No. 3 Bells rings up convincing victory over Comanche in area football playoff

Joey D. Richards, Abilene Reporter-News

November 18, 2022 at 10:44 AM·5 min read

SPRINGTOWN – Playing catch-up against the No. 3 team in the state is an unenviable position. Comanche found itself doing just that – and early, too.

Bells jumped to a 20-0 lead, and it was cruising from there for the No. 3 Panthers.

Brock Baker ran for four touchdowns, and Grady Waldrip ran for three more as Bells rung up a 50-25 victory over Comanche in a Region II-3A Division II area playoff game Thursday at Porcupine Stadium.

Bells (10-2) picked off four passes, cashing two ointo TDs. The Panthers also recovered a fumble.

“They’re a good football team,” Comanche coach Jake Escobar said. “They do a good job over there. When you get behind teams like that, it’s hard to get back into it. … It’s a great game to be a part of. We’re blessed to be here, and I’m really proud of our kids for fighting for 48 minutes.”

Comanche running back Sawyer Wilkerson (21) breaks loose for a 16-yard run on the second play from scrimmage as the Bells defense gives chase.

Waldrip led the Panthers with 155 yards on 19 carries, while Baker was right on his heels with 152 yards on 15 carries. Bells rolled up 453 yards on the ground, while Jacob Aaron attempted just two passes – completing both for 41 yards.

Layden Welch threw three TD passes for Comanche (10-2), including strikes of 33 and 40 yards to Kyler Beaty. Miguel Martinez had a 25-yarder for a TD.

Welch completed 10 of 19 passes for 211 yards. Beaty caught six passes for 161 yards, and Martinez had four for 50.

Sawyer Wilkerson also ran 3 yards for the game’s final score. It was one of two TDs set up by Bells fumbles. The sophomore finished the night with 164 yards on 23 carries.

Comanche, a 1-9 team last year that sat home for the postseason, makes its living running the ball with Wilkerson, who came into the game with 2,408 yards and 28 TDs on 236 carries.

But Bells contained him early, and that forced Escobar to throw the ball. The Panthers picked off two of Comanche’s first four pass attempts – the other two were incompletions.

Once in a deep hole, Comanche had to keep throwing as Bells opened a 43-12 lead early in the third quarter.

“We tried to play catchup,” Escobar said. “We knew they were going to try to control the clock (running the ball). It’s probably a mistake on my part. Maybe we should have just stayed with the run.

“But we couldn’t get anything running the ball at first. It took us a while to get going, and we got away from what we usually do. I can go back and look and second-guess myself, and I will for about eight months.”

Bells, which led 35-12 at halftime, moves on to play No. 2 Holliday (12-0) at 2 p.m. Friday in a region semifinal game at the C.H. Collins Athletic Complex in Denton. The Eagles beat Scurry-Rosser 31-10 on Thursday in Weatherford. Holliday beat the Panthers 21-14 in overtime in the region semifinals last year.

Bells running back Brock Baker, left, runs for a 49-yard touchdown, helping the Panthers take a 43-12 lead over Comanche early in the third quarter.

Breaking it down

∎ Turning point: Bells drove 53 yards on eight plays for a TD on its first possession, then cashed a pick by Jacob Aaron into another TD for a 14-0 lead. Comanche originally held the Panthers to a 32-yard field goal by Koehler High, but a roughing the kicker call gave the Panthers a first down. Baker scored his second TD, a 5-yarder, four plays later. The Panthers then stopped Comanche on fourth-and-1 at the Comanche 48 to set up their third TD – a 3-yard run by Waldrip for a 20-0 lead with 10:50 left in the first half. It was a hole Comanche couldn’t dig out of.

∎ Players of the game: Grady Waldrip, Brock Baker, running backs, Bells – The two seniors combined for 257 yards and seven TDs; Kyler Beaty, receiver, Comanche – The junior had six catches for 161 yards and two TDs.

∎ Key stat: Comanche turned the ball over five times, two of which led to TDs. Bells also got a fourth-down stop and cashed the turnover on downs at the Comanche 48 into a TD and a 20-0 lead.

∎ Coach Escobar said: “I’m just proud of my kids. They never quit fighting, and that’s all I can ask.”

∎ Impact: Bells (10-2) advances to the Region II-3A DII semifinals, while Comanche ends its season at 10-2. Both losses were to state-ranked teams. No. 7 2A DI Tolar beat Comanche 45-14 in Week 4.

∎ Up next: Bells plays No. 2 Holliday (12-0) at 2 p.m. Friday at the C.H. Collins Athletic Complex in Denton.

Comanche's Cayden Davis returns a kickoff for a touchdown after Bells had taken a 27-6 lead. The TD was wiped out by a block in the back at the Bells 30-yard line. It still led to a Comanche score, a 25-yard pass from Layden Welch to Miguel Martinez with 1:44 left in the first half.

REGION II-3A DIVISION II AREA PLAYOFF

Bells 50, Comanche 25

Bells	14	21	8	7	−	50
Comanche	0	12	0	13	−	25

FIRST QUARTER

BEL − Brock Baker 2 run (Koehler High kick), 6:43

BEL − Baker 5 run (High kick), 1:32

SECOND QUARTER

BEL − Grady Waldrip 3 run (kick failed), 10:50

COM − Kyler Beaty 33 pass from Layden Welch (kick failed), 5:52

BEL − Waldrip 28 run (High kick), 4:56

COM − Miguel Martinez 25 pass from Welch (run failed), 1:44

BEL − Waldrip 5 run (Baker run), 00:18

THIRD QUARTER

BEL − Baker 51 run (Waldrip run), 9:59

FOURTH QUARTER

BEL − Baker 1 run (High kick), 11:56

COM − Sawyer Wilkerson 3 run (run failed), 7:54

TEAM STATISTICS

Categories	BEL	COM
First downs	20	18
Rushes-Yards	63-453	35-212
Passing	41	211
Comp-Att-Int	2-2-0	10-19-4
Punts	2-41	1-27
Fumbles-Lost	3-2	3-1
Penalties-Yards	12-75	12-86

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING: Bells, Grady Waldrip 19-155, Brock Baker 15-152, Spencer Hinds 9-78, Jacob Aaron 4-19, Peyton Washburn 6-18. Comanche, Sawyer Wilkerson 23-164, Layden Welch 11-46.

PASSING: Bells, Jacob Aaron 2-2-0−41. Comanche, Layden Welch 10-19-4−211.

RECEIVING: Bells, Cooper Smith 1-37, Brock Baker 1-9. Comanche, Kyler Beaty 6-161, Miguel Martinez 4-50.

RECORDS: Bells 10-2; Comanche 10-2.

Comanche quarterback Layden Welch (7) scrambles while being pursued by a Bells defender.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: The Bells Panthers beat Comanche in area football playoff game

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Breaking it down

Bells 50, Comanche 25

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