The Bonham Purple Warriors opened their football season on a high note as the team won its first season opener since 2017. The Purple Warriors (1-0) traveled to Quitman and defeated the Bulldogs 57-19 on Friday night behind an onslaught on the ground and a physical effort by the defense.
Bonham won the opening coin toss and differed to receive the ball to start the second half. The Purple Warriors stopped Quitman on its opening possession, and Bonham then drove near the Bulldogs red zone. The Purple Warriors turned the ball over on downs inside the 35 yard line of Quitman, and the next play nearly broke Bonham’s back, but one Purple Warrior defender changed the momentum completely with one swipe.
“I was told to press, and my mindset was to not look in the backfield too long,” Bonham junior defender Marco Delgado said. “He ran across inside, so I kind of followed him, but I stayed a little bit back because I saw the quarterback pull with a lot of field in front of him. It was my time to just go after even when people saw he was yards away, I had to do my best to go out there and catch him. I could just feel all the energy go up. I think it was during the first drive, I kept trying to fire up my teammates, and that play really got us all hyped up.”
Bulldogs quarterback Ford Tannebaum kept the ball on the read option and thought he was set to go 60-plus yards to the house untouched for the game’s first points, but Delgado had other ideas. The junior safety chased down Tannebaum, dislodged the football from his grasp near the goal line, and the ball squirted out of bounds through the end zone for a crucial touchback. Bonham set up at their own 20 yard line, and the offensive onslaught began for the Purple Warriors.
“I think it could be really dangerous once we get to know everything,” Purple Warriors junior quarterback Mason Rodriguez said. “Once we really come together, we can just be able to execute and work together as a team.”
Rodriguez, speedy sophomore running back Jeren Ross, Jacob Gordon, and Tyler Addie combined for 8 rushing scores and more than 300 yards on the ground to race out to a large lead for good, largely thanks to quality play by the Purple Warriors’ big, physical offensive line. Despite the muggy, humid playing conditions, first-year head coach Kyle Dezern was pleased with what he saw from his team in its first regular-season outing.
“This Texas heat is something else, and these kids battled through that,” Dezern said. “We got to see a lot of their (Quitman) kids on film, which really helped us coming in. We started out slow, but once we got stopped and Quitman was about to score, Marco Delgado chased the guy down from 60 yards out and caused the fumble for a touchback. That just shows the fight in our kids and that they’re never going to give up, and kudos to all of them. After the game, I thanked them for everything they’ve done for us, the community, and each other, and told them I was so proud of them. It was awesome.”
One key factor in the win was the play and decision making from Rodriguez. The junior signal-caller made crisp choices in when to leave and pull the ball on the read-option, when to pass, which way to roll, and how to effectively lead his team. The moment was never too big for him even before the first whistle of the 2020 season blew.
“I pulled Mason Rodriguez in my office today and asked him if he was nervous. He said, ‘No sir,’” Dezern said. “I told him that I was giving him the keys to the Cadillac. He took it, he rolled with it, and he put it in cruise control. That was a big key with him just taking control of the game. I really appreciate his hard work and dedication he’s put into this program.”
“First off I’d like to thank my O-line because without them we wouldn’t be able to run the ball or do anything, so I have to give credit to them,” Rodriguez said. “Secondly, I want to give credit to my running back and all the other skill guys because my running back allows me to do the stuff that I do, and I help him get going. We really worked as a team and came together.”
The defense was equally impressive under first-year defensive coordinator Greg Mouser. Mouser, the former athletic director and head football coach at Prairiland and long-time defensive coordinator at Argyle, saw his defense produce 9 TFL, 5 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, and 1 sack with only 19 points allowed. Brant Stuber and Ashton Gurley made several physical tackles, while Gordon and Addie applied consistent pressure in the backfield throughout the night.
“I told the kids from the get-go that I was going to sub them on offense, but I’m not subbing them on defense,” Dezern said. “We’re going to be a physical football team and we’re going to fly to the football. We did get a little tired, but I think the heat had a little bit to do with it. It didn’t really matter how much water we took in — it was hot, but I was really pleased with the way the defense flew to the football. I couldn’t ask for anything more from them, and Coach (Greg) Mouser did a great job and had a great plan going into the game.”
Rodriguez dazzled as a dual-threat with 75 yards through the air, completing 6-of-14 passes, while carrying the ball 7 times for 97 yards and 3 touchdowns. Ross starred against Quitman with a game-high 168 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns on just 8 carries to go with a 13-yard reception. Gordon complimented Ross well in the backfield with 12 carries for 124 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Addie also contributed with 24 rushing yards and a score. Nick Rhinehart added 58 total yards of offense, and he connected on all but one extra point attempt.
Bonham allowed 323 yards on defense, and Delgado led the charge with 5 solo tackles, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery. Stuber finished with a game-high 15 tackles and 2 TFL — including 14 solo tackles — and both Ayden Leatherwood and Gurley finished with 8 tackles apiece. Ryder Soliday made his interior presence known with 4 tackles, 2 TFL, and 1 sack, while Cade Bowser registered 4 solo tackles and 1 TFL.
Bonham looks to move to 2-0 with a tough test at 7:30 p.m. Friday at home against Van Alstyne. You can listen to a live radio broadcast of all of Bonham’s games this year on KFYN The Warrior on 95.7 FM.
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