2006: 🏈 Regional Playoff: Refugio vs Somerville

2006: 🏈 Regional Playoff: Refugio vs Somerville December 1, 2006: Refugio 20, Somerville 21 Late Somerville Score Seals Refugio’s Fate Ellis Tosses Yeguas Past Bobcats By Coy Slavik, Victoria Advocate December 2, 2006 Somerville coach Jose Martinez gave D.L. Ellis two simple instructions. “I just told him to take one step back and throw it,” Martinez said. Ellis did just that and 6-fot-2 wide receiver Sam Roberson outjumped Refugio defender Travis Martino for the ball to score on a 35-yard touchdown pass play that gave the Yeguas a 21-20 Class 2A, Division II regional playoff victory Friday night over the Bobcats at Matador Stadium. Somerville (9-3) advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time in school history and will face the winner of today’s Lexington-Freer game next week. Refugio, which missed a chance to win the game when Malcolm Whitmire’s 28-yard field goal try bounced off the left upright with 1:44 remaining in the contest, finished the season with an 11-2 record. “I thought it was heading toward the left, but I couldn’t tell if it was going to go outside of inside of the uprights,” Refugio coach Chris Jones said. “Malcolm’s a great kid. I feel for him, but he’s a junior, so he’ll get some more chances next year.” Somerville had to play most of the game without starting quarterback Ky Cone, who was sidelined with a knee injury in the second quarter. Ellis, the Yeguas’ regular starting running back, came in and engineered two second-half touchdown drives to bring Somerville back from a 14-7 halftime deficit. After taking the second-half kickoff, the Yeguas drove 72 yards in six plays and went up 15-14 when Ellis ran 8 yards for a touchdown after it appeared he was going to be sacked for a big loss. Ellis dropped back to pass and was met at the 17 by four Refugio defenders, but he squirmed out of their grasp and dashed into the end zone for the touchdown. “D.L. isn’t as good a passer as Ky, but he can really run with the football,” said Martinez, who was the head coach at Stroman during the 1992-95 seasons. Ellis added a two-point run to give Somerville its first lead of the game at 15-14. The Bobcats’ offense had sputtered until the middle of the third quarter, totaling only 30 yards before quarterback Garrett Murphy, who rushed for 125 yards on 18 carries, led a 72-yard drive to the Yeguas’ 16. But that was as far as Refugio got. Cody Holliday tipped a Murphy pass and Roberson was there in the end zone for an interception to end the Bobcats’ scoring threat. But Refugio put the ball in the end zone on its next series. Murphy threw a 39-yard pass to running back Carl Swain and then ran 4 yards for the score on the next play. The Bobcats went for two, but Murphy was sacked by Justin Johnson and Mike Hargrove as the score remained 20-15 with 1:55 left in the third quarter. The failed two-point try and two fourth-quarter turnovers came back to haunt the Bobcats. Roberson picked off another Murphy pass to halt a Refugio drive that had reached the Somerville 38. On Refugio’s next series, a Swain fumble was recovered by Ellis at the Bobcats’ 35. That’s when Martinez pulled Ellis aside and called the game winning play. “Our turnover ratio coming into this game was plus 6,” Jones said. “Ellis came in and did a great job. He carried their team on his shoulders.” Refugio led 14-7 at halftime despite recording only two first downs and gaining just 27 total yards. Refugio capitalized on a second quarter turnover as Bryan McGee made a tumbling 17-yard touchdown catch of a Murphy pass in the end zone. Whitmire’s second extra point made it 14-7.