In this thrilling Texas High School quarterfinal at NRG Stadium, Port Neches-Groves Indians clashed with the Huntsville Hornets. The match saw an explosive start from the Indians, driving into the red zone and striking first blood with a touchdown. Despite valiant efforts, the Hornets struggled to find their footing in this lopsided contest, with the match ending 24-14 in favor of the Indians, propelling them into the semifinals.
Port Neches-Groves kicked off to Huntsville to start the quarterfinal at NRG Stadium. The Hornets started with a great drive, but they could not get near the red zone forced to punt the ball to the Indians. The Indians had a great opening drive that got them in the red zone quarterback #9 Connor Bailey connected with wide receiver Shea Adams for a 16-yard touchdown pass. The Indians’ defense forced a 3 and out for the Hornets giving them possession going into the 2nd quarter. The score is 7-0 with The Indians in the lead.
In the 2nd quarter, the Hornets’ defense stopped the Indians from reaching the endzone and limited them to a field goal. The Hornets were struggling on offense making it difficult to even move the ball past the 50-yard line. The Hornets punted the ball back to the Indians and a few plays later, Connor threw an amazing arch pass to wide receiver #11 London Nunley resulting in a 56-yard touchdown pass. The Hornets received back possession and with 30 seconds left in the half quarterback #11 Austin Taylor connected with running back Traeshawn Brown for a 31-yard touchdown pass finally getting on the board. They failed their two-point conversion the score at halftime was 17-6.
Huntsville kicked off to Port Neches-Groves to start the 3rd quarter. The Indians marched down the field reaching the red-zone and running back #33 Isaiah Nguyen rushed down for a touchdown extending their lead. The Hornets with possession fought tooth and nail to reach the end-zone they decided to go for it three times on 4th down even faking a field goal to get the 1st down. The Hornets are now in the red zone and quarterback Austin rushed in for a 1-yard touchdown and then he connected with wide receiver #2 Melton Green for a 2-point conversion. The end of the 3rd quarter score was 24-14. In the 4th quarter, the Hornets’ defense stopped the Indians forcing them to punt, but almost instantly the Hornets punted it back. Halfway through the 4th quarter, the Hornets had a chance to pull a comeback, but quarterback Austin threw two interceptions that prevented them from scoring. The final score of the game was 24-14 with the Indians moving to round 5 semifinals.
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