The outcome wasn’t decided until the final seconds.
Friendswood and Summer Creek’s playoff rematch came down to a last-second, field-goal try by Bulldogs kicker Craig Myron, who had converted two field goals Friday at NRG Stadium.
Myron never got off the attempt.
After the Mustangs called a timeout to ice Myron, the snap sailed high and they recovered, allowing Friendswood to hold on to a 27-26 victory in the Class 6A Division II Region III area-round playoffs.
“Watching that last snap go over (holder Deon Cormier’s) head, my legs gave out,” Mustangs wide receiver Ben Redding said. “I had to lay on the ground a little bit, but this feels really good.”
Friendswood (9-3) will play Cy-Fair or Strake Jesuit at 6 p.m. Friday at TDECU Stadium in the regional semifinals.
Summer Creek (7-4) came up short of its first area-round victory in its first 6A playoffs.
The Bulldogs fell behind 27-26 with 3:25 remaining after Redding’s 49-yard touchdown reception. Then, with quarterback John Holcombe spreading it around in a two-minute drill, they drove 85 yards.
But after reaching Friendswood’s 7, they settled for a 24-yard field-goal attempt with seven seconds left.
That is when Friendswood called a timeout, effectively icing Summer Creek’s center.
“We’ve been solid all year long, but it’s a pressure situation on a young kid, and we just didn’t have a good snap,” Bulldogs coach Brian Ford said.
Summer Creek totaled 511 yards but struggled to finish drives.
The Bulldogs turned the ball over on downs three times inside Friendswood’s 35, settled for three short field-goal tries — Myron hit from 23 and 22 yards — and threw an interception from the Mustangs’ 6.
The Bulldogs also committed 10 penalties for 83 yards, including five for 38 yards in the fourth quarter.
“We lost the game long before that (last play), that’s for sure,” Ford said. “Too many mistakes, (and) lost opportunities.
“There isn’t anybody who played or coached (Friday) who’s not going to be able to look back at something they did, and how they could have changed it to make a difference in this game.”
Holcombe was 28-of-37 passing for 359 yards and two touchdowns, with 54 yards and one TD on the ground.
Friendswood finished with 397 yards.
Redding hauled in seven passes from freshman QB Luke Grden for 169 yards and two touchdowns, including a 68-yard score for a 16-14 halftime deficit with 22 seconds left in the second quarter.
“(Grden’s) a freshman, and he continues to amaze me every time he steps on the field,” Redding said. “Whether he just threw a pick or a touchdown, his composure stays the same. And whatever route I’m running, I know he’s going to put it on the dot, so I don’t worry about where the ball’s going to be.”
Grden was up and down in his third varsity start.
The freshman tossed three interceptions, with the first two leading to 13 points by Summer Creek in the first half. But he also threw for 295 yards and three scores without taking a sack.
His perfectly placed 33yard strike to Austin Alvarez gave the Mustangs an early 7-0 lead.
“He’s unflappable,” Friendswood coach Robert Koopmann said. “He’s a freshman who’s unflappable, and he’s who we’ve got, so we’re going to keep going to battle with him.”