• TEXAS HIGH VS. SHERIDAN
Sports Editor
TEXARKANA, Texas — Texas High continues to hold its own destiny.
The Tigers jumped out a 13-0 lead, fell behind in the third quarter and scored two unanswered touchdowns in the fourth to keep their postseason aspirations alive with a 27-14 win over Sherman Friday at Tiger Stadium in Grim Park.
THS (4-4, 1-3) finished with 394 yards of total offense, and Caleb Arnold returned an interception — his third of the season — 50 yards for the final score with 1:12 left in the game.
“The kids really flipped a switch from last week, as far as effort,” Tiger head coach Gerry Stanford said. “The difference was we had great preparation days Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. As a coach you think those days are going to pay off, just from an effort standpoint, and tonight that showed.”
Tracy Cooper rushed 17 times for 130 yards and a
touchdown, and Rian Cellers came back from a three-game hiatus to throw for 211 yards, two scores and two interceptions.
Kobe Webster caught four balls for 80 yards and a 49-yard touchdown with 10:45 left in the game to regain the lead for the Tigers. Caden Miller had two receptions for 63 yards, and Clayton Smith added two grabs for 48 yards and a TD.
Sherman (3-4, 0-3) finished with 349 yards of total offense.
Tate Bethel completed 26-of-47 passes for 292 yards, two TDS and an interception. Benji Omayebu had nine receptions for 82 yards and a score, Elijah Chapman added four catches for 77 yards and a TD, and Sean Husband had seven for 62 yards.
Chapman’s 50-yard scoring catch gave the Bearcats a 14-13 lead with 3:56 left in the third.
The Tigers needed just four plays to get on the scoreboard, Cooper taking a hand off on fourth-and-1 and breaking free up the middle. He darted 61 yards to paydirt on his initial carry of the game to get Texas High on the board early.
“From the first drive of the game, when we got a 61-yard touchdown on fourth-and-1, I felt like we had a chance,” Stanford said. “That was a big confidence booster for us.”
Texas High’s defense forced a three-and-out on the Bearcats’ first possession, and Smith had a 28-yard TD reception from Cellers with 8:23 left in the first.
The next Sherman drive ended just into Tiger territory as Smith strip-sacked Bethel, and Jaylen Green recovered for THS.
After an incompletion on fourth down by Texas High early in the second quarter, the Bearcats marched 71 yards on seven snaps for a score. Benji Omayebu snagged a screen pass and knifed through the Texas High defense for a 28-yard TD.
“We never let up; we had a couple of mistakes to let them back in,” Stanford said. “They hit three big plays that cost us. it was really three plays and two turnovers that shouldn’t have happened.”
The Tigers responded on their ensuing drive, but Aaron Ingram intercepted a pass in the end zone with 6:01 left in the half to thwart the opportunity.
Sherman drove into the red zone, but a penalty and sack took them from he 10 to the 23. A 40-yard field goal try was blocked by Marquavius Fisher on the next-tothe final play of the half.
Texas High piled up 231 yards of total offense before halftime, and the Bearcats had 193 yards.