“‘Hounds reclaim Wagon Wheel at homecoming”
Article originally published in the October 12, 2004, edition of The Chase
The Wagon Wheel football game is a 59-year tradition for Eastern New Mexico University and West Texas A&M. Every season brings an exciting rivalry and this year was no exception. After a less-than-perfect first half, the Hounds came out with a vengeance.
The Wagon Wheel competition began in 1945. The game is held annually and the winner, for the past 17 years, takes home the coveted trophy. The Buffaloes won the Wagon Wheel last year and with this being Coach Harold “Bud” Elliot’s last homecoming, the football team craved a victory. And a victory is exactly what they earned.
“It feels good to get the Wagon Wheel back here, especially since it’s Coach Elliot’s last homecoming,” said Derrick Hunter, wide receiver for the Hounds.
The first quarter of the game was uneventful, ending with the score tied at zero. However, the Buffaloes came out ready to play and within six minutes of the second quarter had put 14 points on the board. With 8:52 left in the first half, ENMU kicked a field goal, narrowing the Buffaloes lead to 11 and scoring their only three points of the half. Late in the first half, the Buffaloes regained their lead by kicking a field goal. At the end of the first half, the score was 17-3 in favor of West Texas A&M.
Just when the Buffaloes thought they had the game won, the Hounds came back onto the field ready for action.
With 9:15 left in the third quarter, the Hounds kicked another field goal, making the score 17-6. The Buffaloes got possession of the ball, but couldn’t make anything happen and had to punt it away. The Hound offense came alive when Steven Hinson, Hounds quarterback, hit Hunter with a 45-yard scoring pass. The Hounds closed the gap to 17-13 after they earned the extra point.
The Hinson-Hunter passes have become ordinary at ENMU games. “It comes from practice. He’s a good quarterback and we’re starting to get things meshing well,” said Hunter about his and Hinson’s big plays. The two hooked up again for a 33-yard pass and with 3:09 remaining in the third quarter, Jason Tezeno scored the next touchdown, giving the Hounds a 21-17 lead over the Buffaloes.
Hinson gives the credit to the line. “I have my ups and downs but those guys play good. They stay behind me the whole game, even when I make mistakes. So, they’re the greatest,” he said.
Still, the defense won the game for the Hounds. The score was 21-20 with the Hounds leading after a Buffalo field goal. In the last three minutes of the game, the Buffaloes had two chances to either score a touchdown or a field goal. The Hound defense held them off both times. During the Buffaloes first field goal attempt, Ty Touchstone blocked the kick.
The Hounds regained control of the ball, but lost it with a fumble by Hinson. The Buffaloes faked a field goal but weren’t able to connect on the pass. The Buffaloes had one last chance with 10 seconds left on the clock, but their Hail Mary pass wasn’t complete and the Hounds walked away with the Wagon Wheel.
“We just went in [after the first half] and got ourselves together. We said we needed to play better offensively and we did it,” Elliot said.
Hinson agrees with Elliot. “We just knew what we needed to do and we had to come out and play a lot better than we did in the first half. We just didn’t show up in the first half, but we showed up in the second one,” he said.
Not only did the Hounds decide they were going to play better in the second half, but they also kept faith in each other. “We just kept believing. We never thought that we were going to lose. We knew if we kept fighting, something big would come out of it. It’s the Wagon Wheel, so weird things happen. We knew if we kept going something good would happen,” said Will Smith, free safety for the Hounds.
Adrian Quigley, strong safety for the Hounds, summed up the feeling of winning back the Wagon Wheel. “It takes heart. [Winning the homecoming game and Wagon Wheel back] is the best feeling in the world, like a new baby boy.”