North Shore moves ahead
Mustangs score 76, a school record for points in a football playoff game, to advance to semifinals.
Westfield is heading back to the state semifinals.
After coming up short in the last two fourth-round trips, it shook off three first-half turnovers to upend Dallas Jesuit 38-28 on Saturday at NRG Stadium in the 6A Division II Region II championship game.
“It was good to come out with at least one more point than them,” Westfield coach Matt Meekins said. “We haven’t been to the (state) semis since my brother (Corby Meekins) was head coach in 2014, so it’s nice to get back.”
The Mustangs (13-1) will face Denton Guyer (13-1) next week for the right to play at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Running back Kendal Taylor paced Westfield with 21 carries for 204 yards and two touchdowns, including a 61-yard burst with 1:43 left in the game to seal the its third regional title. Westfield fell in the regional finals to Klein Collins in 2016 and eventual state champion Longview last year.
“It’s great to have a bell cow,” Meekins said. “Any time he touches it, he can pop it and go because nobody’s caught him from behind all year.”
Westfield was fortunate to lead 28-21 at the break after three early turnovers.
Quarterback Cardell Williams tried a short pass, but Jesuit defensive back Jack Barton jumped the route, intercepted the pass and sprinted 25 yards for a 7-0 advantage nine seconds into the contest.
Running back Jadon Tucker lost a fumble, and Williams threw a second pick on consecutive series in the second quarter, helping Jesuit pull even, 21-21, on running back E.J. Smith’s 8-yard TD run. Smith, the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith, scored twice in the first half and also supplied all eight of Jesuit’s touchdowns in its previous two wins.
Westfield also punted in the second quarter after the two costly turnovers, but it finally regained its footing right before halftime, going 64 yards on six plays in the final 1:13 and scoring on linebacker Dyllon Peavy’s hard-nosed 1-yard run with nine seconds left for a seven-point halftime lead.
The Mustangs used big plays to build a 21-7 lead in the first quarter.
Taylor burst through a big hole and blew past the defense for a 64yard touchdown, tying it 7-7, and Williams shook off the early interception to deliver a 53-yard strike to wide receiver Malachai Jones. Then, after Jesuit QB Rance Holman lost a fumble, Jones collected an 18-yard pass on the first play.
But the Rangers (9-5) converted a fourth-and-1 on a 3-yard run by Holman, and Smith scored from 4 yards to cut the deficit to 21-14.
Peavy helped Westfield preserve its 28-21 lead in the third.
Jesuit was rolling down the field and had second and goal at the 4 when he leaped up and snared a pick in the end zone. But the Mustangs offense continued to stall, allowing the Rangers to tie it in the fourth on Holman’s 34-yard toss to wide receiver Charlie Cook.
“They got us on a little screen-and-go,” Meekins said. “They’re a well-coached team, (and) really good in the screen game.”
The Mustangs eventually had to settle for a field goal, and David Alvarenga missed the 30-yard attempt, but they were called for a false start, and Alvarenga came back to convert the 35-yard try for a 31-28 edge with 5:09 left.