It’s playoff season in Texas, and the stakes were high as The Tompkins Falcons welcomed the Fort Bend Travis Tigers into Rhodes Stadium on Thursday night.
Last season, the Falcons ran over the Tigers in the opening round of the playoffs, beating them 42-10. Fort Bend Travis looked to get revenge this time around, but had a daunting task ahead of them. The Tigers were going to have to find a way to deal with the Falcons’ high-powered offense, in particular, QB Cole Francis, who threw for over 2000 yards and 20 TD’s in the regular season.
Unfortunately, the Tigers didn’t get the start they were looking for. QB Anthony Njoku was picked off on the second play from scrimmage by Falcon’s DB Tyler Collins, who returned it 16 yards to the house. Tompkins’ defense continued to dominate the ball, as they were able to force the Tigers to a 3-and-out on each of their drives in the 1st quarter. Wyatt Young would punch it in from 11 yards at the end of the quarter, giving the Falcons a 14-0 lead.
Late in the 2nd, Fort Bend Travis would finally get something going on offense behind Njoku’s legs. Njoku would showcase his arm as well, when he found his WR Gabriel Van Wyk for the 46 touchdown reception, cutting the Falcons lead in half. However, Tompkins would return the favor on their next possession, with a 50 connection from Francis to WR Joshua McMillan leading to Wyatt Young getting in the endzone from 2 yards out.
While it looked like the Falcons would go into the half with a two-score lead, the Tigers would score quickly after a big connection from Njoku to WR Robert Sims for a 58 yard touchdown. Tompkins would lead 21-14 at the half.
Tompkins would stretch their lead back to 14 in the 3rd quarter, with Francis finding Chidubem Lebechi over the top for a 27 yard touchdown. Fort Bend Travis looked like they would have an answer on their following drive, but Njoku was picked off by Ethan Rawlings, another costly turnover. This would lead to another Wyatt Young touchdown, giving the Falcons a 35-14 lead.
The Tigers would not back down, however, and they would answer on their following possession with a 21 yard rushing touchdown from Jamison Singleterry. However, in the 4th quarter, Tompkins’ offense ultimately proved to be too much for the Tigers, as Caleb Komalafe would punch it in from 1 yard out. Wyatt Young would add another score late in the 4th, his 4th rushing touchdown of the evening, as the Falcons would close out the game, winning 49-21.
Tompkins will face the winner of Friday’s matchup between Jersey Village and Westside next week.
