Tag Archives | Steele Hoetger

Coppell ends Plano’s season, 23-6

By on November 13, 2010 in '10 Fall Season

COPPELL – All the things it was supposed to take to get Plano to the area playoffs for the fourth straight season happened Saturday.

Coppell bottled up Plano's running game, but Murat Kuzu (5) turned in a career high 9 receptions. / Thad Fenton

One of the area’s best running backs was held to 61 yards and his quarterback was held under 200 yards passing. But, three second-half takeaways was enough to help lift Coppell past Plano, 23-6, at Cowboy Stadium in a bi-district playoff game.

Plano (7-4) bowed out of the playoffs in the first round for the first time since 1999. Coppell (11-0) advances to meet Duncanville (8-3) in an area playoff at 8 p.m. Nov. 20 at Arlington’s Cowboys Stadium.

The first two possessions of the second half and some key stops late in the game helped Coppell past Plano. Joe Minden scored on a 2-yard keeper with 8:38 left in the third quarter to put Coppell up, 14-3, with 8:38 left. A freak fumble on the ensuing kickoff bounded through the air and straight to a Coppell defender. Cam McDaniel scored on a 10-yard run three plays later and Coppell had a 20-3 lead with 7:37 left in the third quarter.

The turning point in the second half was this fumble on a kickoff immediately following a Coppell score. In 1:01, a 7-3 game became a 20-3 contest. / Thad Fenton

But, the game was far from decided. Plano responded with an 11-play, 75 yard drive that ended in a 24-yard field goal conversion by Chris Moore to cut the lead to 20-6 with 11:48 left to play. Facing a fourth-and-goal from the Coppell 6, Plano could have gone for the touchdown to narrow the margin to 10 points but chose the field goal. Either way, it was going to face a two-score deficit.

That’s where Coppell’s defense kicked in. It intercepted Plano on the second play of its next possession and again on the fifth play of the next Plano series. Then Tanner Rice got a big sack to close out a drive with 4:43 to go. It resulted in a 28-yard field goal by Nick Jordan to seal the victory, 23-6, with 1:57 left.

On a day where fate didn’t bounce in Plano’s favor, the offense used the final drive to showcase some of the players that got it to the playoffs. Quarterback Connor Michelsen completed 5-of-7 passes on the final drive for 36 yards and had another 12 yards rushing. He completed passes to Steele Hoetger, Murat Kuzu and Clayton Parlin on the drive. Kuzu and Parlin each hauled in career highs in receptions.

Sam Morell breaks up a touchdown pass intended for Tyler Landis. / Thad Fenton

The defense did exactly what logic suggested it needed to win. Cam McDaniel, the senior tailback who had averaged 158 yards rushing in the regular season, was limited to 61 yards on the ground. Joe Minden, the senior quarterback who had averaged 225 yards passing in the regular season, was held to 184 yards passing and no target had more than 80 yards receiving. Two Coppell plays went for more than 15 yards, as the defense controlled the big-play offense.

But, Coppell scored early and then kept Plano out of the end zone. Tyler Landis scored on a 13-yard pass with 2:27 left in the first quarter to give Coppell a 7-0 edge. Plano countered with Moore’s first field goal conversion, this one from 41 yards, with 6:40 left in the first half to trim the lead to 7-3 at halftime. But three takeaways and a couple of quick scores in the second half lifted Coppell past Plano.

Coppell 23, Plano 6

Plano 0 3 0 3 – 6
Coppell 7 0 13 3 – 23
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
C – Tyler Landis 13 pass from Joe Minden (Nick Jordan kick), 2:27
Second Quarter
P – Chris Moore 41 FG, 6:40
Third Quarter
C – Minden 2 run (Jordan kick), 8:38
C – Cam McDaniel 10 run (kick blocked), 7:37
Fourth Quarter
P – Moore 24 FG, 11:48
C – Jordan 28 FG, 1:57
P C
20 First downs 18
26-64 Rushes-yards 33-71
207 Passing yards 184
271 Total yards 255
25-40-3 Passing 15-24-1
3-107 Total punting 4-145
5-54 Penalties-yds. 6-46
1-1 Fumbles-lost 1-0
INDIVIDUALS
Rushing — P: Connor Michelsen 17-38, Clayton Parlin 1-17, Murat Kuzu 8-9. C: Cam McDaniel 22-61, Tyler Landis 1-7, Joe Minden 10-3.
Passing — P: Connor Michelsen 25-40-3, 207 yards. C: Joe Minden 15-24-1, 184 yards.
Receiving — P: Murat Kuzu 9-71, Clayton Parlin 7-60, Kevin Merrill 4-49, Steele Hoetger 3-21, Hunter Gore 1-6, Brandon Hamilton 1-0. C: Cam McDaniel 8-79, Tyler Landis 5-54, Kyle Echerd 2-46, Nate Hruby 2-23.
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Video – Postgame report: Offense vs. Plano West

By on November 7, 2010 in '10 Fall Season, Video

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Plano clinches playoff berth, beats West, 27-17

By on November 6, 2010 in '10 Fall Season

Connor Michelsen hooked up on touchdown passes in each half with Steele Hoetger and Collin Brence had an interception in each half Friday as a group of seniors accustomed to living on the edge came through again.

Steele Hoetger had a pair of touchdown receptions Friday as Plano won the city championship and clinched its fourth straight playoff berth. / Thad Fenton

Plano (7-3, 4-3) defeated Plano West, 27-17, at John Clark Field to win the city championship and with it came a playoff berth for the fourth straight season. Plano will meet Coppell at 1 p.m. Saturday at Coppell in a bi-district playoff game.

For consecutive seasons, Plano used a late season rally to qualify for the playoffs. A year ago it took consecutive wins over McKinney Boyd and Jesuit Prep. This time, Plano rolled through Lewisville, Plano East and Plano West, all at John Clark Field, and clinched a playoff berth as it got some help from Flower Mound Marcus.

Plano was in trouble early, needing to defeat Plano West and get a Marcus win over Hebron to clinch a playoff berth. Plano West drew a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and Marcus got down to Hebron.

Then Plano began a run to keep its season alive. Michelsen capped a 9-play, 57-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run to cut the lead in half with 1:23 left in the first quarter. Sam Morell and Brence interceptions helped give Plano the halftime lead. The Morell interception was turned into a 33-yard Moore field goal and Brence’s pick resulted in the first touchdown pass from Michelsen to Hoetger for a 17-14 halftime lead.

But, Marcus was still trailing.

Plano swept games against Plano East and Plano West, part of a three-game swing that swept it into the playoffs. / Thad Fenton

Plano West’s bid at upsetting Plano’s chances at a playoff berth – a feat that would have left all Plano ISD teams out of the playoffs for the first time since 1989 – seemed to get a boost when Leon Taylor connected on a 38-yard field goal to tie the game, 17-17, with 11:50 left to go.

Michelsen found Hoetger on a 4-yard touchdown pass – their second of the night – with 7:39 to go and Moore iced the game with 4:04 left when he connected on a 31-yard field goal. For good measure, Collin Brence hauled in his second interception to stop any thoughts of a rally.

At about the same time that Plano was putting the final touches on the victory, Marcus was rallying at Hebron. It was down 7-0 at halftime. Hebron got up 14-7 and again 21-14. But Marcus scored a late touchdown and was successful on the conversion run to help lift Plano into the playoffs.

Plano 27, Plano West 17

Plano West 14 0 0 3 – 17
Plano 7 10 0 10 – 27
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
W – Carlos Wiggins 78 pass from Carson Smith (Leon Taylor kick), 7:18
W – Jarrett Horan 2 run (Taylor kick), 4:38
P – Connor Michelsen 2 run (Chris Moore kick), 1:23
Second Quarter
P – Moore 33 FG, 8:22
P – Steele Hoetger 12 pass from Michelsen (Moore kick), 1:53
Third Quarter
No Scoring
Fourth Quarter
W – Taylor 38 FG, 11:50
P – Hoetger 4 pass from Michelsen (Moore kick), 7:39
P – Moore 31 FG, 4:04
W P
7 First downs 18
22-37 Rushes-yards 36-104
134 Passing yards 183
171 Total yards 287
6-17-3 Passing 12-22-0
4-154 Total punting 4-134
7-65 Penalties-yds. 14-98
0-0 Fumbles-lost 1-0

INDIVIDUALS

Rushing — W: Carson Smith 12-20, Jarrett Horan 7-14, Kameron Haddock 3-3. P: Kevin Merrill 8-47, Murat Kuzu 14-56, Connor Michelsen 14-1.
Passing — W: Carson Smith 6-17-3, 134 yards. P: Connor Michelsen 12-20-0, 183 yards; Murat Kuzu 0-1-0, 0 yards; Collin Brence 0-1-0, 0 yards.
Receiving — W: Carlos Wiggins 4-131, Ryan Doyle 2-3. P: Steele Hoetger 6-92, Brandon Hamilton 2-45, Clayton Parlin 1-27, Kevin Merrill 1-12, Hunter Gore 2-7.
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Game notes: Plano vs. Plano West

By on November 5, 2010 in '10 Fall Season

Plano 27, West 17 … Plano advances to meet Coppell next week in bi-district playoffs. Game will be 1 p.m. Saturday at Coppell.

  • Marcus wins. Plano just needs to close this out to advance to playoffs.
  • For consecutive seasons, Plano is attempting to reach playoffs with the fourth spot on the final week of the season.
  • Plano 27, West 17: Moore 31-yard FG. 4:04 left
  • Tank Stallings says Marcus up 22-21. They scored, went for two and are up.
  • Plano 24, West 17: Hoetger 4-yard pass from Michelsen. 7:39 left.
  • Hebron 21, Marcus 14 (5:00 left)
  • Plano 17, Plano West 17: Leon Taylor 38-yard FG, 11:50 left
  • Plano 17, West 14 (end of third quarter)
  • Hebron 14, Marcus 14 (9:12 left)
  • Hebron 14, Marcus 7 ( 3rd Quarter)
  • Plano 17, Plano West 14: Haltime
W P
5 First downs 8
10-19 Rushes-yards 17-29
124 Passing yards 116
143 Total yards 145
5-11-2 Passing 6-12-0
2-64 Total punting 2-69
2-20 Penalties-yds. 10-68
0-0 Fumbles-lost 1-0
Rushing — P: Connor Michelsen 6-1, Kevin Merrill 2-3, Murat Kuzu 9-25,
Passing — P: Connor Michelsen 6-10-0, 116 yards; Murat Kuzu 0-1-0, 0 yards; Collin Brence 0-1-0, 0 yards;
Receiving — P: Steele Hoetger 4-71, Brandon Hamilton 2-45.
  • Hebron 7, Marcus 0 (Halftime)
  • Plano 17, Plano West 14: Steele Hoetger 12-yard TD pass from Michelsen. 1:53 left.
  • Hebron 7, Marcus 0: Second Quarter
  • Plano West 14, Plano 10: Chris Moore 33-yard FG, 8:22 left in first half.
  • Sam Morrell interception has Plano offense back in business.
  • Plano West 14, Plano 7: End of first quarter.
  • Plano West 14, Plano 7: Connor Michelsen 2-yard TD run caps 9-play, 57-yard drive to cut Plano West’s lead in half. 1:23 left in the first quarter.
  • Total yards – Plano: 15; West: 141
  • Plano West 14, Plano 0: Jarrett Horan 2-yard TD run. 4:38 left in first quarter.
  • Plano West 7, Plano 0: Carlos Wiggins 78-yard TD reception from Carson Smith. 7:18 left in first quarter.
  • Kickoff just moments away. West will receive.
  • Kickoff is a little more than an hour away. Keep checking here throughout the night for updates of tonight’s action, including score updates at Hebron. The Dallas Morning News’ Kyle Whitfield looks at playoff scenarios, including a look at District 8-5A. As usual, we agree with Matt Wixon in his blog. He notes that four playoff teams are too many, except in District 8-5A. If you got Tom Kimbrough and John Clark in a room, they’d agree with Matt. Except, Tom and John are big Wildcat fans and would certainly have to consider that the fourth spot could reward their team in consecutive years.
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Plano blanks East, 38-0

By on October 30, 2010 in '10 Fall Season

It took a throwback, razzle dazzle play call to create a spark and then five defensive takeaways Friday led Plano to a methodical blowout win over Plano East, 38-0, at John Clark Stadium in front of about 10,000 fans for the 29th meeting between the teams.

Steele Hoetger was on the receiving end of a flea-flicker that helped kick start Plano's blowout win Friday. / Thad Fenton

The victory tied the series, 14-14-1, but more importantly kept Plano (6-3, 3-3 in District 8-5A) in contention for a playoff berth. Plano East (4-5, 2-4) was eliminated with the loss.

Plano meets Plano West in the final game of the regular season at 7:30 p.m. Friday at John Clark Stadium. It needs a win and a Flower Mound Marcus victory at Hebron to clinch a playoff berth. If either doesn’t happen, the Plano ISD will be locked out of the playoffs.

Believed to be one of the best defenses in the area, Plano showed it Friday. The offense scored 21 points on Plano East turnovers, as the defense compiled five takeaways in a game for the second time this season. Plano East had a late fourth-quarter drive move to the Plano 1 before the fifth turnover helped seal the first shutout victory under coach Jaydon McCullough, the first shutout in 52 games – dating to a 2006 meeting against Richardson Berkner – and Plano’s first shutout of Plano East since the second game of the series in 1983.

For the first time since 1983, Plano shutout Plano East. It marked the first time in 52 games Plano had shutout an opponent. / Thad Fenton

But, it all started when offensive coordinator Linn Dickey dug deep into his bag of tricks and came up with a dandy early in the second quarter. Murat Kuzu took a handoff into the right flat and tossed it to Brandon Hamilton on an apparent reverse, but Hamilton turned it into an old school flea-flicker when he flipped the ball back to Connor Michelsen who launched a 49-yard touchdown pass to Steele Hoetger for a 7-0 lead with 11:17 left in the first half.

The offense had averaged 3 yards per play prior to the flea-flicker and on one play gained more than double the yards it had in the first quarter.

Matt Johnson had an interception and fumble recovery for two of Plano's five defensive takeaways Friday. / Thad Fenton

It seemed to be just the spark Plano needed. Four plays later Matt Johnson intercepted Corey Wesley when pressured by Steven Murray and a pair of Kuzu runs set up a 2-yard Michelsen touchdown run for a 14-0 lead. When East got the ball back, Plano’s defense demonstrated why it should be considered among the best. Taylor May dropped Nathan Meadors for a two-yard loss on first down and on second down Ben Laures and Arthur Skinner pounced on a ball rolling on the turf.

A mixture of ball-control offense and takeaway defense led to the second-half blowout. Plano East opened the second half with an onside pooch kickoff that failed. It was intended to just get past the hands team, but Plano handled it and took advantage of the short field. It drove 54 yards in 13 plays and Chris Moore – who controlled Plano East’s offense all night by pinning them deep on kickoffs and punts – converted a 20-yard field goal into a 17-0 lead, capping a drive that took the first 6:53 off the second quarter clock.

This hit on a safety blitz by Collin Brence led to a 24-0 lead and a Blair Burns interception less than four minutes later sealed Plano's victory Friday. / Thad Fenton

The second Plano East offensive play of the second half turned into a nightmare. Collin Brence, on a rare blitz from his safety position, sprinted into the pocket and drilled Wesley just as he was about to throw. He fumbled and Xavier Harbert made a recovery that one play later resulted in a 5-yard Murat Kuzu touchdown run for a 24-0 lead.

The blowout was on. But the defense wasn’t done. Blair Burns intercepted a pass that resulted in a Michelsen 1-yard score for a 31-0 lead with 57 seconds left in the third quarter. It was a disastrous quarter for Plano East, including two turnovers that led to 14 points.

When Michelsen found Brandon Hamilton on a 55-yard touchdown completion – the fourth time this season the pair has hooked up on a completion of at least 50 yards – with 10:05 left in the fourth quarter, the game was out of reach.

But there was one last thing to accomplish. The defense had allowed one score in three previous games this season, coming so close to its first shutout since 2006. This time it had 10 minutes to go. Plano East marched to the Plano 1 and it seemed the bid would soon be over again. Then Johnson had his second takeaway of the game when a high snap got past Aaron Stelly and after the quarterback’s second attempt to field the ball Johnson grabbed it to seal the shutout.

Plano 38, Plano East 0

Plano 0 14 17 7 – 38
Plano East 0 0 0 0 – 0
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
No scoring
Second Quarter
P – Steele Hoetger 49 pass from Connor Michelsen (Chris Moore kick), 11:17
P – Michelsen 2 run (Moore kick), 7:54
Third Quarter
P – Moore 20 FG, 5:07
P – Murat Kuzu 5 run (Moore kick), 4:11
P – Michelsen 1 run (Moore kick), 0:57
Fourth Quarter
P – Brandon Hamilton 55 pass from Michelsen (Moore kick), 10:05
P
E
14 First downs 13
35-129 Rushes-yards 33-121
138 Passing yards 123
267 Total yards 244
8-12-0 Passing 10-30-2
5-213 Total punting 5-180
4-40 Penalties-yds. 2-15
1-0 Fumbles-lost 3-3
Individuals
Rushing — P: Murat Kuzu 18-78, Kevin Merrill 3-22, Rakeem Crawford 5-22, Connor Michelsen 7-5, Clayton Parlin 1-2, Richard Lagow 1-0.
E: Gabe Dunlap 9-59, Nathan Meadors 13-31, IB Jamabo 4-19, Dante’ Taylor 2-9,  Corey Wesley 2-4, Aaron Stelly 3-(-1).
Passing — P: Connor Michelsen 8-12-0, 138 yards. E: Corey Wesley 9-24-1, 94 yards; Aaron Stelly 1-5-1, 29 yards; Gabe Dunlap 0-1-0, 0 yards.
Receiving — P: Steele Hoetger 2-62, Brandon Hamilton 1-55, Clayton Parlin 2-13, Kevin Merrill 1-5, Murat Kuzu 2-3. E: Gabe Dunlap 5-56, Ryan Garrey 4-38, Warren Tafah 1-29.
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Game notes: Plano vs. Plano East

By on October 29, 2010 in '10 Fall Season

Plano 38, Plano East 0: Final. First shutout since 2006 and first against Plano East since 1983.

  • Plano 38, Plano East 0: Brandon Hamilton 55-yard TD on pass from Michelsen. 10:05 left for Plano’s first shutout since 2006 and first shutout over East since 1983.
  • Plano 31, Plano East 0: End of third quarter
  • Plano 31, Plano East 0: Connor Michelsen 1-yard TD off Blair Burns interception. 0:51 left in third quarter.
  • Note: Plano has not shut out Plano East since 1983, the second meeting between these teams. Plano’s last shutout was in 2006.
  • Plano 24, Plano East 0: Murat Kuzu 5-yard TD run. 4:11 left in third quarter.
  • Plano 17, Plano East 0: Chris Moore 20-yard FG. 5:07 left in third quarter. Score capped a 13-play, 53-yard drive off the opening kickoff. FYI…Plano is unbeaten this season when scoring first and taking a lead into the fourth quarter.
  • Plano receives to open the second half.
  • Plano called 18 plays in the first half and scored 14 points, but had less than 100 yards.
  • First Half Statistics
P E
4 First downs 7
10-22 Rushes-yards 15-30
70 Passing yards 94
92 Total yards 124
6-8-0 Passing 9-21-1
4-174 Total punting 3-117
2-20 Penalties-yds. 2-15
1-0 Fumbles-lost 1-1
  • Plano individuals in first half
Rushing — P: Connor Michelsen 3–1, Clayton Parlin 1-2, Kevin Merrill 2-6, Murat Kuzu 4-15,
Passing — P: Connor Michelsen 6-8-0, 70 yards;  E: 3 9-21-1, 94 yards;
Receiving — P: Murat Kuzu 2-3, Clayton Parlin 2-13, Brandon Hamilton 1-49, Kevin Merrill 1-5,
  • Plano 14, Plano East 0: Halftime
  • Plano has ball with 3:20 left in half looking to go up by three scores.
  • Plano 14, Plano East 0: Connor Michelsen 2-yard TD. Caps short 3-play drive. 7:54 left in first half. Matt Johnson interception set up drive.
  • Plano 7, Plano East 0: Connor Michelsen 49-yard touchdown pass to Steele Hoetger on a flea flicker. Murat Kuzu took handoff, pitched to Brandon Hamilton who reversed the play and tossed back to Michelsen for the pass. 11:17 left in first half.
  • Plano 0, Plano East 0: End of first quarter.
  • Defense holds. Plano back on offense.
  • East calls timeout with key fourth down at Plano 29 coming up.
  • Teams exchange punts on opening drives. East has ball back.
  • East will receive to open the game.
  • Kickoff is moments away. The winner could pull into a tie for fourth place as Hebron faces unbeaten Allen tonight.
  • The 29th meeting between Plano and Plano East will kickoff in a little more than an hour. Plano tie the series at 14-14-1 with a win tonight. Be sure to check back here throughout the game for updates. Notes and updates will be available here, along with complete halftime stats.
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