BCP GAME OF THE WEEK: Cisco gets crucial win at Ballinger

BALLINGER — The Cisco Loboes are far from clinching the District 4-3A Division II championship. But Friday’s 26-9 win over fellow district favorite Ballinger on the road was one they almost certainly needed to have if they are to take the gold football in November. 

Gibson Hearne rushed 13 times for 102 yards and three scores to lead Cisco (3-1), which took control of the game with a 13-0 run through the second half. 

Ballinger, which got 130 yards in total offense and one score from Edgar Nunez, fell to 3-1. 

“This was a must win if you want to win a district championship,” Cisco coach Brent West said. “But from what I understand, Anson beat Bangs (48-27) tonight, so I know coach Hagler’s got them rolling over there and there’s still going to be some good competition. 

“We’re going to have to play every single week.” 

By night’s end, special teams had played a crucial role in Cisco’s win. 

A blocked punt led to the Loboes’ first score — a 6-yard TD run by Stanley Callahan at the 9:48 mark of the first quarter. 

But a misread resulting in an unplanned fake punt attempt by Ballinger proved to be a back-breaker. Trailing Cisco 20-9, an interception thrown by Nunez off the fake gave Cisco the football at the Bearcat 38 with 1:27 left in the third quarter. 

Cisco took advantage of it and pushed 38 yards in five plays for a score, with a personal foul penalty on Ballinger taking 15 yards off that distance. Hearne did the honors with a 1-yard run at the 11:21 mark of the fourth quarter to all but put the game away.

“We had a couple of plays that were (big),” Ballinger coach Chuck Lipsey said. “When you play a team like Cisco, they’re not going to make any mistakes, and if you make a mistake, they’ll capitalize on it. 

“Field position and special teams (led to) a couple of their touchdowns and we had two big penalties that kept drives going when it was a one-touchdown difference in the ballgame. We’ve got to fix stuff like that.” 

Both of Ballinger’s scores came in the first half — the first of which came on a 51-yard run by Cooper Bean at the 2:18 mark of the first quarter to knot the game at 6. This was answered on the ensuing possession with a 70-yard TD run by Hearne to put Cisco up at 13-6.

Nunez added a 31-yard field goal at the 7:59 mark of the second to cut the gap to 13-9, at which point Ballinger closed the half with some momentum. 

But Cisco’s defense pitched a shutout down the stretch to give the Loboes a piece of first place in the district race. 

“We just played hard,” West said. “We played hard and made plays. 

“I think with us having the lead, coach Lipsey had to get into a little passing situation and our secondary did a great job of preventing the big play. That’s kind of what he hoped for.”

NONDISTRICT

CIsco 26, BALLINGER 9

	1st	2nd	3rd	4th		Final
Cisco	13	0	7	6	—	26
Ballinger	6	3	0	0	—	9

FIRST QUARTER

CIS — Stanley Callahan 6 run (kick failed), 9:48

BAL — Bean 51 run (pass failed), 2:18

CIS — Hearne 70 run (Layne Edgar kick), 2:05

SECOND QUARTER

BAL — Edgar Nunez 31 FG, 7:59 

THIRD QUARTER

CIS — Hearne 1 run (Edgar kick), 4:40

FOURTH QUARTER

CIS — Hearne 1 run (kick failed), 11:21

	CIS	BAL
First downs	10	9
Rushes-Yards	38-211	29-167
Passing	51	79
Comp-Att-Int	4-9-0	5-13-2
Punts	42.5	39.3
Fumbles-lost	0-0	1-0
Penalties-Yards	2-20	7-75

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Cisco, Stanley Callahan 8-28, Gibson Hearne 13-102, Isaac Acosta 4-24, Cam Nichols 12-57, Daylon Cozart 1-0. Ballinger, Edgar Nunez 13-65, Cooper Bean 14-97, Garrett Dixon 1-5, Weston Rollwitz 1-0.

PASSING — Cisco, Hearne 4-9-0—65. Ballinger, Nunez 5-13-2 — 65

RECEIVING — Cisco, Cam Nichols 1-13, Stanley Callahan 1-14, Stephen Bird 2-24. Ballinger, Weston Rollwitz 2-17, Garrett Dixon 2-38, Tyler Vaughn 1-10.

RECORDS — Cisco 3-1; Ballinger 3-1.