By: Adam Ogburn / Twitter: @aogburn00
Even with many game cancellations from COVID-19, there was still a plethora of football games played this past weekend across the state of Texas. With school records broken, a JV team winning at the varsity level, and a 16-year streak snapped, there were plenty of noteworthy moments from week seven.
Here is the best of the best from across the state this past weekend:
10. Magnolia upsets College Station in district showdown
College Station was the #8 team in 5A Division 1 heading into Friday’s contest against Magnolia and had defeated the Bulldogs 48-24 in their matchup in 2019. Magnolia was unfazed. After falling behind 13-0, the Bulldogs came roaring back. The Magnolia defense came up big, picking off three passes from College Station quarterback Jett Huff. On the other side of the ball, running back Mitch Hall had two touchdowns and quarterback Travis Moore threw for two touchdowns of his own, including a 56-yard touchdown pass to Garrett Stone with nine minutes left that put Magnolia ahead 20-16. Magnolia sealed the game with three-and-half minutes to go as Hall found paydirt for the second time on the night from six yards out as the Bulldogs came away with a 27-16 victory. Magnolia, who went 8-4 and finished 3rdin district a year ago, will hope this impressive win in its District 8-5A Division I opener is a sign of things to come moving forward this season.
9. Brent Burris sets school record for Marshall in an impressive road victory over McKinney North
Brent Burris had a night to remember on Friday night as Marshall came away with an impressive 48-22 victory in McKinney over McKinney North. Burris completed 24 of his 38 passes for 492 yards, a school record, and four touchdowns, including an 84-yard touchdown pass to Dominique Williams and a 59-yard touchdown pass to Hayden Kelehan. “Brent did a great job checking us in and out of certain plays, based on defensive alignment,” Marshall head coach Jake Griedl said. “He was poised in the pocket, and did a good job extending time with his feet to hit targets downfield.” Williams also pitched in from his running back position, rushing for 124 yards on 22 carries to cap an impressive night for Marshall. “As a whole, our offense played with a good energy, and executed at a high enough level for us to have success,” Griedl said. “We still have a lot of work to do, but we were glad to get out of there with a victory.” Marshall will look for the offense to keep clicking with Burris at the helm as it heads into district play against Longview Pine Tree in two weeks time.
8. ZaRaiVion Armendarez’s big night leads Raymondville past Victoria West
Raymondville had to wait until the second weekend of October to open its season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Led by ZaRaiVion Armendarez, it did not disappoint. After five touchdowns from Armendarez, including a 76-yard run and a 67-yard catch-and-run, Raymondville was up 32-20 with five minutes to go in the third quarter. Victoria West did not go down without a fight. Warrior quarterback Blake Buzzell found Dion Green for a 19-yard score before running back Chase Patek broke free from 26 yards out to put Victoria West up 33-32 with only seven and a half minutes to play in the game. Armendarez wasn’t done though. After Raymondville converted a 4th-and-7, Armendarez found the end zone from five yards out with just two minutes left for the decisive touchdown on the night as Raymondville held on for a 38-33 victory. Armendarez finished the night with 265 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, 92 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and 15 passing yards. It was certainly a night to remember for Armendarez and a great start to Raymondville’s 2020 season.
7. Austin High takes down Austin Bowie with a furious fourth-quarter comeback
Diego Tello and Austin Bowie looked to be on their way to victory early in the fourth quarter at Burger Stadium on Thursday night. Tello had thrown for eight touchdowns and Bowie was up 56-35. Unfortunately for Bowie, Austin quarterback Charles Wright, a University of Texas commit, and his Austin High teammates were not done. Wright promptly found Nick Anderson for two consecutive touchdowns, one a 78-yard bomb and the other from 19 yards out, to cut the deficit to 56-49. This set up a thrilling finale. With just nine seconds to go, Wright found junior Herd Holland from eight yards out on a slant route for the score to put Austin within a point of Bowie. After an incredible comeback, Austin was not going to settle for the tie. The Maroons promptly lined up for a two-point conversion. Wright kept his cool, waiting for Holland to come open across the middle before calmly completing the pass for the game-winning two point conversion to cap off a wild 57-56 win for Austin. With the resiliency they had on display on Thursday, Wright and his Maroons should not be overlooked in what should be a competitive District 26-6A.
6. Braswell edges Richardson Pearce in an absurd shootout
1,349 total yards, 132 total points, and 509 yards and seven touchdown passes by one player are just some of the gaudy statistics that this game produced Thursday night. Quarterback Tristan McClary led the way for Braswell, throwing for 327 yards and rushing for 43 yards as he totaled seven touchdowns on the night. He and his number one target Cam Smith, 199 receiving yards on eight catches for three touchdowns, had Braswell up and rolling 69-49 in the fourth quarter. Pearce was not going to give up however. Pearce quarterback Burke Wahlberg had himself a night, throwing for 509 yards and seven touchdowns. He rose to the occasion, throwing two straight touchdowns, including a 73-yard pass to Jack Livingstone, who had a great performance himself with 283 receiving yards, to cut the Braswell lead to 69-63 with about three minutes to go. Unfortunately for Wahlberg and Pearce, a late Braswell interception by Tamarian Turner ended any hopes of an improbable Pearce comeback. There were plenty of offensive fireworks in this one though as Braswell’s offense continues to prove that it is having no difficulty making the step up to the 6A level.
5. Crystal City defeats Bandera in wild ending
With 1:36 left, Bandera had the ball at its own 30 yard line down 14-13. The next ninety seconds would be anything but ordinary. First, Bandera quarterback Tyler Moore rolled to his left before heaving a prayer downfield. His receiver Brandon Miller came down with the ball in a crowd of three Crystal City defenders before breaking free for an improbable 70-yard score with just 1:09 to go to put Bandera up 19-14. However, Crystal City responded with an impressive drive of its own. With 14 seconds left, the ball was at the Bandera 26 yard line. Crystal City quarterback Nathaniel Mata stepped up in the pocket and evaded the rush before finding a wide open Evan Camarillo, who turned and waltzed into the end zone for the game-deciding score with just six seconds to go. After a successful two-point conversion, Crystal City sealed a 22-19 victory in one of the wildest endings in any game in Texas this past weekend.
4. Holliday JV steps in for varsity team and grinds out win over Valley View
Holliday’s game against Valley View looked to be in doubt with their entire varsity team quarantined due to COVID-19. For Holliday head coach Frank Johnson, it was simply next man up for his program as Holliday elected to have their JV team take the field against Valley View on Friday night. “My message was simple, play like you are varsity player,” Johnson said. “Don’t make the game bigger than it is; it’s a football game and most of you have been playing the game since you got that Hutch Dallas Cowboy Football helmet for Christmas when you were little. Out hustle the other team, out hit the other team, [and the] scoreboard will take care of itself.” It was a gritty game with Holliday jumping out to an 8-0 lead thanks to a safety on an intentional grounding penalty by Valley View in its own end zone and a three-yard touchdown run by Holliday quarterback Grant Cox. Valley View did find the end zone in the third quarter, but a big stop on the ensuing two-point conversion by the Holliday defense was enough for an 8-6 victory on the night. “What impressed me the most is how hard the assistant coaches and athletes adapted to what we [needed] in a short time frame. The assistant coaches modified the varsity game plan to fit the JV kids. Then they [shuffled] kids around to complete the offense, defense, and special team around in a short time frame, so we could field a complete team,” Johnson said. “The most impressive part was how those athletes became focused on their roles and assignments and then executed it on Friday night. It was a team win for sure.” With the way the Holliday coaches came together and its JV players stepped up on Friday night, Holliday showed the unity and depth of its program as its JV team gutted out an impressive win at the varsity level
3. Rockwall edges Southlake Carroll in highly touted matchup
#12 Rockwall and #7 Southlake Carroll squared off in the 6A matchup of the weekend. Southlake Carroll got off to an impressive start and led 28-19 at the half. Rockwall responded in the second half to take the lead, 34-28, after Braedyn Locke found Goodness Iwuamadi for a 37-yard touchdown across the middle. Southlake Carroll quarterback Quinn Ewers, a University of Texas commit, quickly answered, driving the Dragons down the field before capping off the drive with a 9-yard touchdown run to retake the lead 35-34. After a field goal and an interception by the Rockwall defense, sophomore Lake Bennett punched in from short distance to put Rockwall up 44-35. Again Ewers answered, finding R.J. Maryland for a 75-yard touchdown with just under three minutes to go. However, there was not enough time for the Dragons to add another score as Rockwall came away with a thrilling 44-42 victory. Locke was the catalyst with his 349 yards and three passing touchdowns as Rockwall showed that it will be force to be reckoned with this year not only in the DFW area but at the state level.
2. Tenilee Anthony nails first ever field goal attempt as Kemp defeats Eustace in thriller
Tenilee Anthony has only been on the Kemp football team for a matter of weeks, but for Kemp, she was the most important player on the field as the clock wound down on Friday night. “Tenilee is a very gifted athlete. She plays basketball and soccer, but she is a natural in everything she tries,” Kemp head coach Lee Wilkins said. “She came to me about four weeks ago, asking if she can try kicking. I will admit, I didn’t think much of it until I saw her kick a football for the first time. She improved each day, so going into Eustace we let her handle the kick-off duties as well.” However, the first half for Kemp did not go as planned against Eustace as it found itself down 36-20 at the half. The second half started better for the Yellow Jackets as Kemp quarterback Deacon Thompson scored a six-yard rushing touchdown before finding Collin Boyle on the two-point conversion attempt to cut the lead to 36-28. Kemp running back Trent McBride then punched in a touchdown rush from one yard out with nine minutes to go in the game. A failed two-point conversion meant that Kemp still trailed 36-34. It would stay that way until the final play of the game with the ball on the Eustace 18 yard line. “I knew if we could get the ball inside the 20 yard line, we would have a good opportunity at making the field goal,” Wilkins said. “To show her state of mind, before going out, [Anthony] told me ‘Bet you a Gatorade I make this.’” After a timeout by Eustace to try and ice Anthony, her moment in the spotlight arrived. “It was a perfect snap, perfect hold, and a perfect kick,” Wilkins said. “That’s Tenilee, she’s a hard worker that just enjoys the moment and makes everyone around her better. I didn’t know if she would make it, but I knew the moment was not too big for her to handle regardless of the outcome.” Anthony’s clutch 35-yard field goal gave Kemp a 37-36 victory on the night and capped off an impressive second half where it outscored Eustace 17-0. And although Anthony has been on the football team for less than a month, her determination is an inspiration to all as she proved on Friday night that she can certainly be a special teams ace for Kemp moving forward this season
1. Tornillo earns first district win in 16 years over Anthony
Many of Tornillo’s players on Friday night were just toddlers the last time that Tornillo won a district game all the way back in 2004. Behind a big night from quarterback Marcos Trevizo, Tornillo made some school history as it held off Anthony for a 28-26 victory to snap a district losing streak that had stretched over a decade and a half. Trevizo threw for 180 yards and added 130 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, while racking up seven tackles defensively.“The key to our victory on Friday night was execution and staying disciplined,” Tornillo head coach Cody Burris said. “We executed on offense really well, and defensively we were able to hold their quarterback in check most of the night.” Anthony’s quarterback Jermaine Urbina threw for just 138 yards on the night and while he had two touchdown passes, he was also intercepted twice by the Tornillo defense, once by Jesse Gomez and once by Mike Ibarra. Offensively for Tornillo, Ibarra had two touchdown catches, including a nice catch-and-run from 63 yards out, while tight end Sammy Zambrano, Burris’ son, had three catches himself on the night. “That win means everything to these kids, and our community. It really shows the kids that their hard work has paid off,” Burris said. “This group of seniors, which includes my son Sammy Zambrano, has been with me four years now. They really did do a great job at preparing for this game, and it will help us going forward as a team and program to build momentum and a winning culture.” With only five teams in its district, Tornillo will certainly see this win as a massive opportunity to now go on and clinch a playoff berth. And with Trevizo playing a key role on both sides of the ball and a senior class hungry for success, this Tornillo team has certainly inserted itself right into that playoff conversation as they look to make this a season to remember.
