We had to play a really good game today to have a chance to win the game,” Ritchey said. “Our kids played hard, we prepared hard, we were well-prepared for what they did. “You just have to make plays and we just didn’t make plays.

“It just wasn’t meant to be.”

The loss finishes Big Spring’s season at 10-3 and at the hands of Everman for the second consecutive year.

The Steers were overwhelmed with Everman’s speed on both sides of the ball and the Bulldogs’ power running attack.

“We like our running game,” said Everman coach Dale Keeling, whose team moves on to face Aledo in Burleson on Saturday at 3 p.m. “Our backs ran really hard tonight, we blocked well, they’re a good football team and to score like that against them is saying a lot about our kids.”

Likewise, the Bulldogs held running back Monte Anderson to just 74 yards on 17 carries.

“It was real tough,” Anderson said. “They’re just a big, fast, physical team. There was nothing we could do about it, but you just hope for the best.”

Receiver Tevian Parnell was a bright spot for the Steer offense, hauling in nine balls for 160 yards, including a 45-yard touchdown reception on a fourth down in the second half. Quarterback Tyler Tannehill threw for better than 300 yards, including a pair of touchdowns, and kicked a field goal for Big Spring.

“I hoped we could stop more what they did with the pass, but again when you’re playing a good football team you can’t stop everything they do,” Keeling said. “We just don’t want to get in one of those 48-46 games because that’s not what we do.”

Everman scored on its first possession of the game on a three-yard run from Browning, helped out by a 35-yard pass from Browning to running back Cory Franklin down to the three.

After Tannehill threw his first interception, fullback Ruben Fletcher plunged in from one yard out to cap an eight-play drive, and Everman led 14-0 eight minutes into the game.

The Steers fought back from there as Anderson broke free on a 32-yard run to set up a 15-yard touchdown pass from Tannehill to Thaddeus Straughter, cutting the lead to seven.

Two big plays in the second quarter led to two Everman touchdowns, a 51-yard run from Franklin and a 50-yard pass play to Josh Jones. A Big Spring field goal just before half made the score 28-10 at the break.

“They had a bunch of athletes that could run the ball well and make plays, and they’re real fast and they got us on big plays,” linebacker Matt Ritchey said. “They just beat us.”

Big Spring gave up another big play on its first possession out of the locker room, when the Steers went three and out and punted from their own 23. Everman’s Tevin Jenkins blocked Matt Ritchey’s punt, and Aaron Bellazin took it 21 yards for the score to make the game 35-10.

“We told our kids at half this first series is a game breaker or maker for them,” Keeling said. “If they come out and score on us, they’re right back in it and things are not good. If we get a three and out then we’re in good shape, and we got better than a three and out.”

The Steers did respond to that touchdown with Parnell’s touchdown reception, but the Bulldogs’ next possession, where the spot argument occurred, all but sealed the Steers’ fate.

“I look back on everything, and it was an incredible season,” Anderson said. “I’m very proud to be a part of this team and the senior leadership. I love my senior class, and I love this team.”

Phillip Ritchey echoed Anderson’s sentiments.

“They’re going to look back on this season and remember being a part of one of the best Big Spring teams that’s ever been,” he said of the team’s 18 seniors. “That’s something that they’ll be proud of forever.”

Everman  14  14  14  7  

BSHS        7     3     7  0

First Quarter

E- Browning 3 run (Abston kick)- 9:13

E- Fletcher 1 run (Abston kick)- 4:43

BS- Straughter 15 pass from Tannehill (Tannehill kick)- 3:06

Second Quarter

E- Franklin 51 run (Abston kick)- 11:01

E- Jones 50 pass from Browning (Abston kick)- 6:39

BS- Tannehill 26 field goal- 1:38

Third Quarter

E- Bellazin 21 punt block return (Abston kick)- 10:36

BS- T. Parnell 45 pass from Tannehill (Tannehill to Yanez conversion)- 8:28

E- Sanders 11 pass from Davis (Abston kick)- 3:28

Fourth Quarter

E- Bailey 2 run (Abston kick)- 9:54

Statistics

Rushing- Everman, Franklin 15-143, Browning 11-101, Fletcher 9-54, Cook 2-4, Bailey 2-0. Big Spring Anderson 17-74, Ritchey 2-9, Tannehill 6-(-2)

Passing- Everman- Browning 3-6-104-0, Davis 1-1-11-0. Big Spring, Tannehill 29-46-320-3

Receiving- Everman, Franklin 2-54, Jones 1-50, Sanders 1-11. Big Spring T. Parnell 9-160, Straughter 5-45, Ritchey 5-35, Plakhotny 3-23, Anderson 3-15, Yanez 1-12