Up 29-26 with under three minutes to go at Homer B. Johnson Stadium in Garland on Thursday, North Garland had just witnessed a wild chain of events.
A collision between a South Garland receiver and a referee had caused a fumble. North Garland defensive tackle Braylon Smith scooped up the loose ball and took off only to have it punched loose by South Garland receiver Jonas Brown as he neared the goal line. Although the ball looked to be out of bounds at the one yard line, the referees ruled it had hit the pylon and therefore was a touchback, giving South Garland one last chance.
As the Raider defense regrouped, they had a clear message for their head coach Taurus Rucker.
“At the end right there, they told me, ‘Coach, we’re going to make a stop. Don’t worry about it,'” Rucker said.
And make a stop they did. The Raider defense sacked South Garland quarterback Jaden Holland three times on the final drive, stranding the Titans in their own territory as time expired. The 29-26 victory improved North Garland to 1-3 on the year and 1-1 in district play.
“It means the world to us,” Rucker said. “I told them all week long South has a really good team, they play hard. I told them, we got to play 48 minutes, and they showed tonight once you do that, good things will happen.”
On the other side of the ball, receiver Mateo Howard played hero for the Raiders. He had taken a couple of direct snaps on the night, but North Garland relied on him heavily behind center after the Raiders got the ball back down by four with just over eight minutes to go.
On a 10-play, 86-yard drive, he completed two passes for 25 yards and also rushed four times for 32 yards. His fourth carry was a three-yard touchdown that put North Garland up for good with four and a half minutes to go.
“Mateo Howard, he’s been one of the best players for us the last three years,” Rucker said. “When we put him back there, we already knew he could make plays, so we didn’t have no doubt that he could go in there and drive us down the field and score for us.”
South Garland takes the field at Homer B. Johnson Stadium on Thursday night
For South Garland, Thursday’s loss drops the Titans to 2-2 and 0-2 in district play. The Titans have now lost 19 district games in a row. Still, head coach Damaso Martinez was left feeling optimistic about a squad that has already surpassed its win total from last season.
“Our kids fought,” Martinez said. “In the past, these aren’t even close games. Now, we’re 2-2, but these are the ones that test. Like I told our kids, we have some great explosive kids. We got to believe in what we’re doing and then learn from it and move on.”
The bright spot for South Garland has to be the dynamic threat Holland brings to their offense. The dual threat quarterback threw for 166 yards and four touchdowns and added another 36 rushing yards on the ground. Ramon Franco led the receiving corps with nine catches for 101 yards and two touchdowns.
“Jaden has been with us since he was a freshman, and we knew it was a matter of time,” Martinez said. “He’s an explosive kid. He’s going to make plays for us. Being a junior, having two more years with us, we’re excited about him leading our team.”
South Garland looked like it got the game started off with a bang as Brown weaved through North Garland defenders for what he thought was a 95-yard catch-and-run score. However, a personal foul wiped out the play, and North Garland’s Zarren Willis dropped the South Garland running back for a safety on the ensuing snap.
North Garland took full advantage of that safety as running back Trent Hill capped off a six-play, 27-yard drive on the ensuing possession with a three-yard touchdown run. Hill had a good night carrying the football, rushing for 96 yards. However, quarterback Kameron Shaw led the way on the ground with 138 yards.
North Garland running back Trent Hill gets the job done on fourth and goal with a three-yard touchdown run!
South Garland will feel a little aggrieved being down by two scores…
North Garland 9-0 South Garland 3:24 1st#txhsfb @texashsfootball pic.twitter.com/Ht43aubXzy
— Adam Ogburn (@AdamOgburnTV) September 15, 2023
The score stayed at 9-0 until an eventful second quarter. Holland connected with Brown for a four-yard touchdown before Hill answered with his second touchdown, this time on a one-yard run, to restore North Garland’s two-score lead.
North Garland answers! The Raiders go 73 yards on seven plays and Trent Hill scores his second TD of the game on a one-yard run!
North Garland 16-7 South Garland 5:44 2nd#txhsfb @texashsfootball pic.twitter.com/zx7gl7bANV
— Adam Ogburn (@AdamOgburnTV) September 15, 2023
The Raider defense got in on the action on the next drive as Smith made a leaping interception on an attempted South Garland screen pass. Kicker Maddox Lopez then showed off his leg strength with a 46-yard field goal.
However, South Garland clawed its way back into the game before halftime as Holland connected with Franco on a well-executed slant for a nine-yard touchdown. That score cut North Garland’s halftime lead to 19-13.
The teams traded scores out of the locker room as Franco turned a screen pass from Holland into an 18-yard touchdown before North Garland answered with a field goal from Lopez to retake the lead at 22-20.
It would stay that way until three-and-a-half minutes into the fourth quarter when Brown made a nice leaping touchdown catch on a seven-yard pass by Holland to put South Garland back up 26-22 for the third lead change of the half.
From there, North Garland took over on both sides of the ball to close out the game. But now, the Raiders will need to try and keep that momentum going as they welcome Wylie (2-1; 1-0) to town next Friday.
“The N-G on our helmet stands for never give up,” Rucker said. “Adversity is always going to make you that much better. Sometime being 0-3 makes the best of you. We’re in a position right now to get in the race and keep going from there one game at a time.”
South Garland, meanwhile, will see some familiar faces as it looks for its first district win against Lakeview Centennial next Thursday.
“That’s always a great rivalry,” Martinez said. “Our kids know each other. Some went to middle school together. I’m going to tell our kids, ‘hey we’re playing Lakeview, these are your backyard friends. We’ve got to go fight. Our backs are against the wall. Let’s go get a district win.'”
