All season, the Wakeland Wolverines have relied on the legs of senior running back Jared White. Last night the Wolverines relied on his arm as well to beat Highland Park 29-28 in an amazing Area round game in Allen.
Down 28-21 late in the game, Wakeland had to go 75 yards in 95 seconds. Quarterback Brennan Myer set up the incredible sequence with a 50-yard completion to Davion Woolen to set the Wolverines up at the Highland Park 6 yard line. At that point, White took over. Lining up in the Wildcat formation, White threatened to run, but then threw a jump pass to Tight End Tripp Riordan for a 6-yard touchdown pass.
Not interested in going to overtime, head coach Marty Secord sent his offense back out with 27 seconds left, and White plowed his way into the end zone for the conversion and the lead.
The first half was a defensive battle. The Scots looked like they were going to cruise early, as they drove the ball 72 yards on their first possession, capped off by a Christian Reeves touchdown run. But then the Wakeland defense stepped up, forcing two turnovers and getting a big fourth-down stop. White scored a touchdown in the second quarter, and the game was tied at 7 at halftime.
The Second Half
The second half went back and forth. The Scots looked like they put the game away late in the fourth. After a Wolverine turnover, the Scots drove it 63 yards, capped off by a Ben Croasdale TD Run. But the 28-21 lead was short-lived as the Wolverine offense found a way to make it happen.
The Wolverine defense was led by safety Colin Peek. The senior had 13 tackles, a fumble recovery and a big interception. Junior linebacker Barrett Kennedy also had a big night with 13 tackles. Senior Linebacker Michael Flanagan’s interception with 10 seconds left ended any hopes for a Scots last-second win.
Wakeland will now travel to Corsicana on Friday to take on College Station in the Regional Semifinal. The Cougars, ranked number 2 in the state, are undefeated and destroyed Frisco Lone Star on Friday 55-21.
Highland Park will regroup for next season as junior quarterback Brennan Storer returns. Storer accounted for 324 total yards and two touchdowns in the loss.
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