North Shore and Atascocita faced off in the regional finals on Saturday in a rematch of their Week 9 showcase, in which North Shore won 61-35. This rematch proved to be much different than their first matchup. The first quarter set the tone with Atascocita leading 14-0, thanks to Zion Brown’s incredible 98-yard touchdown pass and a solid defensive effort. The game evolved into a thrilling showdown, with North Shore fighting back hard in the following quarters.
1st Quarter
North Shore kicked off to Atascocita to start the game. Both Atascocita and North Shore had possession once without successfully scoring. Halfway through the 1st quarter, Atascocita received possession again. Quarterback #1 Zion Brown connected with speedster wide receiver #2 Jelani Watkins for a 98-yard touchdown pass. Atascocita’s defense was shutting down North Shore, something I have never seen them completely shut out. Atascocita was back with possession with two minutes left in the 1st quarter. Running back #14 Cardae Mack, lined up in a wildcat formation, received the snap and rushed in for a 26-yard touchdown. At the end of the 1st quarter, the score was 14-0, with Atascocita up, and the Texas High School Football world was buzzing with news of a potential huge upset.
2nd Quarter
Early in the 2nd quarter, North Shore turned it up. They reached the red zone and quarterback #9 Kaleb Bailey rushed in for a 12-yard touchdown, but the extra point got blocked. The rest of the 2nd quarter was a stalemate with neither team’s defenses letting up, resulting in the score at halftime being 14-6 with Atascocita still in the lead.
3rd Quarter
Atascocita kicked off to North Shore to start the 3rd quarter. In three plays, Kaleb connected with wide receiver #2 Christopher Barnes. After he caught the pass, he expertly avoided a tackle, went upfield, and scored a 55-yard touchdown. Atascocita, back on offense, was having a rough time. Zion threw an interception into traffic, but it got waved off. Zion then got sacked, and a punt was blocked by Mustang’s #24 Dezmon Christian, who scooped it up for a touchdown with North Shore taking the lead.
Atascocita, with possession, saw Zion throw another interception to defensive back #22 Khamani Hudson, giving back possession to North Shore. After running back #26 Chris Thomas’s long run and Kaleb’s long pass to #8 Cameron Smith, North Shore reached the red zone and Kaleb rushed in for his 2nd touchdown. Before the end of the 3rd quarter, Atascocita had to punt the ball to North Shore. The score going into the 4th quarter was 27-14 with North Shore in the lead.
4th Quarter
Atascocita’s defense forced North Shore to punt it back, but on offense, Atascocita was getting dominated with numerous sacks, resulting in a turnover on downs. With seven minutes left in regulation, Kaleb threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to Christopher again. It was looking dire for Atascocita, but after a long kickoff return from Jelani, within a few plays, Atascocita reached the red zone, and Zion connected with wide receiver #12 Cameron Glenn for a 10-yard touchdown pass. Atascocita’s defense was putting a ton of pressure on North Shore. Defensive back #10 Hunter Sowell almost had an open pick-six but unfortunately dropped the ball. North Shore was forced to punt the ball back after a long return from #4 Braylon Conley.
The Atascocita offense moved the ball down the field and reached the red zone. Cameron Glenn caught an amazing pass from Zion in the endzone for a 20-yard touchdown with two minutes left in regulation. North Shore struggled to move the ball and was now forced to punt the ball to Atascocita with about 45 seconds left in the game, one timeout, and one touchdown away from taking the lead. Atascocita had a great chance of winning this game. However, after the punt was kicked, an Atascocita defender roughed the punter, and North Shore regained possession, ending the game with a final score of 34-28 with North Shore moving to the round 5 semifinals.
This was an amazing game. Both teams made critical mistakes, but these are the two best teams in the area and they proved it in this game. The Eagles proved all year that they can compete with anyone, and North Shore has proven they are still one of the best teams in the state, and one of the best teams in the country. The North Shore Mustangs will move to the semifinals to play the Austin Westlake Chaparrals on Saturday, December 9th, 2023. Westlake is 14-0 and coming off of a 21-14 win over Lake Travis.
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