Young WRs shine as Eagles rout Falcons
Atascocita wide receivers Landen King and Keith Wheeler look up to their senior counterparts, Dylan Robinson, AJ Bobb, and Darius Edmonds.
King, a junior, and Wheeler, a sophomore, showed their upperclassmen that they can contribute to the Eagles on Saturday at NRG Stadium.
King and Wheeler combined for 19 receptions for 238 yards and three touchdowns as Atascocita routed Tompkins 42-24 in a Class 6A Division I regional semifinal.
“I think everyone knows that we have five wide receivers that can go,” said King, who had 13 receptions for 169 yards and one touchdown. “I’m happy for Keith, too. We look up to our seniors and know that we all can do the same thing. It felt good to help the team get the win.”
The Eagles (12-1) will play former district opponent North Shore (12-1) in a Class 6A Division I regional final at 2 p.m. Saturday at Sheldon ISD Stadium.
Tompkins ends the season 11-2. Wheeler started for Bobb, who is dealing with an arm injury.
Senior quarterback Brice Matthews, who finished 32-of-44 for 402 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, hit Wheeler for a 4-yard TD pass to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead with 6:41 left in the first quarter.
Wheeler spent most of the season on the sideline as the fifth wide receiver on the depth chart. He had six receptions for 69 yards and three touchdowns.
“I was a little nervous,” Wheeler said. “Once I scored that first touchdown, I was pretty good after that. It felt good that me and Landen could help the team win. It’s a little bragging rights that we will have on the bus on the way home.”
Atascocita coach Craig Stump wasn’t surprised the young wide receivers stepped up.
“They can do that,” Stump said. “They have been doing it all year. Keith stepped up with AJ still hurt, and Keith has been consistent all year catching the ball.”
Tompkins only scored once in the first half, on a 32-yard field goal by Hunter Huckaby.
The Eagles outscored the Falcons 28-0 in the second quarter, starting with a 14-yard TD pass from Matthews to Wheeler.
“I see them do the same thing in practice,” Matthews said of King and Wheeler. “They do a good job every time they’re out there. It was good for (Wheeler). It was good for the team to see him pick up the work with an injured player out.”
TJ Thomas, who finished with 26 carries for 122 yards and two TDs, scored on a 5-yard run.
Matthews added an 11-yard TD run and then connected with King for a 24-yard TD with 27 seconds left in the second quarter.
“It felt like I could have been doing that all season,” King said. “But we’re a team and we all just want to win. We play for each other. I’m glad that Brice trusts me when he throws it my way.”
The Eagles had held the Falcons to 108 yards in the first half and had an interception, courtesy of DJ Murchinson, and fumble in the game.
Atascocita had a 35-3 lead at halftime and seemed to be cruising to a victory, but the game was far from over.
“The second half optimized what our team is built on; we don’t quit,” Tompkins coach Todd McVey said. “I was really proud of their efforts. We told them at halftime that the score was zero to zero and to come out and play as hard as they can. I’m just really proud of our players and coaches.”
The Falcons outscored the Eagles 21-7 in the second half, and Tompkins had an interception and recovered two fumbles.
The Falcons first touchdown came in the third quarter when Jalen Milroe hit Marquis Shoulders for a 3-yard TD pass. Milore hit Shoulders again in the fourth quarter for a 77-yard TD.
Milroe finished 14-of-34 for 285 yards with two passing touchdowns and an interception. He caught the Falcons last points of the season when wide receiver Gabe Atkin hit Milore with a 7yard TD pass.
Shoulders finished with four catches for 117 yards and two touchdowns.
“I think I’m really proud of our seniors laying the foundation for our program,” McVey said. “The Hayden Burkes, the RJ Smiths and the Pryce Powells. They were here when it was tough. We want to be a successful program in the Houston area, and we do that with what we say all the time, which is get 1 percent better each day.”