brahmas
Hallettsville Brahmas

Brahmas literally 'turnover' game to Bulldogs

  • Carter Blaha (21) and Trace Butschek (9) come up to make the tackle on Yoakum’s Tre Cuellar. Chuck Grafe/TribuneHerald
    Carter Blaha (21) and Trace Butschek (9) come up to make the tackle on Yoakum’s Tre Cuellar. Chuck Grafe/TribuneHerald

    The Hallettsville Brahmas hopes of beating Yoakum were squelched by six turnovers in the battle for the third seed in District 12, Division I here Friday night.

    The turnovers by the Brahmas and a gutsy performance by Yoakum quarterback Tre Cuellar led to a 41-12 victory for the Bulldogs.

    The Brahmas will now play Franklin for the third year in a row in the bi-district round while Yoakum gets Troy.

    “If either one of my grandmas came back from the dead and were at that game, even they would know that when you turn the ball over six times you have zero chance of coming out on top,” Brahma head coach Levi Montgomery said. “Regardless, proud of the way the kids fought. Defense played well enough to keep us in the game, but in the end, the turnovers were impossible to overcome.”

    This is the third game Hallettsville has lost after out-gaining an opponent.

    The Brahmas had 373 yards to the Bulldogs’ 229.

    Quarterback Mycole Pegoda accounted for 197 yards. He eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing with 158 yards on 21 carries and completed 6 of 12 passes for 39 yards with two interceptions.

    Hallettsville’s woes started early with a lost fumble at its 5. Cuellar scored two plays later from the 3.

    On the first series from scrimmage, Hallettsville fumbled and the ball was recovered at the Brahma 36-yard line.

    It took the Bulldogs 5 plays to score with Cuellar going over from the 4.

    After the ensuing kickoff, another fumble was recovered at the Brahma 29, but the Brahma defense held.

    Pegoda kept for 45 yards to the Bulldog 27, but once again the Brahmas gave the football away at the Yoakum 26.

    The Brahmas forced a punt and proceeded to drive 87 yards in 6 plays capped by a 24-yard run by Pegoda to trim the lead to 14-6.

    However, the Bulldogs went up 20-6 at halftime after Cuellar scored on a 4-yard run.

    Hallettsville’s hopes of coming back were vanished when Cuellar led a 72-yard, 10-play drive that ended with a 2-yard run by Cuellar.

    Cuellar completed passes of 39 and 11 yards to Z'xavier Barnett for 39 and 16 yards to put the bulldogs on the doorstep and a 27-6 advantage.

    Hallettsville drove 44 yards in 9 plays for its final touchdown.

    Pegoda threw a 6-yard scoring pass to Matthew Montgomery for the score.