A late missed extra point by Northwest was the difference in the Texans’ loss to Eaton, but it shouldn’t overshadow running back Caris Sela’s incredible night.
Sela, who ran for 300 yards and four touchdowns, made up nearly all of Northwest’s offense against the Eagles. The rest of the team combined for 57 total yards.
“He’s been great, he’s a steady guy and a big-time, dynamic playmaker and that’s why we feed him the rock as much as we can,” said Texans head coach Bill Poe. “When he has the ball in his hands, he can do something special.”
As for the loss, which lands Northwest at 1-3 on the season, he said he was impressed with the team for sticking it out and fighting until the end. After Eaton got out to a 14-3 lead in the first quarter, Northwest fought back.
Sela scored on three consecutive offensive plays to put the Texans back in front 24-17 with seven minutes left in the first half.
The first was a 12-yard rushing touchdown that ended a 10-play, 87-yard drive by the Texans.
The second was a 70-yard rushing touchdown, the only play of the drive.
Finally, the third was a 74-yard rushing score, again, the only play of the drive.
Eaton went on to score two more touchdowns and Northwest scored once more, but a missed extra point would be the difference in the game.
“They fought tooth and nail to the very end,” he said. “We had some opportunities and just couldn’t capitalize, but I’m proud of then for the way they played, the way they competed and they way they never gave up.”
Northwest also failed a 4th-down conversion on their last offensive possession that could have put them in field goal range with under a minute left in the game.
Northwest’s defense also gave up its fair share of yardage in the first half, surrendering 24 points on 235 total yards. However, the defense was able to make big plays that kept the Texans in the game.
The Texans defense blocked a 37-yard field goal attempt that kept the score tied going into halftime, forced two fumbles, recovered one and recorded four sacks in the second half.
Senior Uriah Crawford had a hand in most of those sacks.
“He’s been a guy that we can trust, especially late in games and in high-pressure situations to be able to come up big and get some sacks,” said Poe on Crawford. “So, he’s another good one that we have that is an incredible playmaker.”
The Texans will have a bye week before they face L.D. Bell on Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. at Northwest ISD Stadium.
