Canyon Cougars Defeat New Braunfels Unicorns 38-21 in Annual Wurst Bowl
The Canyon Cougars secured a decisive 38-21 victory over the New Braunfels Unicorns on Friday, marking their third consecutive win over their crosstown rivals in the 42nd Annual Wurst Bowl. This victory also represented the Cougars’ first win of the season and head coach Sean McAuliffe’s inaugural win with the program. The Unicorns, coming off a dominant 48-0 victory over Madison, fell to 1-1, while Canyon evened their record at 1-1.
Despite a first quarter with missed opportunities and penalties, both teams entered the second quarter scoreless. Canyon found the endzone midway through the second quarter, with senior quarterback Reece Deitrick driving the team 28 yards, culminating in a touchdown for a 7-0 lead.
New Braunfels responded with a touchdown of their own. Cayden Mills made a spectacular one-handed grab and raced 23 yards for a touchdown. However, the Cougars regained the lead shortly before halftime when Canyon sophomore linebacker Quincy Jones stripped the ball from Mills, and junior linebacker Elijah Delgado returned it for a touchdown, making it 14-7. Senior defensive back Kaleb Gainer then intercepted a New Braunfels pass to end the half.
The Cougars extended their lead in the third quarter with a five-play, 71-yard drive, including a key 28-yard completion from Deitrick to senior tight end Kindru Walker and a 15-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Donavan Craycraft, pushing the score to 21-7. New Braunfels responded with a drive featuring a strong performance from sophomore Brock Stewart, leading to Mills’ second touchdown, this time a 24-yard reception, narrowing the gap to 21-14.
Canyon then focused on running down the clock, executing a 13-play drive that took 6:50 off the clock. Junior kicker Carlos Henriquez made a 38-yard field goal, extending the lead to 24-14 with 8:17 remaining. Mills once again brought New Braunfels closer with a 73-yard touchdown reception, cutting the lead to 24-21 with 7:35 left.
Despite the Unicorns’ efforts to regain momentum, the Cougars responded with another long drive. Junior running back Jackson Regan was instrumental, carrying the ball eight times for 55 yards, converting on a crucial fourth-and-one play, and eventually scoring a goal-line touchdown to make it 31-21 with 3:50 remaining. Regan added a final three-yard touchdown to seal the 38-21 win.
New Braunfels’ strong individual performances, including 176 receiving yards and three touchdowns from Cayden Mills, and 223 passing yards with three touchdowns from Clayton Namken, were not enough to overcome the Cougars’ effective defensive plays and balanced offensive attack. New Braunfels’ loss snapped a five-game home winning streak and dropped their record to 1-1, while Canyon’s victory puts them back on track at 1-1 for the season.
