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Defense is key: Melissa shuts down Celina offense for 18-13 victory
BY Chris O’Dell, codell@starlocalnews.com
ALLEN – Saturday night’s football game between Celina and Melissa was a tale of two halves.
The Cardinals, moving up to Class 3A after last season’s Class 2A State Championship, baffled the Celina offense in the first two quarters and carried a 10-0 lead into halftime at Eagle Stadium in Allen.
The Bobcats then came out looking like a different team in the final half and took their first lead of the game in the final minute of the third quarter. However, it was ultimately the Cardinals that came out on top with an 18-13 victory after senior quarterback Chris Smith found junior receiver JC Cottrell for a 9-yard touchdown with seven seconds left in the game.
Trailing late in the game, 13-12, that’s when Smith and junior running back Marcus Ellis took over, with Ellis adding to his game-high 109 yards rushing and putting the Cardinals inside Celina territory.
“[Ellis] did a great job of making people miss,” Stinton said. “He’s a good little runner.”
The duo ultimately led an 80-yard drive that was capped by a 9-yard touchdown reception from Cottrell in the back of the end zone.
“The ball was going there all the way,” Stinton said. “It was a great throw and a great catch.”
Smith's first touchdown pass of the night gave the senior 127 yards through the air on 10-of-27 pass attempts.
Not only did the score give Melissa an 18-13 lead, it also left only seven seconds for Celina to answer back.
“That was a drive you don’t ever forget,” Stinton said. “Our kids did a great job of stepping up.”
The Bobcats had one last opportunity, but Celina sophomore quarterback Nathan Elliott’s final pass hit the ground for an incompletion to give Melissa the five-point win.
The feverish finish was a far cry from the start of the game.
Neither team found the end zone in the first quarter with a 23-yard field goal from Melissa kicker junior Walker Montoya standing as the only points through 12 minutes. The field goal was set up by an interception from Elliott that was tipped in the air, giving Melissa a shortened field.
“We knew [Melissa] would be a challenge,” said Bill Elliott, Celina head coach.
Nathan Elliott finished the game 14-of-26 for 148 yards and no touchdowns.
“We felt like they were going to come out and throw a little bit more than they did early on,” Stinton said.
The Cardinals took a two-possession lead midway through the second when senior running back Kyle Morgan broke free for a 13-yard touchdown run, building a 10-0 advantage for the Cardinals.
“We knew it would be a physical game,” Stinton said. “Any time it’s a physical game, it’s going to be low scoring.”
Celina came out of the locker room looking more determined and forced a three-and-out on Melissa’s opening offensive possession of the second half. The Bobcats followed the Cardinals punt with a dominant drive that ended in an 11-yard touchdown scamper from senior running back Justin Leshowitz to trim the deficit to 10-7.
“We rose up and came back out playing much better,” coach Elliott said. “We were able to do some things we weren’t earlier in the game.”
Melissa again had trouble moving the ball on its second possession of the half and punted to Celina, giving the Bobcats a chance at their first lead of the night. After being pinned inside their own 10-yard line, the Bobcats were called for a safety after Nathan Elliott drew a pass rush and threw the ball away for an intentional grounding call. The sophomore quarterback didn’t take long to find redemption and gave his team a 13-12 lead with just 27 seconds left in the third after punching it in from three yards out.
Both teams traded punts on their next two possessions before Celina marched inside the Melissa 10 with less than four minutes remaining in the game.
Another intentional grounding call knocked the Bobcats back and eventually set up a fourth-and-goal from the 10 that ended in a Melissa sack and change of possession with less than two minutes remaining.
“We have to score there and put the game away,” coach Elliott said. “We had a chance to end it right there and we didn’t do it.”
That allowed for Melissa’s last-second touchdown and an 18-13 victory.
“Obviously it’s a big win for us,” Stinton said. “We’ve got to make sure we don’t go into [Friday’s game against Van Alstyne] on a lull.”
The Cardinals will look to make it 2-0 with a 7:30 p.m. Friday kick off on the road. Meanwhile, Celina attempts to rebound at the same time by hosting Crandall.
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