By Jim Irish
Weston Nielsen displayed one more reason for major Division I universities to desire his commitment.
The Bastrop High School sophomore ran the two-minute drill — actually one minute, 42 seconds — to perfection to rally the Bears in a 39-32 District 11-5A Division II victory against McCallum at Memorial Stadium on Friday.
”It was awesome,” Bastrop head coach Jake Griedl said about Nielsen’s performance. “That’s a testament to who he is: calm, cool, and collected. He played really well the last drive.”
"It was awesome. That's a testament to who he is: calm, cool, and collected. ..."
-- Bastrop coach Jake Griedl about Weston Nielsen's performance at end of game
At least a dozen D1s are chasing Nielsen with full scholarship offers, including Oregon, the first to make him an offer as a freshman.
Nielsen, 6-foot-2, 170 pounds, a classic drop back passer, also completed passes on roll outs. He finished the game with 16 of 23 completions for 283 yards and five touchdowns.
McCallum coach Tommy Gammerdinger, who had studied film of Bastrop last week in preparation, was impressed by Nielsen’s poise under pressure.
”I was not surprised at all by the way (Nielsen) played during the last two minutes,” Gammerdinger said. “He is a heavily recruited kid for a reason.”
The momentum swayed back and forth, particularly in the fourth quarter.
"I was not surprised at all by the way (Nielsen) played during the last two minutes. He is a heavily recruited kid for a reason."
-- McCallum coach Tommy Gammerdinger
McCallum quarterback Mark Sanchez, starting for injured Luke Dunham, rolled left and connected with wide receiver Alex Hopper for a 46-yard touchdown. Running back Mitchell Butler ran for two points and a 32-31 lead with 1:42 remaining.
At that point, the situation looked bleak for Bastrop.
But Nielsen saved the day with assistance from receivers Ramonz Adams and Jaelyn Gratten.
On the first play, Nielsen rolled right and hit Adams for a 38-yard pickup. He went to Adams again for a 7-yard gain. After Nielsen was sacked for a 6-yard loss, Bastrop had a pressure-filled fourth-and-seven at the McCallum 28. Nielsen hit Gratten for a 13-yard first down. With the clock running, Nielsen spiked the ball. On the next play, he rolled right and found Adams uncovered for the winning touchdown.
Adams, a Texas Tech commit, hauled in six passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns. Gratten caught five passes for 110 yards and touchdowns of 34 and 44 yards. He also intercepted Butler on the final play of the game.
“Winning isn’t easy, and tonight wasn’t easy,” Griedl said. “I think we made it a little harder on ourselves. Without Dunham, they came out and ran smash mouth football. They adjusted to that faster than we did. They had their mind made up that they were going to pound the rock. They did a good job doing it.”
"... They came out and ran smash mouth football. ..."
-- Griedl on McCallum's offense
Sanchez, a slot receiver, and running back Mitchell Butler gave Bastrop fits between the tackles. Sanchez rushed for 195 yards on 34 carries, while Butler was equally effective, with 185 yards on 24 carries. Butler scored on a 58-yard run in the second quarter; Sanchez broke a 50-yard touchdown in the third.
“You don’t want to give (McCallum) the momentum; that’s what we did,” Griedl said. “We weren’t prepared (for their offense). They hadn’t shown that in four games. They used (Butler) as a lead blocker. (Sanchez) is tough as hell.”
Gammerdinger said McCallum (2-3 in district, 0-2 overall) played without six starters.
”The plan at the end was to get the best eleven out there and hopefully come up with a stop,” he said. “We had our chances, but Bastrop made the plays … and we didn’t. It was a great game.”
"... We had our chances, but Bastrop made the plays ... and we didn't. It was a great game."
-- Gammerdinger
Bastrop running back LaDainian Merino broke the century mark, with 118 yards on 13 carries.
Bastrop receiver Brent Carter scored the first touchdown of the game on a 7-yard pass from Nielsen.
Bastrop was flagged for 85 yards in penalties and lost two fumbles to which Griedl responded, “(We have) a lot to clean up.”
Bastrop receiver Keyshon Moore, an Air Force commit, was horse collared at the end of a 20-yard reception early in the game and never returned.
The Bears (3-2, 2-0) have a bye this week and play host to Connally (3-2, 2-0) on Oct. 11.
Jim Irish is a freelance writer in Bastrop, Texas
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