Bay City Tribune

Tidehaven waited until the final week of the season to play its best game.

It resulted in a convincing 43-7 win over Matagorda County rival Van Vleck at Tiger Taska Stadium Friday night.

"We hoped it would come out this way," said Tidehaven junior running back Kole Mitchell who scored two touchdowns.

"It's a big rivalry and we didn't want them going to the playoffs. We're a good team but we're going to miss our seniors. We want to get ready for next year."

He dedicated his stellar performance to his father.

"I did this for my dad who is in the hospital, and everybody around here," said Mitchell.

The Tigers beat the Leopards last year as well after the teams didn't play in 2006-2007. Van Vleck won in 2004-2005 after the Tigers won in 2003.

Tidehaven finished the season with a 2-3 District 29-2A record.

"We played our best game of the season," said first-year Tidehaven coach Jim Sides.

"The kids played their hearts out. The seniors stepped it up a notch and left a legacy for our underclassmen."

It was a tougher loss for Van Vleck who finished at 1-4 and missed the playoffs.

If the Leopards had won they would have earned a playoff spot because Boling dropped a 70-50 decision to playoff bound Hitchcock to finish at 2-3.

"I just wish the kids would have been a little hungrier to go ahead and get it done," said Van Vleck coach Mike O'Guin.

"I want to win no matter how young we are. We have a lot of questions out there and we have to answer them. We had an opportunity to win tonight and we just didn't do it."

The Bulldogs from Wharton County beat the Tigers three weeks, finishing with the same league record.

Industrial beat 1-4 Danbury to win its second straight league title with a 5-0 record and Hitchcock finished at 4-1.

The Bulldogs from Wharton County got the third and final playoff spot and plays state-ranked Refugio in a big-district game next Friday.

Van Vleck struck first in the game on a long opening drive but Tidehaven answered to tie the score before the quarter ended

The Tigers went up 15-7 at halftime, 22-7 at the end of the third quarter and put the game away in the final 12 minutes of the game.

Van Vleck took the opening kickoff and drove to the Tidehaven 30-yard line after converting a pair of third down conversions.

Then on a fourth down and 13 from the 33, Terrence Alliniece kept the ball and raced to the 15-yard line for a first down.

A facemask penalty moved the ball to the 8-yard line.

On a fourth and goal from the one, Alliniece recovered his own fumble and took it over the goal line for a touchdown with 4:02 remaining to cap of the 14-play drive.

Will McGonagle booted the extra point kick to make it 7-0.

Marcus Lara returned the ensuing kickoff back to the Van Vleck 42-yard line.

A 15-yard penalty moved the ball back the 45 to set up a first and 25.

Three plays later Ian Wade caught a long pass to the Leopard 25-yard line.

Van Vleck was then flagged for pass interference for a first down at the 12-yard line.

Rocha then ran to the Leopard 5-yard line.

Colt Clontz then caught a pass from Sean Dannels in the end zone for a touchdown with 1:32 remaining.

Daniel Palomares booted the extra point kick to tie the score.

Tidehaven forced a punt but the Leopards recovered a fumble and took over at the Tigers 39 with 11:45 left in the second quarter.

Then on a fourth and sixth at the 35, Alliniece was stuffed and the Tigers took over on downs at their own 36 with 9:24 remaining.

Tidehaven drove to the Van Vleck 39. On a fourth and one, Lara was stopped short of a first down and Van Vleck took over with 6:12 remaining.

Tidehaven forced a punt and the Tigers took over at their own 22 with 3:33 remaining.

The Tigers drove to the Van Vleck 25-yard line as the clocked ticked with under two minutes remaining until halftime.

Lara then caught a pass inside the 10-yard line.

Mitchell then caught a pass in the end zone for a touchdown with 1:05 remaining.

Mitchell added the 2-point conversion for a 15-7 Tiger lead.

Van Vleck returned the ensuing kickoff back to the Tidehaven 25-yard line with 55 seconds remaining.

Van Vleck was flagged for an illegal forward pass to set up a second down at the 23. The Leopards made it down to the 13, but a personal foul penalty moved the ball back to the 28 to set up a first down and 10 with 22 seconds left.

A 10-yard holding penalty moved the ball back to the 37-yard line with only 11 seconds showing on the clock.

After two Tidehaven time outs, Alliniece was sacked for a big loss and the clock finally ran out to end the first half.

Tidehaven took the second half kickoff and started at the Van Vleck 35-yard line.

Three plays later, Van Vleck's Wayne Foston intercepted a pass by Dannels and the Leopards took over at their own 33 with 10 minutes left in the third quarter.

Then on a fourth and 10, Van Vleck punted the ball and the Tigers took over at their own 40-yard line with 7:48 remaining.

Rocha picked up his own fumble and ran it to the Van Vleck 12-yard line.

Two plays later, after a holding penalty, Rocha ran 22 yards for a touchdown with 6:10 remaining.

Palamores kick brought the score to 22-7.

Rocha then recovered an onsides kick on the Leopard 28-yard line.

A 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty moved the ball to the 14.

Then on a fourth and 11 from the 15, a pass fell incomplete in the end zone and the Leopards took over on downs with 4:38 remaining in the third quarter.

Van Vleck gambled on a fourth down and five from the 35, but Foster was stopped and the Tigers took over on downs with 20 seconds remaining in the third quarter at the Van Vleck 35-yard line.

Three plays later, in the fourth quarter, Rocha picked up 10 yards to the Leopard 9.

Mitchell scored on the next play with 11:02 remaining in the game and Palomares kick brought the score to 29-7.

Van Vleck turned the ball over on downs and Tidehaven took over at midfield with 9:12 remaining in the game.

Mitchell then caught a pass at the Leopard 16-yard line with 8:15 remaining.

Rocha scored two plays later with 8:05 remaining to bring the score to 35-7.

Palomares kick made the score 36-7.

Shefford Williams came into quarterback for the Leopards after the ensuing kickoff.

Tidehaven wasn't done yet as Tyler Rush recovered a Van Vleck fumble at the Leopard five-yard line.

Ian Wade scored on the next play with 3:52 remaining in the game and Palomares' kick made it 43-7 to complete the scoring.