THS falls on road
MESQUITE, Texas—After Texas High played West Mesquite on even terms in the first half, it was all Wranglers after intermission.
The home team turned a pair of second-half interceptions into two TDs and rattled off 28 unanswered points after halftime for a 49-21 win over the Tigers on Friday at Memorial Stadium.
It was the season finale for both teams.
Texas High finishes at 3-7, 1-5, and West Mesquite ended at 4-5, 3-3.
Texas High running back Chris Sutton eclipsed 100 yards rushing with 21 carries for 111 yards and a touchdown, and Coltin Clack and Chris Lyles each threw a TD pass for the Tigers, who finished with 415 yards of total offense.
Kobe Webster had seven catches for 126 yards and a touchdown for the Tigers, and Clack was 15-of-34 passing for 248 yards with a TD and three interceptions.
The Wranglers, who returned an interception for a score in the third quarter and added another touchdown following the second interception of a tipped pass, finished with 549 yards of total offense—400 on 38 rushes.
Ty Jordan had 20 carries for 168 yards and scored twice for West Mesquite, Neal Johnson threw for 149 yards and three scores and added a pair of rushing TDs— one on his 99-yard romp late—and 11 totes with 207 yards. Receiver Dylan Wright added seven grabs for 103 yards and two scores.
The Tigers scored with six seconds left before halftime to go into the locker rooms deadlocked with West Mesquite, 21-all.
Texas High piled up 285 yards of total offense in the opening half on 40 snaps. The Wranglers had 276 yards on 27 plays, rushing 18 times for 191 yards.
West Mesquite got a steady dose on the opening drive of Sutton, who had carries on six of the first eight offensive plays, racing 6 yards to paydirt for the score at 8:32.
On the Tigers’ second drive, a 35-yard field goal attempt into the light wind was short. It took six plays for the Wranglers to get even on the scoreboard, Jordan darting 7 yards to the end zone with 1:04 left in the first.
Mason Jones’ 25-yard return on the ensuing kickoff gave THS the ball at the 28. It took seven plays for Texas High to get in the end zone, again, with Kobe Webster snagging a 27-yard strike from Clack for the TD on a play-action pass.
Jordan broke free on a 55-yard jaunt on the third play of the ensuing West Mesquite possession, Lyles chasing him down and forcing a fumble, which rolled out of bounds. Johnson hit Wright on a slant route for the 9-yard TD on the next snap.
Jones brought the kickoff back 63 yards to give the Tigers the ball at the 33. However, on the third play, Aaron Lowe picked off a pass at the Wrangler 10 to thwart the scoring chance.
West Mesquite put together an 11-play drive, chewing up 4:15 off the clock, with Johnson tossing a screen pass to Jordan, who took it 37 yards to paydirt.
Texas High got the ball with 2:14 remaining in the second quarter, and on the eighth play, Clack threw a lateral across to Lyles in the right flat. Lyles threw the double-pass to a wide open Rian Cellers for the touchdown in the waning seconds of the first half.