KFDM COOP Posted February 8, 2006 Report Posted February 8, 2006 For the third straight year, TexasHSFootball.com presents one of the most anticipated annual countdowns featuring the Top 40 Games of the year. While we realize there are hundreds of games to chose from and some games that did not make the list likely could and should be on the list, the list below is based on quality, impact, emotion and a few other criterias. With that being said, please enjoy our countdown and have fun reflecting back from the season! 40 Aledo 41 EP Chapin 35 (OT) - 11/21 In a classic playoff battle, the Aledo Bearcats came from behind in the closing moments of the game. With Huskies carrying the momentum into overtime after tying the game and losing a 28-20 fourth quarter lead, the Bearcats defense looked to make a statement. And it was a statement off the first overtime possession when CB Ryan McGuire intecepted the ball and running it back 85 yards for a game-winning touchdown. 39 Kilgore 24 Tyler John Tyler 21 (OT) - 9/16 The early season drama for the Tyler Lions and Kilgore Bulldogs continued with the epic finiish that had a good combination of defense, offense and heart racing, nail biting senarios. WIth the score tied 14-14 with just under a minute remaining in regulation, the Tyler Lions scored a touchdown with 49 seconds left to take a 21-14 lead. A few plays later and with 21 seconds left, Kilgore's Wayne Daniels gets in the end zone to send the game to overtime. After the Bulldogs kicked a field goal to take a 24-21 lead in the first possession, Tyler looked to tie it up from 40 yards out coming up short. 38 Southlake Carroll 28 Grapevine 23 - 10/23 In what seems to be a meaningless game for the Dragons, the Grapevine Mustangs had a golden opportunity to pull off one of the biggest and most monumental upsets in the entire country. Through halftime, the Mustangs held a 21-14 lead. Then after the halftime intermission, the Dragons took charge scoring two touchdowns to take a 28-21 lead. A punt kicked out of the endzone and a quarter later, Grapevine drove down the field with just over a minute left in a drive that featured a 4th and 20 conversion. The Mustangs ended up getting inside the Dragons Red Zone before Arius Ford intecepted a Stephen Headley pass to clinch the win. 37 Austin Westlake 31 Hays Consolidated 30 - 11/4 The Rebels seemingly had the game in control and had their eyes directly at the district championship. With just over a minute remaining, the Westlake Chaparals trailed the Rebels 30-17. Staton Jobe connected on a touchdown pass from 24 yards out to pull within 30-24. On the insuing onside kickoff, Westlake's Hudson Penn recovered the ball on the 48 yard line setting up the eventual game-winning touchdown with just over 30 seconds remaining when Jobe connected yet again. After the extra point was made, the Chaps huing on to win the game and the district title. 36 Abilene 28 Lubbock Monterey 21 (OT) - 11/18 As the two teams exchanged quarter scoring in the first half, little did they know the trend would continue in the second half. At the halftime mark, Monterey held their own as they kept pace with the Eagles on a 14-14 score. In the third, the Plainsmen struck again with a Taylor Ashby run from 19 yards out to take a 21-14 lead. After a quarter, Lyle Leong caught a 21 yard pass from Taylor Potts to tie the game. In overtime, would clinch the victory for the Eagles on a seven yard touchdown run in addition to getting a date against eventual champion Southlake Carroll. 35 Irving MacArthur 3 South Grand Prairie 0 - 10/20 All and any indications to this district battle was the impending offensive shootout that everyone would assume would occur. But someone forgot to tell the offenses to show up. A lone second quarter field goal by Irving MacArthur's Tobi Osinowa was the game decider. The game was decided on the basis of ball control, time management and defensive strategy. 34 Monahans 28 Snyder 21 - 11/11 The Monahans Loboes were out to prove the undefeated regular season record was not a fluke. In a bi-district contest against state-ranked Snyder, the Loboes hung with the Tigers through the end. With the score tield late in the fourth, the Loboes struck with a Sean Merrick touchdown pass to give Monahans a 28-21 lead. On the next drive, the Snyder Tigers were driving down the field from 91 yards away. The Tigers would fall 14 yards short on a Will Clay fumble as Monahans would hang on to win the game. 33 Leander 41 RR McNeil 38 (2OT) - 9/23 Trailing 28-7 in the fourth was only the start of the incredible comeback waged by the Leander Lions. In the fourth after Camron Rogers scored his second touchdown of the contest, Josh McKinley ran in from four yards out, but the extra point was missed. Later in the quarter, Billy Allen caught a pass from Drew Dunn to pull within 28-20. Shortly after that, the Lion defense hung on with the momentum on their side with ball coming back to the Lions offense with a chance to tie the game. Drew Dunn and the Lions would not be denied. Dunn threw a five yard TD pass to Billy Allen. Then on the two point conversion to tie it, DUnn and Allen connected to send the game to overtime. In the second overtime with McNeil up 38-35, Billy Allen caught his third touchdown pass of the game as the Lions fought off a 21-point fourth quarter deficit to win in double overtime. 32 Celina 28 Paul Pewitt 12 - 12/17 The Paul Pewitt Brahmas seemingly had the game and the state title in control by halftime despite the Celina Bobcats trailing by a 12-7 score. Then the Bobcat defense swung into full throttle. The Bobcats would limit the Brahmas to a total of 36 yards in the second half alone. Nathan Tune would score three second half rushing touchdowns to give Celina its seventh state championship tying Plano and Brownwood on the all-time win list in state championship games. 31 La Marque 20 Galveston Ball 19 - 9/3 In an early season battle between two of the Houston area's top teams, the top-ranked La Marque Cougars got more than what they bargained for against the Galveston Ball Tornadoes. Ball High took at 13-0 lead after the first quarter on a Reginald Thompson run from two yards out. La Marque would soon pull within seven on two second quarter field goals by Taylor Wilkins. Later in the fourth, La Marque struck twice with Durklyn Haynes running into the end zone twice to give La Marque a 20-13 lead. Then with 4:40 left in the game, Ball would connect with a 33 yard pass to Marcus Taylor from Reginald Thompson. Logan Jackson would then miss the extra point attempt that would have tied the game at 20. The Cougars would then hang on to win by a 20-19 score. 30 Katy 32 Cypress Falls 28 - 12/3 The Cypress Falls Eagles looked to be the surprise team of the year when they had the Katy Tigers on the ropes late in the fourth quarter. The Eagles 21-point fourth quarter outburst put the Tigers down 28-10 before time expired in the third on a 80 yard pass from Andy Dalton to Michael Fuda, bringing the Tigers to a 28-20 deficit. The Tigers drove down the field to pull within two on a Jordan Hil reception following by a game tying two pint conversion off the hands of Will Thompson. With seconds remaining Cy Falls looked to punt to ball on a fourth down but Morris Arnold came in to block the punt giving Katy the ball on the 32 yard line with just over 30 seconds left. On the next play, Bobby Harris caught an Andy Dalton pass for a touchdown giving the Tigers a 32-28 win. 29 Liberty Hill 49 Hutto 40 - 9/9 With two teams that love to run the ball, you would never expect to see a shootout on the ground. That is precisely what occured when Liberty Hill and Hutto faced one another in an early non-district contest on September 9. The two teams combined for over 700 yards rushing and 180 yards passing. By halftime, the Hippos and Panthers had a combined 56 points with the Panthers leading by four. Both teams slowed the scoring pace in the third scoring a touchdown each before Hutto took a 40-36 lead in the fourth. Nick Shrock would give the Panthers the lead once again on a 74 yard run. Later in the quarter, on the only completed pass of the game for the Liberty Hill offense, Chris Luckey from 49 yards out scored a touchdown off a Brent Bode throw to ice the game. 28 Stratford 21 Windthorst 17 - 12/10 It was only fitting to see two of the state's top powers in Class 1A lay it all on the line for the right to be in the last undisputed state championship in Texas for quite a long time. The first half of the Class 1A state semifinal \belonged to the Windthorst Trojans. Through the air in the first, Daniel Hoff caught a 36 yard touchdown pass from Brad Green. On the ground, Beau Berend ran it in from a yard out and Carlos Botello kicked in a field goal from 27 yards out. By halftime, the Trojans were on cruise control with a 17-0 lead. Stratford's Craig Kautz would answer back with a pair of rushing touchdowns in the third to put the Elks down by only three. In the fourth with 1:59 left, Stratford QB Hunter Buckles threw a 14 yard touchdown pass on 4th and 5. The Trojans on the next drive, went down the field with the intentions of making sure they would not be denied. With five seconds remaining, Trojan QB Brad Green scrambled only six inches from the end zone, After a timeout, the Trojans lined up as Green was poised to push his way into the endzone. But the Elk defense was on top of the play as they stop Green just short of the goal line on the game's final play. The next week, the Elks would go on to win the state championship. 27 Tyler John Tyler 20 Texas High 16 - 8/26 The East Texas Classic had two classic games in its slated. The Friday night spotlight game was between Class 4A's second ranked team and a up and coming resurgance of an East Texas power. Entering the fourth quarter with the Tigers driving down the field with a 9-7 lead, Tigers QB Ryan Mallett snuck in the end zone from a yard out. Mallett's quarterback sneak extended the lead to a 16-7 lead. Then the Lions came to life with a touchdown pass from Kerry Maddox to Teddy Williams from 21 yards out to pull back within three to a 16-13 score. After forcing the Tigers to punt, the Lions struck again with 3:32 on the clock with a Derrick Creag catch from 32 yards away for a touchdown. With time runing short, the Tigers got down to inside the 10 yard line before their final drive was stalled by four Mallett incomplete passes. The Lions would then hang on to run the clock out for a 20-16 win. 26 Nederland 34 Friendswood 27 (2OT) - 9/16 A Class 4A match between two of the Houston area's top programs turned into a very entertaining contest. Trailing 9-0 in the second, the Friendswood Mustangs answered the Bulldogs challenge with 17 unanswered points of their own grabbing a 17-9 lead in the third. After the Mustangs scored a field goal, Alex Moshier threw a 37 yard touchdown pass to Garrett Butler to pull within two. On the two pint conversion, Danny Nguyen caught a pass from Moshier tying the contest up at 17-17. After a lengthy fourth quarter defensive battle, the Mustangs' C.J. Stam booted a 36 yard field goal to put Friendswood up 20-17. On the next drive, the Bulldogs would respond with a drive as time ran out. Nederland kicker Clint Whitaker sent the game into overtime with a 21 yard field goal. After the first overtime possession, both teams scored a touchdown and kicked in the extra point that sent the contest into a second overtime. Then in the second overtime, Nederland's Alex Moshier rushed in what would be the game winning touchdown from a yard out giving the Bulldogs a hard-fought 34-27 victory. 25 Plano 31 South Grand Prairie 24 - 11/19 Comebacks in the playoffs are quite the makings of a classic battle in the history books. Plano's turnaround against South Grand Prairie was no different to that theory. Midway through the second quarter, the Warriors seemingly had the game in cruise control with a lead of 17-7. Then after a Denzel Dewberry one yard run, the Plano Wildcats awoke from hibernation on offense with 24 unanswered points of their own. Plano QB Mark Sfikas accounted for three of the four scores with two coming by way of a ground attack and the other coming by way of an air attack. On Plano's first possession of the second half, Brian Sheffield launched a 37 yard field goal. Then with five minutes remaining in the contest and Plano up 31-17, Dewberry found Bobby Duncan open for 22 yard touchdown pass bringing the Warriors within seven.Later in the quarter with seconds remaining, the Warriors were driving to tie the game until a fourth down play resulted in a Victor Jones inteception and a Plano win setting up a third round date with Midland where they would go on to win and face eventual and defending champion Southlake Carroll. 24 Tatum 38 Hutto 34 - 12/17 Special teams in the middle of an epic seesaw battle in the Class 3A Division II Championship proved to be the difference maker in deciding who wins and loses in the end. When one team scored or made a cruicial play in the game, the other was not far behind with a dramatic play of their own. With the Hippos leading 19-10 in the second quarter, Darnius Moore took the Tatum kickoff and ran it back for a touchdown to pull within a 19-17 score. On the next kickoff, Hutto would fumble the ball with Tatum Bryce Beall recovering it and setting up a Carson Blackmon 18 yard touchdown reception. Hutto would then regain the lead in the third with a Shiloh Wampler TD catch but Tatum would answer back with yet another touchdown as Darnius Moore entered the end zone to put the Egles up 21-26. Hutto would get the lead once more with a Jerrick Gauthier touchdown reception and a Jeremy Kerley two point conversion. With Gautheir and Kerley's scores, the Hippos had a 34-31 lead. Then finally with 2:43 left, Lennon Creer would run the ball into the end zone to give the Eagles a game wining score and their first state championship. 23 Spring Westfield 35 Cypress Fairbanks 28 - 11/22 Undefeated Spring Westfield got more than what they bargained for when it came down to facing a Cypress Fairbanks team out of a very underrated district in 17-5A. With the score tied 14-14 in the second, Mustangs QB Pierre Beasley rushed into the end zone with just under 50 seconds left from the four giving Westfield a 21-14 lead. In the third, Bobcats RB Sam McGuffie would run in a two yard score, which would be his third touchdown of the game and a game tying touchdown as well. Later in the quarter, with under a minute left, Eric Humphrey would find Wes Bray in the defensive backfield for a 68 yard score giving the Bobcats a 28-21 lead going into the fourth. About two minutes into the fourth quarter, Dwayne Stewart rushed in from 42 yards away to tie the game once again. After about six minutes, the Mustangs found their way down the field once more. Only this time, the Mustangs' Trent Jones would enter the end zone from four yards away to give the Mustangs the eventual game-winning touchdown over the Cypress Fairbanks Bobcats by a score of 35-28. 22 Lufkin 31 Harker Heights 24 (OT) - 11/12 After rolling through the regular season, the Lufkin Panthers took a step into the playoffs where reality set in rather quickly. In the first after both teams scored a touchdown through the air, Lufkin would fumble the ball on their own 25 yard line with just over four minutes left. On the fumble, Harker Heights would end up recovering the ball as Julian Harris took it back for a touchdown giving Harker Heights a 14-7 lead. Lufkin would then rebound in the second with a 17 point outburst.But Harker Heights would also keep pace with a touchdown of their own. Down 24-21 in the fourth, Harker Heights looked to tie the game and would be successful from 34 yards out with just under six minutes remaining. In the overtime period, Lufkin took charge with a Clifton Kibble run from 14 yards away for a touchdown. After a defensive stand in the overtime period, the Panthers would escape to play another week in the playoffs. 21 Fossil Ridge 31 Denton Ryan 28 - 11/4 The Fossil Ridge-Denton Ryan game was important not only in deciding who goes to the playoffs, but it also was important in how the playoff road map would be determined for both eventual state champions in Euless Trinity and Southlake Carroll. The Panthers got off to a 14-0 start in the first when Stuart Bishop rushed for two scores from 15 and 48 yards respectively. Denton Ryan would then answer on a Greg Garden 12 yard run before Bishop ran it in for yet another score in the second giving Fossil Ridge a 21-7 lead. Later in the second the Raiders would return the favor by pulling with eight with an Austin Knight touchdown run. In the third, Ryan would tie the game with a 21-21 score on a Ricky Trujillo run and Burton Taylor two point conversion. Chris Bowell would break the tie later with a 31 yard field goal giving Fossil Ridge a three point edge. Shortly after, Larry Carter-Holmes would add to the lead by rushing in a 52 yard touchdown. But Denton Ryan did not give up. Justin Fenty would get a nine yard touchdown catch to pull the Raiders back within three. On the game's final play Denton Ryan kicker Tony Adams had a chance to tie the game and send it overtime but he would miss the 45 yarder. Fossil RIdge's win put them into the playoffs as they also sent Southlake Carroll to Division II. 20 Hutto 23 Cuero 21 - 12/10 The Hutto Hippos and Cuero Gobblers faced off for the right to play in the 3A Division II State Championship. Drama and emotion would eventually be the story of the game. Hutto would take the first strike with a 12-0 lead in the second quarter before the Gobblers's Fabian Olguin scored a rushing touchdown with three seconds remaining in the first half. The Gobbler touchdown cut the Hippo lead to five at the half. Then with just under nine minutes to play in the third, Cuero took the lead with a Kyle Noack pass to Quincey Whittington from 22 yards out. After Cuero's Fabian Olguin fumbled the ball and losing possession, Jeremy Kerley and Hippos drive down the field setting up Shiloh Wampler for a score that gave the Hippos a 20-14 lead. Noack would respond later in the fourth with a six yard run as the Gobblers regained the lead at 21-20. After the Hippos took possesion, the Hutto offense worked their way down the field until the closing seconds of the game. With 46 seconds left, Jose Diaz kicked a 24 yard field goal putting the Hippos in front with a 23-21 score. The Hippos would hang on to win and upset the top-ranked Cuero Gobblers for the right to play in the 3A Division II Texas Bowl. 19 DeSoto 56 Garland 50 (5OT) - 9/2 In a game that was set between two regional powers, little did they know the game would extend beyond a single overtime and more, In a game of momentum, DeSoto struck first with a pair of touchdowns from Terrance Wilkerson. But the Owls would answer back with a pair of touchdowns of their own by Malcolm WIlliams and a John Murphy. Murphy's touchdown came off a blocked punt. DeSoto would then rebuild the the 14 point edge with two more scores in the third and fourth quarters. Now down 14 in the fourth, the Owls had to answer back if they intended to have a chance to claim victory. Malcolm Williams would answer with a 22 yard fumble return for touchdown followed by a three yard run by Dante Sloan. In the overtime, Sloan struck again to give Garland a seven point edge in the first overtime. DeSoto's Clevell Jordan would answer back with a five yard run sending the game into a second overtime period. LaMonte Williams and Malcolm Williams would trade touchdowns in the second overtime. Then after the third overtime went scoreless, Clevell Jordan and Garland's Brian Johnson would add to the scoreboard. On the Garland possesion of the fifth overtime, a Tim Crosby pass was intercepted setting DeSoto up with a chance to win the game. The Eagles would drive down to the goal line where Clevell Jordan would run it in for the game winner giving DeSoto the win in the fifth overtime period. 18 Cameron Yoe 21 Giddings 20 - 10/21 The Giddings Buffaloes turned out to be one of the surprise teams of the 2005 season. One of the games that highlighted their season was a district contest against that of Cameron Yoe. The Yoemen enter the game as one of the state's elite teams hovering in the Top 10 rankings. One would have expected the Yoemen to dominate the game but it was Giddings who started the game eye-popping results. An effective ground control for the Buffaloes guided them to score the first touchdown of the game on a two yard run by Devane Jarmon. Later in the first, Brock FItzhenry threw a 33 yard pass to Joel Green for another touchdown. But the pending extra point was missed after the toouchdown and would play a major role in the outcome of the game. But Giddings was not done with a shocking start to the game. Brock Fitzhenry would later run for a touchdown from 70 yards away to put the Buffaloes up 20-0. After halftime the Yoemen came to life. Derrick Evans in his only pass attempt in the game, threw a nine yard touchdown to fellow wide receiver Javris Johnson to put the score to a 20-7 mark. Derrick Evans wasn't done and he wouldn't let his Yoemen be denied. In the fourth, off a Cordrick Mobley pass, Evans scored a 71 yard touchdown reception to bring Cameron within six points. Later in the quarter Mobley and Evans would connect once again from nine yards away. Evans, who is also the team's kicker, would tap in the extra point bringing the Yoemen from down 20-0 to a 21-20 victory. 17 Copperas Cove 20 Converse Judson 19 - 9/2 In a contest between two of Class 5A's Top 15 teams, the result only gave justification on the quality of the two teams. Eventual state finalist Converse Judson started the scoring with not one but two first quarter touchdowns by Alfred McDaniel. On the second touchdown extra point attempt, Copperas Cove's aggressive special teams play yielded a blocked extra point. The second quarter belonged to the Bulldogs. Quarterback Brent Garner rushed into the endzone from the 17 and Kyle Matthews chipped in a 28 yard field goal to get the score to a 13-10 lead for Converse Judson at the half. The third quarter turned into a quarter of defense that resulted in only one score off the foot of Brent Garner with a 44 yard field goal. Garner's field goal would tie the game with 13 a piece. In the fourth, Judson's Alfred McDaniel showed that he wasn't done after rushing into the end zone for a third time. But Karl Nicholas' extra point attempt sailed just outside the post as the score gave the Rockets a 19-13 lead. Then Brent Garner found an opportunity to win the game. with an 18 yard pass to Darrell Armstead tthe Bulldogs tied the score at 19 pending the extra point attempt. Karl Nicholas would then make the extra point to give Copperas Cove a 20-19 win. 16 Clovis East 38 Midland Lee 37 (2OT) - 9/30 An intrastate match up with Pomona out of Colorado from the 2004 season went so bad against Midland Lee that the school backed out of its committment to return to Midland in 2005. The result ended up with Midland Lee searching for a more worthy opponent as a replacement and the Rebels got more than what they bargained for when Clovis East stepped up to the plate. Clovis East, a cross-town rival to that of California power Clovis West wanted to show that they can play with the storied Lee program. The Rebels had other plans as they jumped off to a quick 10-0 first quarter lead on a Trent Hines five yard run then an Aaron Esikhati 37 yard field goal. The Esikhati field goal was made with 2:14 left on the clock in the first. On the next drive and play, Clovis East answered back with an 80 yard run of its own to pull with three of the Rebels. East would then tack on 10 more points in the second to take a 17-10 lead into halftime. After coming out of the locker rooms, Midland Lee took its turn with puting up points on the scoreboard. Trent Hines would run then ball into the end zone with 8:24 left fromm a yard out then with 2:36 left from eight yards away. Just a little less than halfway through the fourth, Clovis East would respond with a 66 yard run for a touchdown to tie the game once again. Trent Hines wasn't done. With a little over a minute remaining, Hines would storm into get yet another touchdown which put the Rebels back on top with a 31-24 score. But Clovis East, coming from 1,333 miles from home were determined not to let it end that way. With 13 seconds remaining the Timberwolves found the end zone to set tie and and send the game to overtime. After the Wolves and Rebels went scoreless in the first overtime, Trent Hines would get into the end zone from two yards away to put Midland Lee up 37-31. The extra point attempt turned out to be unsuccessful as it was up to the Rebel defense to contain East. But then East rushed in from three yards out to tie and then get the extra point to escape with a 38-37 double overtime win. 15 Longview 37 Rockwall 35 - 10/14 Second ranked Longview had its fair share of scares and high drama moments in 2005. WIth its district schedule, it was almost a bet that the Lobos would run the table. Then came the Rockwall Yellowjackets, who has given Longview all sorts of problems in the past few years. After a half of play, there was little doubt in the minds of many that Longview would be able to coast through the second half with yet another win. The Lobos did have a 20-6 lead midway through the third with two Chris Ivory touchdowns and run by Vondrell McGee. On Tanner's only pass reception he would score a touchdown from 24 yards away pulling within 20-13. Adrian Reese, on his only reception of the game would put the Lobos up 27-13. But Rockwall lived up to its Lobo heart stopping reputation. QB Zack Eskridge would find TE Cole Wardell from five yards away to bring it to a 27-20 Longview lead. After recoving an onside kick, Tony Dabney would then run the ball into the end zone from 39 yards out to tie the game. But Vondrell McGee had answers to help the Lobos come out victorious. On an 18 yard run, McGee would help put the Lobos back in front 34-27. On the next drive, the Yellowjackets QB Zack Eskridge found Michael Daniels for a 37 yard touchdown completion. But instead of tying the game with an extra point, the Rockwall Yellowjackets would go for two. Cole Wardell, the hot hand of Yellowjackets offense, would catch the reception putting Rockwall up 35-34 with barely over a minute remaining. After storming down to the Rockwall six yard line, Zach Decker would get the field goal with second left on the clock amd a 37-35 escape win. 14 Austin McCallum 37 Lake Travis 35 - 11/19 The Lake Travis Cavaliers had just gone through the most successful season in its school history and practically remained as a big favorite to get through the regional playoff picture. McCallum had other plans and reservations. The McCallum Knight started off the first quarter with a pair a dazzling runs for a touchdown. One from Jerald Cooper from 56 yards away and Lucious Henderson from 15 yards away. With the two runs, the Knights secured a 14-0 lead to start the game. But Todd Reesing and the Cavaliers would answer back. His leading receiver, Fred Robinson was able to grab not one but two first quarter touchdowns with a distance of 22 and three yards out. The two Cav scores would erase a 14-0 lead to a tie game at 14-14. Later in the third, as Lake Travis caught napping, McCallum's Patrick Canul recovered a fumble in Lake Travis' very own end zone putting the knights up 21-14. But Fred Robinson and Todd Reesing would strike back with a 47 yard connection to pull even. After the two teams exchanged touchdowns once more in the third, it was a 28-28 tie score after three periods of play. McCallum's Paul Tearson would open the fourth quarter scoring with a 40 yard field goal giving McCallum a 31-28 lead. Later, Todd Reesing would find Fred Robinson in the end zone for a fourth time as the Cavaliers reclaimed the lead 35-31. But the lead was short lived as Lucious Henderson found Andre Banks from the five yard line giving McCallum a 37-35 lead after Paul Tearson's extra point attempt sailed outside the posts. Lake Travis would have a chance to win the game would come up short as McCallum pulled off the upset. 13 Converse Judson 17 Spring Westfield 14 - 12/3 With a golden opportunity to advance to the 5A Division I Texas Bowl on the line, the Judson Rockets and Westfield Mustangs seized every opportunity they had at advancing. Injuries would prove to a vital factor in the game after Pierre Beasley injured his ankle in the first quarter. Judson would capitalize with a solid defensive performance o start the first. Austin Quinn would give the Rockets the early 3-0 lead on a 26 yard field goal with just over 4:30 left. The Rockets would then strike with a Derrick Williams touchdown reception from the nine as time in the first expired. Later in the game as the two defenses took turns stopping the opposition offenses, Westfield's star receiver DeMarcus Conner would put the Mustangs down by only three on a 20 yard touchdown catch.From there, special teams and defense took over the game. On a punt with 6:09 left in the third, Westfield would take the lead as Brodrick Brown took the ball back 80 yards for a touchdown. With both defenses playing at a premium level, the offenses remained uneffective. On a Westfield drive, Judson's Roisean Hayes recovered a fumble and took it back 55 yards for a touchdown giving Judson a 17-14 lead. It was a lead the Rockets would not surrender as they advanced to play Euless Trinity the very next week. 12 Hebron 26 Everman 23 - 11/22 With Derke Robinson out with an injury fo the second straight game, the Hebron Hawks had to find ways to win without him. Junior quarterback Brian Aubuchon stepped up to the plate and delivered in a big way. In the first, Hebron opened up the scoring with a 25 yard run to take a 7-0 lead. Everman's Maurice Moore and Kris Adams picked up and responded with a statement of their own as Moore found Adams open for a 73 yard touchdown reception. On the two point try, Lawrence Alexander and Jermaine Stovall would hook up to give the Bulldogs an early 8-7 first quarter lead. Hebron's Colin Frank would then answer with a 29 yard field goal putting the Hawks up 10-8. Then pinned against their own goal line, Everman's Maurice Moore foudn no escape as the Hawks sacked him in the end zone for a 12-8 lead. Aubuchon would later find Brandon Onu for a 49 yard touchdown reception putting Hebron up 19-8. With an ineffective offense in the first half, Everman's defense had to step up with a play. Jonathan Jones would pick off an Aubuchon pass and run into the end zone followed by a Lawrence Alexander two point conversion to bring the Bulldogs within three at 19-16. Early the third, Everman's defense would strike again as Marcus Clark picked up a fumble and returned the ball back 77 yards to give the Bulldogs a 23-19 lead. Then Brian Aubuchon took over shortly after with an 82 yard drive in six plays as he scored from the two giving Hebron a 26-23 lead. Hebron would hang on for the victory and would go on to to win its first ever state championship. 11 Brenham 41 La Marque 31 - 12/3 In a game between two of the state's premier A programs, La Marque and Brenham provided for some fireworks throughout the game. In the beginning, it would be the Brenham Cubs that would take the first crack at taking control of the game. Sandwiched by a 33 yard Jason Gore field goal, Gary Ragston not only got it done on the ground, but through the air as well. Ragston would get his first touchdown by way of the ground from 50 yards out. Then in the second, he would get a 12 yard touchdown receotion to give the Cubs a 17-0 lead on the state's top ranked team. Then La Marque would come to life on a Lawrence Owens 34 yard touchdown catch from Jared Perry with 3:46 left until halftime. The Cougars would soon find more life in the third. Jared Perry would get a 23 yard catch from L.J. Castille with barely a minute gone by in the third. Four minutes later Castille would take a six yard rush into the end zone to put La Marque up 21-17. In the closing seconds of the third, Taylor Wilkins would tack on a field goal from 46 yards away to make the score 24-17. Later in the fourth, with 6:05 left, Jason Gore brough the deficit back to four with a 34 yarder of his own. But the La Marque Cougars were not done. Seconds after Gore's field goal, L.J. Castille found Lawrence Owens open once again for a 91 yard touchdown reception. The Cougars had an 11 point 31-20 lead with just 5:50 left in the game. The Brenham Cubs didn't lay down just yet. Working their way down the field, the Cubs found Kevin Ealey in the end zone for a five yard touchdown score. Ealey's touchdown brought the Cubs to within 31-26. Then after the Cubs got the ball back with under two minutes remaining. Gary Ragston would not only find the end zone from eight yards away, he caught a Jarrett Lee two point conversion as the Cubs stormed back to regain the lead a 34-31 score. Shortly after, La Marque would relinquish the ball once again as the Cubs iced the game with 41 seconds remaining on a 13 yard Lamont Roberts run. 10 Gainesville 25 Abilene Wylie 22 - 11/26 In a game that decided who would move on to the 3A State Semifinals, Gainesville and Abilene Wylie went through what would become a game of pure momentum and emotion. The defending state champion Wylie Bulldogs got the scoring off as QB Case Keenum ran the ball in from a yard out, giving the Bulldogs a 7-0 first quarter lead. Soon after, Gainesville RB Michael Miller, who would become the story of the game, rushed the ball in from two yards away and then capped it off by rushing in a two point conversion to give the Leopards an 8-7 lead in the second. Then Keenum would strike through the air with a 43 yard touchdown pass to Russell Felts to give the lead back to the Bulldogs with a 15-8 score after the two point conversion. Gainesville and Michael Miller would strike back on a 13 yard run to tie the game at 15-15. Later in the third, Michael Miller would pick up his third touchdown on a six yard run bringing the score to 22-15 in favor of Gainesville. Steven Arenas would add on to the lead with a 28 yard field goal, giving Gainesville a 25-15 lead. In the fourth, Case Keenum would answer back with a 38 yard touchdown pulling within three of the Leopards. Then the Gainesville defense took over sacking Keenum twice late in the game and would hang on for the 25-22 win. Michael Miller would finish the game with 19 carries on 158 yards and three touchdowns. 9 South Garland 14 Longview 13 - 11/12 For the Lobos, the end result was not the way the season should have ended up. But nonetheless, penalties and mental errors by the Lobos decided the outcome and direction of the game. The start of the game would gove no indication of the pending results. Vondrell McGee opened the scoring with a 38 yard touchdown rin and Zach Decker would add on to the lead in the second with a 22 yard field goal and a 10-0 Longview lead. South Garland's Nick Florence would then run the ball in later in the second from a yard away to put the Colonels within three. Later in the game, the Lobos had opportunities to break the game open with scoring opportunity after scoring opportunity, but the penalties that game, dictated their fate. In the fourth, Zach Decker would add a 28 yard field goal putting Longview up 13-7. Then with time running out in the game, Nick Florence would find Phillip Payne open for a seven yard pass for a touchdown. Matthias Slaughter would add the extra point to put South Garland up 14-13. With only couple second left in the game and the Lobos in field goal range, Zach Decker lined up for what would the game winning field goal, but the kick sailed wide and South Garland would escape to knock off Class 5A's second ranked team in the first round of the playoffs. 8 EP Franklin 41 Mansfield Summit 38 - 11/19 History has always been the destiny of the human race to determine and create. The Franklin Cougars created a little history of their own when it came down to a playoff match up against Mansfield Summit. To start, the Summit Jaguars seemingly looked to be the team that would coast through to the next round. The Jaguars would open the game by scoring on four of its first five possessions. All four scores were runs that would be huge. Brian Mungungo's first score was from a 74 yards out, Chiles would later run it in from 17 yards and then follow that with an 81 yard run. Stephen Johnston would then add a 43 yard run shortly after. But then Franklin would come up with a 38-3 scoring rout answer of their own. Alex Torres would score two touchdowns on the ground and Blake Juarez-Downer would add two rushing touchdowns of his own. Juarez-Downer and Torres would also connect on a 22 yard touchdown pass as Michael Scott also contributed to add two field goals from 27 and 43 yards away. The lead would change hands with Franklin taking a 41-31 lead in the fourth after being down 28-0 in the first. Summit's Michael Crumbaker would try and start a comeback with an 80 yard touchdown pass to John Chiles, but time ran out on the Jaguars as Franklin became the first team El Paso to ever defeat a Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex team in the playoffs and just the eith El Paso team to advance to the third round of the playoffs. 7 Highland Park 41 Stephenville 38 - 12/3 Drama between two of the nation's top quarterback prospects and a game that would ultimately determine the destiny for the Highland Park Scots for the first time in 48 years. With the score 19-10 in favor of Highland Park, the Yellow Jackets appeared to be unable to answer to the Scots offensive firepower. John Dickenson would take his second touchdown of the game with a 70 yard Matthew Stafford pass putting the Scots up 27-10. But then Stephenville would finally answer with a pair of touchdowns of their own on a 10 yard Brent McElfresh TD catch and a Hunter Hendershot seven yard touchdown reception. The two touchdown passes from Texas-bound Jevan Snead would puil Stephenville within four of the Highland Park Scots for a 27-23 score. Stafford would answer back with a 22 yard pass to Jake Feldt in the third putting Highland Park back up 34-23. But Stephenville answered back with a never-say-die approach. On the next drive, Jevan Snead would run the ball into the endzone from five yards away. After the Scots failed on a fourth down conversion, Stephenville's Dallas Neal would run the ball back 94 yards to give Stephenville a 38-34 lead. The two teams would then trade interceptions on defense which resulted in Highland Park getting the ball back on the Stephenville 32 yard line. A few plays later, Stafford found Holt Martin under pressure from seven yards away for what would be a game-winning toouchdown with just over 30 second left in the game. The next week, Highland Park would go on to shutout Marshall to win the 4A Division I State Championship. 6 Tyler Lee 34 Chaminade Madonna 28 - 8/27 Rain, lightning and a hurricane in Florida would not stop the Lions of Chaminade-Madonna from making the trip to Tyler for the East Texas Classic against Tyler Lee. It was the running game of both Tyler Lee and Chaminade Madonna that would highlight the game. Tyler :ee's Jason Williams and Madonna's Willie Floyd would combine for a total of 480 yards and six touchdowns between them. With Tyler Lee leading 14-7 after halftime, Madonna answered on a 14 yard pass from Mark Guandolo, Jr. to David Gongora to tie the score at 14-14. Jason Williams would shortly after the game tying score, make a score of his own from 58 yards away, giving Tyler Lee a 21-14 lead. Willie Floyd would then tie the game back up at 21-21 with a 34 yard run of his own. With 10:21 left in the game, Willie Floyd would strike again giving Chaminade Madonna a 28-21 lead. But Tyler Lee would not be denied as Preston Hill would tie the game once more on a 17 yard pass to Tyler Fleet with 7:31 left to play. After miscues and struggles by both teamns, Tyler Lee had a golden opportunity to win the game with seconds remaining. The Red Raiders would get down to the Madonna two yard line line with less than 20 seconds left. QB Preston Hill would grab the touchdown on a two yard sneak in a game that finished well after midnight thanks to weather and lightning delays. 5 Highland Park 38 Texas High 31 - 11/11 Before the epic battle against Stephenville and the state championship domination of Marshall, the Scots would end up wth a first round game against the Texas High Tigers. The game between the Scots and Tigers would have just about everything you could ask for. To start the game, the Texas High Tigers seemingly had the Scots on the ropes and in their control with a 17-0 second quarter lead. But the Scots roared back with a scoring rout of their own. After trailing 17-0, the Scots came back to within three by halftime on a 21 yard Morgan Hudnall reception then a 73 yard Ross Bolin pass. In the third, Morgan Hudnall's 66 yard touchdown reception gave the Scots a 21-17 lead. The lead would increase to 24-17 after Will Bonano chipped in a 30 yard field goal. The Tigers would strike back to tie the game at 24-24 on a Justin Coats five yard touchdown run. But yet again, the Scots would answer back. Matthew Stafford would find Charley Dickenson for a 72 yard touchdown reception to regain the lead at 31-24. In the the fourth, Alex Carroll would find the endzone from a yard away putting Highland Park up 38-24. But the Tigers found a way to climb and cla w their way back into it. On a 10 yard Ryan Mallett pass to Maquan Matlock, the Tigers pulled within a 38-31 score. After the Tigers held the Scots defensively, the Tigers again drove down the field with seconds to go and with an opportunity to crack the end zone to tie the game. But Mallett and the Tigers would come up just short after failing to connect on a fourth down play with seconds left. 4 South Grand Prairie 48 Denton Ryan 35 (OT) - 11/12 Momentum was the story and theme of the South Grand Prairie-Denton Ryan playoff battle. Denton Ryan's Jaiston Sawyer opened the drama with an early first quarter 96 yard punt return for touchdown followed by a Ben Goldthorpe five yard reception giving Denton Ryan a 14-0 lead. South Grand Prairie wuld respond with a 46 yard touchdown reception from Demoyas Baker. But later Denton Ryan would put the deficit back up to 14 with a 26 yard Justin Fenty reception for touchdown. The second quarter was all South Grand Prairie. Melvin Kelley would intercept an Austin Knight pass for a 34 yard touchdown return pulling SGP with seven and 21-14. The SGP special teams then added to the scoring frenzy with a blocked punt that landed in the end zone and resulted in SGP's Charlie Burks makinbg the recovery. The blockd punt recovery for touchdown esulted in SGP tying the score up at 21-21. Later QB Denzel Dewberry would find Bobby Duncan open for a 33 yard score giving SGP a 28-21 lead. Denton Ryan and Austin Knight would then respond with a five yard touchdown pass to Nathan Uland to tie the score at 28-28. Dewberry and Duncan would connect yet again for a touchdown. This time it was from 59 yards out. With one second left on the clock, Denton Ryan needed a touchdown to tie the game and send the game to overtime. The Raiders were sitting on the South Grand Prairie nine yard line when Austin Knight found Jerome Worsham open to tie the game. Prior to the touchdown, the Raiders were 80 yards away and converted on three fourth down conversions to stay alive. Later in the overtime, SGP's Denzel Dewberry would find the endzone from a yard out putting the Warriors up 42-35. On Denton Ryan's overtime possession, Malcolm Williams intecepted Austin Knight and ran it back 80 yards to give South Grand Prairie a 48-35 overtime win. 3 Stephenville 26 Plainview 23 (2OT) - 111/26 Both Stephenville and Plainview spent the year terrorizing their regional opponents. Now it is their turn to terrorize themselves on the field of play and neither disappointed in the expectations of a classic. The scoring of the game started off the bat with Stephenville taking the opening drive of the game into the end zone on a Hunter Hendershot reception. The following drive, Plainview's Jamar Wall, rushed into the end zone from 10 yards away to even the score. The second quarter resulted in a pair of field goals for Stephenville sanchwiched in between a 61 yard touchdown reception from Plainview's Adam Theil to Evan Hearn. The extra point on that touchdown would be blocked and later prove to decide the end of regulation. Midway through the third, Jamar Wall would strike again. This time from six yards out, giving Plaiview a 20-13 lead. Plainview then intecept a Jevan Snead pass shortly there after. With Plainview having a golden oportunity to extend the lead, Spencer Bryson came on to attempt a 32 yard field goal which sailed wide left. Later in the fourth, Jamar Wall kicked a 75 yard punt, pinning Stephenville deep in their own territory. Snead and Stephenville responded with a six play drive going 80 yards. Then tying the game up with a 29 yard touchdown reception by Hunter Hendershot. With seconds to go, Jamar Wall fumbled the ball on the 46 yard line then the Yellow Jackets took the ball all the way to the one yard line where they decided to go for the game winning field goal from 16 yards away. The attempt was partially blocked as the game was sent into overtime. Both Nathan Young and Spencer Bryson missed their field goal attempts in the first overtime. But Bryson redeemed himself in the second overtime by hitting a 37 yarder giving Plainview the lead 23-20 as Stephenville took its possession. Jevan Snead would then run the ball and work it down the short field. On the drive, Snead would take it into the endzone from a yard away giving Stephenville a 26-23 double overtime win. 2 Canton 61 Gilmer 58 - 11/18 Nearly 7,500 onlookers. 1,100 yards of total offense and 20 wins between two teams wasn't enough to stop the Canton-Gilmer game from becoming one of the more memorable East Texas shootouts in recent memory. The scary thought of a combined 119 points was the fact that the game did not go into an overtime period. One other sidenote on the game is the fact that it lasted for three hours and 21 minutes. After halftime, Gilmer had a 29-22 lead and looked to distance itself away from the Canton Eagles. Curtis Brown, who eventually finished the game with 186 yards receiving on seven catches, would catch a 65 yard pass from Jamell Kennedy putting the Buckeye lead up to 37-22. But Canton, despite holding their last lead at 7-0 in the first, continued to keep themselves in the game and within striking distance of the Gilmer Buckeyes. After Gilmer raised the score to 44-28 on a 62 yard Curtis Brown reception, Barlow Reid and Michael Prox countered with touchdowns of their own off the hands of G.J. Kinne for 68 and 69 yards respectively. Gilmer Justin Johnson rushed in from 12 yards out to put the Buckeyes back up by 10. Canton again continued to stay right in striking distance of Gilmer. The Eagles took yet another touchdown from Houston Tuminello to pull within four. Later in the fourth quarter, Briton Smallwood ran into the endzone giving Canton a 54-51 lead, its first since being up 7-0. Then Gilmer took back the lead when Cody Lee recovered a fumble in the endzone with 4:55 left. Then Canton and G.J. Kinne drove down the field where they found Houstin Tuminello open once again for a six yard touchdown pass. Tuminello's third touchdown of the game gave Canton a 61-58 lead and win in a wild East Texas playoff shootout. 1 Wylie 41 Dallas Wilson 38 - 11/18 The Wylie-Wilson game was significant in more ways than one due to its nature of momentum and lessons learned from the spirit of competition in all levels of football. It was Jim Valvano, who once said, "Don't ever give up." The quote was not just referring to the willingness to battle the game of life, but to battle the defying odds as well. Wilson started off with every reason to believe they would advance to the next round after getting off to a fabulous start in the game. Wilson not only controlled the momentum, but they also controlled the stats and the clock. In the first quarter, Wilson got things started with a one yard Kevin Rusk run followed by a 28 yard Sergio Kindle run putting Wilson up 14-0 after the first. Wilson's rushing attack would continue to be effective into the second quarter. After an Armando Rodriguez field goal from 40 yards out, Kindle posted his second and third touchdowns of the first half. One from 20 yards away, the other from 60 yards away. Wilson's lead was built up to a 31-0 score in the second quarter. Wylie finally got on the board when Brice Reusink chipped in a 43 yard field goal. By halftime, Wilson built up a 31-3 lead and had all the reason to believe they were headed towards the next round. So did some other people as one person "supposively" covering the game in the press box left at the half en route for another game at Texas Stadium. To open the second half, Reusink kicked in a 29 yard field goal cutting the deficit to a 31-6 score. Later, Max Boe connected to Clay Ammerman for a 44 yard touchdown pass bringing the score to 31-13. Then Sergio Kindle struck again with a 70 yard run for touchdown giving Wilson a 38-13 lead. Kindle would finish the game with four touchdowns on 31 carries and 323 yards rushing. Kindle's final touchdown didn't dampen the Pirates spirit and chances. Zack Abbott connected with Tyler O'Quin fron seven yards away before rushing in a touchdown of his own. At the end of the third quarter, Wylie had cut a 31-3 Wilson lead to a 38-27 deficit. The Pirates outscored Wilson 24-7 in the third quarter. Wylie's Max Boe would then connect on his second pass attempt to Mallory Woodall for a 30 yard touchdown bringing the score to a 38-33 score. The Pirates momentum carried them right back into the thick of the game and after holding Wilson on defense, the Pirates had a chance to take the lead after being down 31-0. Zack Abbott and the Pirate offense drive down the field and got to the Wilson 22 yard line. Abbott found Max Boe for a 22 yard touchdown to put the Pirates up 39-38. The Pirates then took a chance on a two point conversion to raise the stakes on Wilson's chances to steal a victory and eliminate an improbable comeback. On the two point conversion, Mallory Woodall found his way in to put Wylie up by three where they would hold on defensively late in the fourth to win the game.
KFDM COOP Posted February 20, 2006 Author Report Posted February 20, 2006 I think there are a few more that should have made the list!! :roll:
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