BEAUMONT —  The Vidor Pirates  came from behind with trickery and big plays to steal the game from the Ozen Panthers Friday night at Butch Stadium 28-21.

Vidor quarterback Montana Quirante took the ball into the end zone from one yard out on fourth down with 26 seconds remaining to seal the win.

After falling behind 21-10 going into the half the Pirates would take full control of the contest.

The Ozen (2-3, 1-1) offense was only able to muster 18 yards total offense in the second half. The second half time of possession for the Panthers totaled 5:26. The defense was staunch but it was the Pirates offense which controlled possession, limiting the Panthers to only four second half possessions.

The Pirate offense was lead by quarterback Montana Quirante as he racked up 120 yards on 28 carries. He managed to carry it across the goal line twice, one of which gave the Pirates (4-1, 1-1) the lead with less than a minute remaining.  Justin Moore also carried a large burden with 83 yard on 16 carries and one TD.

The fist quarter was all about defense. Both defenses forced two three-and-outs on three possessions each. The Pirate offense was limited to 17 yards offense and one first down while the Panthers picked up 44 yards and two first downs.

The second quarter would be a completely different story. The Panthers  got the scoring started when Jordan Ozen found Kourtney Williams behind the secondary for a 61-yard touchdown toss. Mamadou Balde would tack on the point- after for a 7-0 lead with 10:58 in the second quarter.

The Pirates would waste no time answering back on the following drive. They would cover 72 yards on 10 plays while using four different running backs. This drive highlighted a 26-yard run by  Moore before Quirante capped off the drive with a three-yard scamper for six points. Michael Tomayo's kick would even the score at seven with 6:16 until half time.

The Panthers would return the kick off just over 50 yards to set the offense up only 33 yards short of striking again. JaKobi Jones broke a 13-yard run and be stopped on the 1. The following play Xavier Jones would cruise into the end-zone and the Panthers reclaimed the lead. Balde's kick made the scoreboard read 14-7.

The Pirates would inherit good field position as well as the took over at the 50, however the drive stalled short of pay dirt. Tomayo would connect on a 36-yard field goal close the gap 14-10.

The Panthers scoring fury would continue for their third touchdown of the quarter. Jorden Ozen would complete five passes during the drive including an 18-yard pass to JaKobi Jones that would result in six points. The point after by Balde was successful as the Panthers took a 21-10 lead into the locker room.

Both offenses were silent in the third quarter combining for a total of three first downs.

The Pirates were eventually able to get good enough field position for Tamayo to connect on a 27-yard field goal to close the gap to 21-13 with 11:58 in the fourth.

Then Pirates Coach Jeff Mathews decided to roll the dice with a surprise onside kick that would pay huge dividends for his team. The trickery seemed to be in vain as the offense quickly found themselves in a fourth-and-11 situation. Mathews had one more trick up his sleeve though.  Quirante lined up to punt the ball but instead he threw the ball to the far sideline finding a wide open Austin Rodriguez for a 26-yard gain. Four plays later  Moore would carry the ball three yards across the goal line. The Pirates would need two points to tie the game. Quirante would roll out of the pocket on a quarterback keeper and dive across into the end zone as the Vidor fans erupted. The score was 21-21 with 9:10 remaining.

The Panthers would quickly go three and out giving the ball back to the Pirates.

Vidor would take over on their own 34-yard line with 7:16 on the clock. Quirante and crew would chip away at field position and the time using 14 plays to work themselves down the field. The drive would eventually land the Pirates with a fourth-and goal-situation on the 1. They would force their way to victory as Qurante picked up the one yard needed on a quarterback sneak. After Tamayo's kick the Pirates would lead 28-21 with 0:26 seconds remaining in the contest.



Next week the Pirates will host the Lumberton Raiders at home at Ivan Craok stadium while the Panthers will travel to Livingston.

Vidor 28

Ozen 21



Ozen       0       21       0      0   -21

Vidor      0       10       0    18   -28



Scoring Summary:

Ozen: Jordan Ozen 61 yard pass to Kourtney Williams, Balde kick. 7-0 10:58 2nd Quarter

Vidor: Montana Quirante three yard run, Tamayo kick. 7-7 6:16 2nd Quarter

Ozen: Xavier Johnes one yard run, Balde kick. 14-7 3:12 2nd Quarter

Vidor: Tamayo 36 yard field goal. 14-10 2:06 2nd Quarter

Ozen: Jorden Ozen 18 yard pass to Jakobi Jones. Balde kick. 21-10 0:43 2nd Quarter

Vidor: Tamayo 27 yard field goal. 21-13 11:58 4th Quarter

Vidor: Justin Moore three yard run. 2-point conversion successful. 21-21 9:10 4th Quarter

Vidor: Montana Quirante one yard run. Tamayo kick 28-21 0:26 4th Quarter



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                         Ozen    Vidor

First downs        10          18

Rushes-yards  19-60    65-254

Passing             161         57

Comp-Att-Int  11-24-0    3-6-0

Fumbles-Lost     0-0        6-1

Penalties-yards  4-29     7-40

INDIVIDUAL STATS

Rushing: Vidor: Montana Quirante 28-120, Justin Moore 16-83, Sage Smith 10-27, Geth Simmons 5-13, Michael Godeaux 3-8, Thomas Novak 1-5, Austin Alvis 1-1, Jeremy Stephenson 1-(2) Ozen: JaKobi Jones 10-26, Xavier Johnes 5-22, Jorden Ozen 3-13, Ronnie Ceasar 1-(1).

Passing: Vidor: Montana Quirante 3-6-0 57; Ozen: Ozen 11-24-0 161

Receiving: Vidor: Jon Boy Smith 2-31, Austin Rodriguez 1-26, Ozen: Andrew Michael 6-75, Kourtney Williams 1-61, JaKobi Jones 4-25