Erath avoids going 0-10

The 2017 Erath High Bobcats avoided being part of the Erath High School football record book.
There has only been one EHS football team to go 0-10 and that was in the 1981 football season.
This year’s Bobcats came into Friday’s game against the Abbeville Wildcats (2-8) with an 0-9 record. The last thing they wanted to do was drop another game and have to share the 0-10 record with the 1981 football team.
But when the game ended, the Bobcats avoided an 0-10 team by nipping the Wildcats, 15-14, on Friday in Erath.
Erath head coach David Comeaux was happy his senior class could get a victory.
“We were playing for the seniors tonight,” said Comeaux. “We put so much into the season, and we had bad breaks. We were so young by the time season ended because of all of the injuries we had.”
One Erath senior who played his heart out was tailback Mason Granger. Granger, who rushed for 175 yards last week, had another big game Friday. He had 39 carries for 175 yards. He also had a huge 62 yard punt that pinned AHS back near its own goal line with 2:24 left in the game.
The Wildcats had a chance to get the ball back with 38 seconds left in the game. On fourth down and 17 yards to go for a first down, on the AHS 29 yard line, Granger took the ball and ran 27 yards for a first down, which allowed Erath to run out the clock.
“Mason did it all tonight,” said Comeaux. “It was good to see him a couple of times, break away from the Abbeville defense, and run the ball. It was great to see him punt well.”
Throughout the season, Comeaux said, Mason has not been 100 percent healthy and battled injury after injury, but still hung in there. Comeaux said Granger has had at least 10 injuries.
“He would not stop leading. He would not stop playing. I have been around a very few guys who have the heart of Mason Granger.”
It did not take long to see it was not going to be Abbeville’s night.
On Abbeville’s first offensive play, it fumbled when EHS nose guard Larry Kelly hit an AHS runner on the handoff.
Erath only had to go 33 yards for a touchdown. Granger carried a pile of Abbeville defenders five yards into the end zone for a touchdown at the 8:00 mark in the first period.
It did not getting any better for AHS. On its next series, the Wildcats had to punt after three plays. However, on the snap, the ball sailed over punter Luther Dural’s head and into the endzone, where Dural fell on it for a safety.
Only six minutes into the game, Abbeville was behind 9-0.
Abbeville got on the board right before the first period ended. Braden Williams broke a couple of tackles and darted 52 yards for a touchdown.
Both teams went into halftime with the score 9-7.
The Wildcats went ahead of Erath when fullback Dieon Williams broke through the line and ran 63 yards for a touchdown with 3:20 to play in the third period.
Abbeville led 14-9 heading in the fourth period.
Erath took the lead for good with six minutes to play in the game. Granger had a 31-yard run that moved the ball down to the AHS 4-yard-line. Erath quarterback Cameron Landry threw a short pass to Matt Domingues for a touchdown that made it 15-14.
Granger nailed a 62-yard punt with no return with 2:24 left in the game. His punt put AHS 90 yards away from the end zone.
Abbeville took up shop on its own 10-yard line. On the second play from scrimmage, the Wildcats fumbled and Erath got the football back and then ate up the final two minutes of the game.
Abbeville’s leading rushers were Tavian Menard (12-58) and Williams (10-81).