Tigers advance past Lake Creek, 37-7
TEXARKANA, Texas — Texas High earned back-to-back bi-district wins.
THS scored 30 consecutive points to close out the game, finished with 369 yards of total offense, had nine sacks on defense and won its Class 5A, Division II bi-district playoff football game over Montgomery Lake Creek, 37-7, Friday at Tiger Stadium in Grim Park.
The Tigers (11-0) advance to the area round to play Crosby (8-3). That area game will be played at 7 p.m. Friday at Homer Bryce Stadium on the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches.
Crosby beat Fort Bend Willowridge, 66-0, Thursday.
“This is our second playoff win since 2009 — last year being the first — so we’re learning to be a playoff team and that all teams are good at this level,” Texas High head coach Gerry Stanford said. “There are no gimmes in the postseason, and you’re going to have to be ready and execute to be successful.”
Daquarreon Witcher had a pair of second-half touchdown runs, Brayson McHenry threw three touchdowns, and Oscar Hernandez booted a 37-yard field goal and four PATs for Texas High.
The Lions (6-5) were making their first playoff appearance after being in existence for just three years.
Lake Creek tied the game in the third quarter on Justin Freeney’s 43-yard run with 7:23 left. The Tigers regained the lead with 3:03 remaining on Clayton Smith’s 19-yard TD reception to spark the 30-point streak.
Hernandez’s 37-yard field goal with 16 ticks left in the third came after Braxton White’s strip-sack and Derrick Brown’s fumble recovery.
Witcher’s 2-yard TD run was set up by Tre Roberts’ 54-yard punt return inside the Lion 10, and Rian Cellers’ 21-yard scoring grab over the cornerback was set up by a turnover on downs.
Witcher also had a 63-yard TD jaunt with 1:39 left in the game.
Along with Texas High’s nine sacks in the game there were 15 stops for a loss by the Tiger defense. Lake Creek fin
ished with 180 yards of total offense, led by Freeney’s 25 rushes for 156 yards.
“Defensively we played great all game; we gave up one big play,” Stanford said. “The biggest adjustment (at halftime) was the intensity the kids played with on offense. We need to come out in the first half and play with more intensity and focus.”
The Tigers had 208 yards of offense in the first half but threw an interception in the end zone and converted just 1 of 3 plays on fourth down.
After forcing a 3-and-out — aided by Brown’s sack on the first snap of the game and a fumble on the second — by the Lions, Texas High moved inside the LC 10 on nine plays.
However, on the 10th snap, Kyle Scott intercepted a McHenry pass for a touchback.
Brown had another sack, forcing a fumble on the tackle, but Lake Creek retained possession before punting.
The Tigers needed just four plays to get on the scoreboard, Blake Rogers catching a pass from McHenry and diving for the pylon for a 20-yard touchdown with 2:20 left in the first quarter.
The next four THS drives resulted in two turnover on downs and two punts, the second as time expired on the second quarter.
Lake Creek’s best opportunity to score in the first half came on its sixth and final possession. But a 29-yard field goal sailed wide left, preserving Texas High’s 7-0 lead.
The Lions were limited to just 86 yards of offense before intermission.