Halliburton's account of WB's win in the Beaumont Bowl

[Small fry]

Anderson, WB pound United 28-14

By Tom Halliburton
  Tammeron Anderson never expected to run so much Friday night but the West Brook senior handled his heavy workload ‘ok’ by his own estimation.
   The Bruins quarterback and his big-play receiver/runner Brandon Jackson dazzled Beaumont United’s defense when it counted as the west end squad convincingly reclaimed the Beaumont Bowl title 28-14 at wind-blown Doggett Family Stadium.
   How convincingly did coach Chuck Langston’s red and blue (3-4 and 2-3) restore their 5A Division 1 playoff hopes? They outgained the younger Timberwolves (6-2 and 3-2) by a commanding 422 yards to United’s 246.
   How involved was West Brook’s field general in compiling that 422 total. The University of Louisiana pledge, Anderson ran a seemingly excessive 26 times for 151 yards and threw for 198 more. Tam tossed three scoring passes and dashed to paydirt for a fourth score.
   Anderson’s busiest receiver, Jackson, collected five of his passer’s nine completions for 166 yards and two touchdowns while Brock Anderson added a touchdown catch which shoved WB in the lead for keeps.
   There’s no way anyone expected the Bruins quarterback to take off and run that often. Not even Tam himself. But the Timberwolves defense had to stretch the field and assign a defender to guard each potential weapon as the Bruins constantly lined up in an empty backfield. That permitted Tam to dash into the wide-open spaces.
  “The game plan was to get the ball to my receivers but United has a great defense and our receivers weren’t always open,” the Bruins passer said.
  “We had to give them some unique looks (offensive formations),” said the head coach’s son and WB offensive coordinator Justice Langston. “We thought we might have to put it on Tam’s back.”
When the rivals shook hands, Timberwolves head coach Drenard Williams spoke with class, complimenting the Bruins.
  “They kept our passing game contained and we couldn’t punch it into the end zone,” United’s second-year head coach said. “I take my hat off to them. It’s all about execution. But we sure don’t have time to hang our hats.”
  Anderson would be the first guy to admit that his night would feel far less than perfect. He lost two fumbles in the game’s first 15 minutes. United linebacker Myles Andrews jarred one loose in the end zone and teammate Justice Johnson covered it for touchdown, giving United a 14-7 lead less than a minute into the second quarter.
  From that point, WB’s offensive line decided to take charge, often escorting its quarterback to large yardage chunks. The Bruins tied the game midway in the second quarter with an 87-yard, 15-play drive. They grabbed their first lead late in the third quarter with a 62-yard, 14-play possession. The fourth-quarter trip to the end zone covered 64 yards in eight snaps.
  “I thought our offensive line played extremely well,” the Bruins head coach said. “We were very physical up front. Tam is a special young man with an unbelievable character. We put a lot on him tonight.”
  Senior offensive lineman Michael Richard felt his unit definitely took command of United’s defense after halftime.
  “I could tell by the energy we had,” Richard said. “We just had to make sure we executed and stayed together… The main thing is we just locked in on all of our plays.”
  As for the game’s most productive yardage gainer, the West Brook quarterback preferred to downplay his contribution.
  “I had an OK game but I could have done much better,” Anderson said. “I feel happy not for me but for the team, for our school and all the people on the west end.”
  Tom Halliburton is a Beaumont Enterprise senior sports correspondent