Tigers complete 10-0 season with 51-21 win
TEXARKANA, Texas — Texas High put its season finale away early.
The Tigers built a 48-0 lead in the first half, piled up 442 yards of total offense — 372 before intermission — and completed a perfect 10-0 season, claiming the outright District 9-5A, Division II championship with a 51-21 win over Whitehouse Friday at Tiger Stadium in Grim Park.
Quarterback Brayson McHenry hit on 12-of-17 passing for 306 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions for THS, which will be host a bi-district playoff game next week. McHenry also ran for a score.
Daquarreon Witcher had nine carries for 85 yards, all in the first half, and a TD, and Tre Roberts and Blake Rogers each had two TD receptions. Roberts had four grabs for 91 yards and two scores, Rogers added three for 65 and two TDs, Caden Miller caught three balls for 85 yards and a score, and Rian Cellers had two receptions for 65 yards.
Oscar Hernandez booted a field goal in the third quarter and also had six PATs in the game for THS (10-0, 7-0).
“Our kids showed up and played inspired football tonight,” Tigers head coach Gerry Stanford said. “Our coaches did a phenomenal job of putting in a great gameplan, and the kids did a great job executing the gameplan.”
The Tigers will be home against Montgomery Lake Creek (6-4 overall) for the first round. The Lions are the No. 4 seed from District 10-5A, Div. II. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Tiger Stadium in Grim Park.
Joey Conflitti finished 9-of-21 passing for 177 yards, three touchdowns and an interception for the Wildcats (8-2, 5-2). Trevor Theiring had three catches for 111 yards and two scores,
and DeCarlton Wilson also caught a score for Whitehouse.
The Tigers came out and made a statement in the first half, limiting the Wildcats to just 54 yards of offense and three first downs. In the opening 24 minutes, Texas High rolled up 372 yards of offense, 14 first downs, three takeaways on defense and 48 points.
Roberts capped the game’s first drive with a 31-yard TD reception from McHenry, who tossed five touchdowns and rushed for another before intermission.
The Tiger defense forced the first of four first-half 3-and-outs by Whitehouse on its first possession. It took just three plays for McHenry to find Miller across the middle, and Miller outran the secondary for a 49-yard score with 7:05 left in the first quarter.
After the teams traded punts, Jackson Halter intercepted a Whitehouse pass to give Texas High possession at its own 40. Witcher broke through five would-be tackles en route to his 60-yard touchdown run on the first play, extending the lead to 21-0 with 1:08 left in the first.
Roberts finished off the next THS campaign with a 46-yard touchdown catch
with 9:03 left in the half, and the ensuing Wildcat drive was halted on a fumble, which Clayton Smith recovered at the Whitehouse 28.
On a fourth-down play, Rogers had his first of two TD receptions, this one covering 28 yards with 7:47 left in the second quarter. Following another 3-and-out, McHenry hit Cellers for a 45-yard bomb to set up firstand-goal. On the seventh play of the drive, McHenry
ran 4 yards to paydirt.
Texas High came up with a strip-sack, and Jaylen Green recovered at the Wildcat 30-yard line. On the first snap, McHenry threw a 30-yard TD to Rogers with 52 seconds remaining before intermission.
“We’ve felt like it was about us all week; we’ve felt that way all year long,” Stanford said. “We just needed to do what we were supposed to do and let the cards fall
from there. The kids played inspired football all night long and did a great job.”
In the third quarter, Conflitti connected with Theiring for a 75-yard bomb on the first offensive snap. Theiring also had a 29-yard TD at the end of a 15-play drive with 24 seconds left in the third.
Wilson hauled in a 28-yard TD with 4:40 remaining for the final tally.