Bobcats shake "Heartbreak" Opener

With momentum in hand, the Orangefield Bobcats were one play away from a season-opening win against Livingston this past Friday night at Lions Stadium.

Instead, the two-point conversion attempt was met head-on by a pair of Livingston linebackers and the Bobcats were left with a heartbreaking 21-20 loss on the road.

Orangefield trailed the game 21-14 but put together a masterful 15-play, 70-yard scoring drive, capped by quarterback Gunner Jones’ one-yard run with 33 seconds left in the game. Jones would get the call again on the two-point conversion run but wouldn’t be able to find the end zone again as the Lions defense stiffened to secure the win.

Livingston scored first after an early drive put the Lions at the one-yard line. Quarterback Damian Ruiz pushed across the goal line for the score and with the PAT kick, the Lions were up 7-0 with 4:41 left in the first quarter.

The Bobcats came back with a 14-play, 61-yard TD drive that was punctuated by a two-yard run by Jones. The PAT tied the game at 7-7.

On its next offensive possession, Orangefield rolled 70 yards in 11 plays. Dwight Davis scored with just five seconds remaining in the half when he took the sweep around the lift side for a 14-7 Bobcats lead at the break.

That Orangefield momentum was stopped cold in the third quarter when the Bobcats fumbled away possession at the OF 32 with 9:38 left in the quarter. Just moments later, Lynn Johnson took the ball those 32 yards to the end zone to tie the game for Livingston 14-14.

Johnson would add the winning score with 8:43 left in the game, taking off on a 55-yard scoring run for a 21-14 advantage.

Jones finished 3 of 9 for 39 yards with an interception while adding 14 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries for the Bobcats.

The leading rusher for Orangefield was Hunter Ashworth with 15 carries for 62 yards, while Davis finished with 13 carries for 51 yards and a TD. Tyler Washington added 41 yards on seven carries, Cameron Dischler had 40 yards on 12 carries and MacCoy Marze pitched in 31 yards on seven carries for the Bobcats.

Tyler Washington and Dwight Davis shared the receiving chores with Washington grabbing two catches for 51 yards and Davis two for 31 yards.

Overall, the Bobcats collected 258 total yards of offense vs. the Lions’ 136 yards of offense.

The Bobcats host their first home game of the season with a 7:30 p.m. showdown with Buna this Friday. The Cougars are 0-1 this year with a 25-8 loss this past week to Hardin-Jefferson.