Longhorns improve to 3-0 in district play
George Ranch hasn’t won a playoff game since capping a 16-0 season with the Class 5A Division I championship.
Four long years later, it’s still trying to work its way back to the highest level.
First, it must work its way back into the playoffs.
After five consecutive appearances early in its young history, the Longhorns missed the playoffs for the first time since their first varsity season last year, and they’re currently mired in a tight District 23-6A chase.
But they’re a little closer to reclaiming past glory today.
With defense leading the way, George Ranch outlasted Alief Taylor for a 21-13 win Thursday at Crump Stadium, sending it to 3-0 in district play.
“It was a tough game,” George Ranch coach Nick Cavallo said. “They were fighting, and we knew they were going to come out with some trickery … but all day we trusted our fundamentals, trusted our discipline, kept pushing through and came up big at the end on a couple stops.”
Yards were hard to come by in the first half.
The Lions (2-4, 1-2) punted on their first four possessions, and the Longhorns (3-3) stalled twice before finding a groove on their third series — an 11play, 64-yard march that ended with quarterback Sam Miller hitting wide receiver Javon Gipson in the end zone on a well-placed, 13-yard fade.
They converted three third downs on the drive for a 7-0 lead early second quarter.
Taylor punted again after the score but unexpectedly regained possession on George Ranch’s next series when running back Kenneth White fumbled while trying to adjust the ball in a sprint. Defensive back Jaden Newsome-Paul recovered for Taylor — only to watch it lose a fumble the following series.
Defensive lineman Jack Lovelace recovered the loose ball for George Ranch.
But the Longhorns punted again, Taylor turned it on downs after a drive that began at its 1 ended on George Ranch’s 36 with four straight incompletions, and then the Horns ran out the first half.
Taylor trailed 7-0 and had only 95 total yards at halftime.
Then Newsome-Paul swung the momentum toward Taylor by intercepting Miller on the first play of the third quarter. He returned the pick 31 yards to the George Ranch 34, setting up a quick five-play drive punctuated by quarterback Esteban Torres’ 2yard keeper and extrapoint kick for a 7-7 tie.
That score led to Taylor and George Ranch trading touchdowns their next two series — but Taylor was left trailing.
The Longhorns responded to the tying touchdown with a 13-yard scoring run by Davion Jenkins, and the Lions capped a 13-play, 75yard drive with a 7-yard run by Jau’ron Walker on a fumblerooski trick play but still trailed 14-13 with 1:01 left in the third after a failed extra-point try.
That was the beginning of an unhappy end for Taylor on its homecoming night.
George Ranch used an 11play, 80-yard drive to take 5:34 off the clock and secure a commanding 21-13 lead on Hymond Drinkard’s 1-yard run with 3:53 remaining in the contest.
“All year, our mantra offensively has been ‘Plus two,’ a plus-two mentality, so that means everything we do, we’re trying to get two more,” Cavallo said. “If it’s hold the block for 2 seconds longer, if it’s get two more yards, and that really comes into play in the fourth quarter when we’re in drives like that.”
Defensive back Quentin Montgomery sealed the win with an interception with 38 seconds left.
George Ranch finished with 221 yards and 16 first downs. Drinkard led the way with 72 yards on 14 carries.
Taylor had 241 yards and 14 first downs.
“It’s huge (being 3-0 in district), and the mantra we have there is 1-0,” Cavallo said. “So we’ll celebrate this tonight, but come tomorrow, after we put the film to bed, we’re on to the next season (because) we look at it as district is seven one-game seasons, and we take it one season at a time.”