Week 13 Rewind
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OFF THE TOP
Things that caught my attention in Week 13:
Another cardiac comeback for Wylie as the Bulldogs turn a 40-30 deficit with minutes left into a 50-40 win. KJ Long hit Harrison Heighten with seconds to play to give Wylie the lead. The Bulldogs will take on Canutillo in round three.
Abilene High blasted Red Oak 35-0, running for over 400 yards and holding the Hawks under 100 yards for the game. The Eagles get Burleson Centennial in the next round.
Cooper’s run comes to an end with a 38-21 loss to Grapevine.
Brownwood eliminates Canyon 31-10. The Lions keep rolling and will face Wichita Falls Friday at ACU.
Jim Ned, Early, Coleman and Bangs all fall and see great seasons wrap.
Hawley has no issues pounding Panhandle 72-26 and will move on to the regionals against Sonora.
Cisco knocks off defending 2A D2 state champ Stratford 14-8 to snap the Elks’ 23-game winning streak. Cisco plays New Deal next.
Albany used a huge second half to eliminate Muenster 56-10 Thursday. The Lions will face unbeaten Wink in San Angelo in round three.
Westbrook dominates Buena Vista 48-0 to keep the season going. They’ll rematch with Rankin next. The Wildcats beat the Red Devils by one earlier this season.
Loraine shuts out Richland Springs 52-0, the Coyotes first shut out loss since a 44-0 defeat to Strawn in 1998.
The Bulldogs will face Cherokee next. The Indians outlasted Blackwell 36-30.
Abilene Christian upsets Lucas Christian 68-44 to advance to the TAPPS D2 semifinals.
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BIG COUNTRY A TO Z
Abilene High (6-6) seems to be getting stronger as the season goes longer. The Eagles played their best game of the season in a dominating 35-0 win over Red Oak in Mansfield on a chilly Friday night.
The Eagles ran for a season high 413 yards and outgained the Hawks 472 to 82.
Bam Rashaw ran for 158 yards and three touchdowns and Brayden Henry added 147 and two scores, including a 63-yard right through the middle of the Red Oak defense to push the Eagle lead to 21-0 in the third quarter.
Red Oak only picked up four first downs in the game and were constantly harassed in the backfield by the blitzing Eagle defense.
The Eagles will head back to the Metroplex the day after Thanksgiving to face Burleson Centennial at Choctaw Stadium, AKA The Ballpark in Arlington.
Photo: Abilene Christian School
Abilene Christian (9-2) trailed unbeaten Lucas Christian 24-0 before they flipped a switch and rallied to beat the Warriors 68-44 to advance to the TAPPS Six-Man Division II semifinals.
Now the Panthers will meet up with district foe Fort Worth Covenant Christian Friday at 1 p.m. in Dublin.
Photo: Julia Vega: Albany Lions Photos
Albany (10-2) used a huge second half to get past Muenster 56-10 Thursday night in Graham to set up a showdown with unbeaten Wink the third round next week.
The Lions have been putting teams away by halftime as of late but were in a battle this time. Muenster led 10-7 before Albany went ahead to stay on a Coy Lefevre touchdown run with just 30 seconds to go before the break.
Albany turned up the heat in the third and fourth quarter, however, outscoring the Hornets 42-0 the rest of the way to pull away for the win.
Lefevre ran for 36 yards but scored three times and also caught three passes for 75 yards. Quarterback Cole Chapman was the leading rushing with 84 and two scores. He also threw for 184 yards. Adam Hill picked up 54 yards and a touchdown rushing and also returned a fumble for a score in the fourth quarter.
Albany outgained Muenster 438 to 229 and forced four Hornet turnovers in the contest.
Albany will meet Wink, a 35-19 winner over Santo, Friday at 5 p.m. at San Angelo Stadium in the regional round of the playoffs next week.
Photo: Julia Vega: Albany Lions Photos
Bangs (7-5) ran into a red-hot Riesel team in Burleson Friday night and saw its season come to an end in a 38-14 loss.
The Dragons fell behind 28-0 by halftime and could never recover against an Indian squad that runs the ball well and plays keep-away.
Bangs got 146-yards from Guy Powell, who went over 2,000 yards, 2,040 to be exact, in what was an amazing senior season for him. He ends his Dragon career with 3,805 rushing yards.
Riesel advances to face district rival Crawford.
Blackwell (7-5) gave it all they had and almost pulled off the upset of unbeaten Cherokee.
The Indians broke a 30-30 tie with a touchdown with just under a minute to play and held off the Hornets in the red zone on the final play of the game.
Blackwell turned into a very formidable team after a 1-3 start the season and wound up in the playoffs for a sixth consecutive season.
Photo: Derrick Stuckly/Brownwoodnews.com
Brownwood (10-2) got past Canyon 31-10 in their closest game since September.
The Lions led 17-0 at the half and saw the Eagles get as close as 17-10 early in the fourth before pulling away with a pair of late touchdowns.
The game was scoreless until the second quarter when the Lions struck for a field goal, a Konlyn Anderson touchdown run and an Ike Hall scoring run to go up 17.
Anderson ran for 114 yards and two touchdowns in the game and Hall added 108 and two more. He also went 4-9 passing for 71 yards.
Brownwood outgained Canyon 298-258 and moves on to the region round for the first time since 2019.
They’ll meet Wichita Falls at ACU Friday night.
Photo: Derrick Stuckly/Brownwoodnews.com
Photo: Gary Stennett
Cisco (10-2) got one of the more impressive wins in the area this week with their 14-8 victory over defending 2A D2 state champ Stratford.
The Loboes snapped the Elks’ 23-game winning streak.
Cisco went up 7-0 on a 57-yard Cade Gayle scoring run but saw the Elks go up 8-7 at the half courtesy of a touchdown and two-point conversion late in the second quarter.
Hunter Long did his best to make sure this would not be the last game of his great Cisco career, running for 211 yards and a touchdown, including the one-yarder in the third quarter that proved to be the game winner.
Cisco outgained Stratford 325-174 and advances to face New Deal next week.
The Loboes beat New Deal in the third round last year 34-14.
Photo: Gary Stennett
Photo: Colemantoday.com
Coleman (9-3) saw another good season come to an end with a 34-13 loss to unbeaten Crawford.
The Bluecats trailed just 7-6 after one quarter, but saw the Pirates put four touchdowns on the board in the second quarter to pull away.
Coleman scored on a Ryland Gentry touchdown run and a Jadin Jackson to Braxton Smith scoring strike but could not consistently get their offense moving.
Crawford outgained Coleman 369 to 219.
Gentry led the way with 73 yards rushing while Jackson added 55 but completed just 4 of 15 passes for 93 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Smith caught two passes for 70 yards.
The Pirates advance to face district rival Riesel.
Cooper (6-6) could not overcome a slow start and fell to Grapevine 38-21 in the area round Friday night.
The Mustangs were up 17-0 by the end of the first quarter the Cougars could never fully recover. Cooper got as close as 24-21 on a Daniel Bray touchdown run in the fourth quarter but Grapevine’s Parker Polk scored his fourth and fifth touchdowns of the night in the final four minutes to give the Mustangs the win.
Five turnovers certainly did not help the Cooper cause.
Chris Warren threw for 192 yards and two touchdowns but also threw three picks. Bray picked up 83 yards rushing and was also the top receiver with five grabs for 70 yards.
Grapevine moves on to face 12-0 Argyle in the regional round.
Photo: Mike Jones
Early (7-5) saw a very good season come to an end with a 42-14 loss to state power Canadian.
The Longhorns were down 7-0 after one and 21-7 at the half.
Early picked up 221 yards through the air but could not get anything going on the ground, rushing for -32 yards.
Jeremy Brown had a huge game in his Early finale, catching ten passes for 165 yards and both Longhorn touchdowns.
Photo: CincoCincoProductions
Hawley (12-0) pummeled Panhandle 72-26 Friday afternoon in Lubbock to roll into the regional round of the playoffs next week.
The Bearcats and Panthers were scoreless after one but Hawley exploded for 28 second quarter points to put the game out of reach by the half. They led 60-12 after three quarters.
Austin Cumpton racked up 172 yards and three rushing touchdowns, while quarterback Rodey Hooper chipped in 133 yards and three scores on the ground and 203 yards and two more touchdowns passing.
Diontay Ramon (7 rec, 148 yds, 2 TD) and Chandlin Myers (3 rec, 55 yds) were the only two Bearcats to catch a pass.
Hez Parked led the Bearcats with 11 tackles. Myers picked off a pair of Panhandle passes.
Hawley moves on to meet Sonora in the regional round. The Bearcats are in the third round for the fourth straight season.
Photo: Roy Wheeler/Press Pass Sports
Jim Ned (8-4) ran into a very good Bushland team and fell 28-10 to bow out of the playoffs.
The Indians eight-game winning streak comes to an end and the Falcons advance to meet Brock.
Jim Ned pounded the Falcons on the ground in the first quarter, using up 11 minutes of clock but could only put a field goal on the board.
The Indians scored their only touchdown of the game in the second quarter to lead 10-7 but Bushland led 21-10 by the half and kept Jim Ned off the board the rest of the way.
Jim Ned turned the ball over three times and only scored on two of five possessions inside the Falcon 20-yard line.
Photo: Loraine Bulldog Sports 24/7
Loraine (11-1) is on to the 1A D2 Region IV championship game after a dominating 52-0 win over Richland Springs.
The Bulldogs handed the Coyotes their first shut out defeat since 1998.
Loraine led 32-0 by the end of the first quarter and scored three more second quarter touchdowns to put this one away by halftime.
Loraine moves into the regional finals, the state quarterfinals, for the first time since 2014.
They will meet Cherokee in Miles on Friday.
Photo: SMcCowen Photography
Westbrook (11-1) took care of Buena Vista by the half in a 48-0 area playoff victory.
That makes seven consecutive playoff wins for the Wildcats, who move on to face Rankin in round three.
Westbrook spread the wealth around on offense as four different players scored touchdowns, led by Grayson Jeffrey with two and a team high 69-yards rushing. Cedric Ware (54 yds), Pahton Dominguz (8 yds), and Ethan King (26 yds) also scored. Ware led the team with five tackles and Jeffrey picked off two passes. Dominguez had an interception, a sack and four tackles.
The Longhorns were held to just two first downs in the game.
Photo: SMcCowen Photography
Photo: Kerr Broadstreet/Wyliesports.com
Wylie (9-3) went to the miracle well once again this season and pulled out a 50-40 victory over Colleyville Heritage.
The Bulldogs got a KJ Long to Harrison Heighten touchdown pass from eight-yards out with three seconds to play to take a 44-40 lead and added another touchdown with no time on the clock when Heritage fumbled while trying to keep the play alive on the kickoff return.
The Bulldogs jumped out to a 17-0 lead but Heritage rallied to pull within 17-14 at the half and took a 33-23 lead into the fourth quarter.
Wylie trailed 40-30 with under five minutes to play but Long hit Braden Regala for a 44-yard touchdown to begin the Bulldog comeback.
Long put up huge numbers again, throwing for 254 yards and four touchdowns and picking up 62 yards on the ground. Malachi Daniels ran for 74 yards and a score and also caught two passes for 67 yards and a touchdown. Regala caught seven passes for 117 yards and two score and Heighten caught four for 64 and the game winning score.
The Bulldogs were outgained 483 to 428 but won the turnover battle three to one.
Wylie will head west this week to face Canutillo in the regional round in Fort Stockton.
PLAYOFF SCORES AND PAIRINGS
5A DIVISION I
BI-DISTRICT
Abilene High 42, El Paso Del Valle 14
AREA
Abilene High 35, Red Oak 0
REGIONALS
Abilene High (6-6) vs. Burleson Centennial (11-1) - Friday, 7:30 p.m. - Choctaw Stadium, Arlington
5A DIVISION II
BI-DISTRICT
Wylie 54, El Paso High 14
Cooper 49, El Paso Andress 20
AREA
Wylie 50, Colleyville Heritage 40
Grapevine 38, Cooper 21
REGIONALS
Wylie (9-3) vs. Canutillo (10-2) - Friday, 3 p.m. - Fort Stockton
4A DIVISION I
BI-DISTRICT
Brownwood 63, El Paso Irvin 0
AREA
Brownwood 31, Canyon 10
REGIONALS
Brownwood (10-2) vs. Wichita Falls (8-4) - Friday, 7 p.m. - ACU
4A DIVISION II
BI-DISTRICT
Ferris 31, Snyder 21
3A DIVISION I
BI-DISTRICT
Jim Ned 41, Pilot Point 0
Paradise 47, Breckenridge 7
AREA
Bushland 28, Jim Ned 10
3A DIVISION II
BI-DISTRICT
Early 62, Odessa Compass 0
Holliday 40, Merkel 12
AREA
Canadian 42, Early 14
2A DIVISION I
BI-DISTRICT
Hawley 52, Christoval 8
Cisco 55, Reagan County 0
Forsan 21, Stamford 14
Coleman 46, Alvord 7
Bangs 61, Nocona 21
AREA
Hawley 72, Panhandle 26
Cisco 14, Stratford 8
Crawford 34, Coleman 13
Riesel 38, Bangs 14
REGIONALS
Hawley (12-0) vs. Sonora (10-2) - Friday, 6 p.m. - Big Spring
Cisco (10-2) vs. New Deal (9-3) - Friday, 2 p.m. - Colorado City
2A DIVISION II
BI-DISTRICT
Albany 49, Eldorado 13
McCamey 42, Roscoe 6
Wink 60, Cross Plains 0
Collinsville 21, Haskell 7
AREA
Albany 56, Muenster 10
REGIONALS
Albany (10-2) vs. Wink (12-0) - 5 p.m. Friday - San Angelo Stadium
1A DIVISION I
BI-DISTRICT
Westbrook 72, Garden City 22
Rankin 74, Ira 42
Union Hill 48, Gorman 6
Irion County 104, May 91
AREA
Westbrook 48, Buena Vista 0
QUARTERFINALS
Westbrook (11-1) vs. Rankin (11-1) - Friday, 5 p.m. - Robert Lee
1A DIVISION II
BI-DISTRICT
Newcastle 97, Rule 49
Loraine 56, Panther Creek 0
Blackwell 68, Rising Star 40
Richland Springs 61, Zephyr 16
Cherokee 52, Blanket 6
AREA
Cherokee 36, Blackwell 30
Loraine 52, Richland Springs 0
QUARTERFINALS
Loraine (11-1) vs. Cherokee (11-0) - Friday, 6 p.m. - Miles
TAPPS SIX-MAN DIVISION II
BI-DISTRICT
Abilene Christian 46, Dallas Lutheran 0
QUARTERFINALS
Abilene Christian 68, Lucas Christian 44
SEMIFINALS
Abilene Christian (9-2) vs. Fort Worth Covenant Classical (10-1) - Friday, 1 p.m. - Dublin
COLLEGE ROUNDUP
ACU (7-4, 3-1) fell by three points to Stephen F. Austin for the second time this season and this loss, 24-21, cost them the WAC championship.
Neither team made the FCS Tournament draw that was announced on Sunday.
ACU wraps up a very good first season under head coach Keith Patterson with a 7-4 record.
The Wildcats took a 21-13 lead into the fourth quarter but saw the Lumberjacks outscore them 11-0 in the final 15 minutes to dash ACU’s playoff hopes.
Maverick McIvor threw for 318 yards and two touchdowns and Sweetwater native Kobe Clark went out with a bang in his final collegiate contest, catching seven passes for a career high 168 yards.
Hardin-Simmons (9-2) came up just short in San Antonio, falling to Trinity 14-7 in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs.
The Cowboys led 7-0 at the half on a Noah Garcia touchdown run but could not hold on, allowing the Tigers to tie the game in the third and win it on a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.
HSU got to the Trinity nine-yard line in the final seconds but Gaylon Glynn was intercepted in the end zone with no time left on the clock to seal the Cowboys fate.
Garcia led the Cowboys with 68 yards. HSU was held to 219 total yards, while Trinity picked up 319.
Hardin-Simmons has not won a playoff game since 2000.
Trinity advances to face Mary Hardin-Baylor in the second round of the playoffs.
