BRYSON, Texas – The Bryson Cowboys took to their home field for the final time in the 2017 season a battle tested team. Forestburg came to town with another test, keeping the game surprisingly close through most of the game; but a scoring frenzy in the final quarter pushed Bryson ahead to claim the 12-1A DI title with a 92-52 win at Cowboy Stadium Friday night.
“We started out slow defensively,” said Bryson coach Jason Briles. “Offensively we didn’t really stutter, but defense struggled with physicality. That was about the most physical team we played since Borden County. We needed that.”
Photo: Blake Wood/TexasHSFootball.com
The Longhorns found their way on the board from the first drive of the game, but the two point kick attempt was no good, the first of several in the contest for both teams. The Cowboys would tie shortly after from a Brayden Houser pass and the game’s second failed conversion. The Cowboys then took the lead with Houser’s second touchdown toss, this one to 6’6”, 285 pound center Jake Smith.
Apart from Forestburg responding by tying the game on J.D. Moore’s first rushing touchdown on the night, Bryson would proceed to never relinquish the lead in the game from this moment forward. The ensuing kickoff after the touchdown was returned by Paul Davidson, who put Bryson back on top immediately.
Despite not tying or regaining the lead after Moore’s first score, the Longhorns scored several times to keep the game within two points, with the missed two point kicks being key. Moore was stellar in the first half, rushing for four touchdowns as well as starting the game off with a passing touchdown.
The first half ended with a timeout called with just 0.6 seconds showing on the clock, followed by a wild finish resulting in Bryson taking a 42-34 lead to the locker room. While Moore dazzled in the first half, it was Houser performing well enough to earn his team the win.
“I feel like I did pretty good,” said the senior signal-caller. “I did good passing, but I also scrambled the ball when I needed to.”
Houser finished the night with 181 yards and five touchdowns on just seven completions, adding 38 yards and a score on the ground as well. Ethan Robinson led the Cowboys ground attack with 161 yards and a pair of scores; Davidson also added a pair of scores to go along with 90 yards rushing.
Photo: Blake Wood/TexasHSFootball.com
“Paul’s a stud,” proclaimed Houser. “He fired it up for us, and our linemen did a great job too.”
Moore tallied an additional passing score in the third quarter to finish with seven total touchdowns in the contest.
The win clinched the district title for Bryson (8-2, 4-0), who now takes their bye week to close out the regular season, allowing for additional rest and preparation for the postseason.
“We’re going to take it easy this weekend, let the kids enjoy it. We’ll come back to work on Monday. We don’t know who we’ll play in the first round yet, but eventually all roads are going to lead to Borden County or Happy.”
“Hopefully we can get revenge on May,” said Houser. “But we’re going to take it one game at a time.”
As of publishing time, it is unclear who Bryson will draw in the first round. Though not with a district title, Forestburg (7-2, 2-1) slots in as the second playoff team in district. They close out the regular season next Friday, playing host to Gold-Burg.
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