Cougars rally past Buffalos
Crosby eliminated two undefeated teams, one in an overtime thriller to reach the Class 5A Division II Region III final.
Another unbeaten team and a pair of fourth-quarter deficits were not going to derail the Cougars.
Crosby scored four touchdowns in the final period to upend two-time defending regional champion Fort Bend Marshall 37-28 on Friday at Turner Stadium in Humble. The Cougars advance to the state semifinals, joining their 1960 and 2014 squads.
“This is a dream come true for us,” Crosby senior Reggie Branch said. “Not a lot of people believed we could make it this far. Just coming out here and giving us a chance to prove ourselves really means a lot to us. Coming out here, giving our fans a show and having fun playing the game we love.”
Branch came through with four touchdowns, three in the fourth quarter, including a go-ahead score and a 25-yard clinching run. Trading time under center with fellow playmaker Deniquez Dunn, Branch finished with 200 yards on 25 carries, adding six receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown.
The Cougars trailed 7-6 at halftime, 21-9 early in the fourth quarter and briefly lost a late lead, but they showed the same resilience that propelled them through a 32-29 overtime victory against Huntsville in the regional semifinals.
“It’s been special seeing these kids grow as the season went on,” Crosby coach Jerry Prieto said. “We faced a little adversity at the end, then we kind of rolled through the next part of the season, then faced a little adversity at the end of our last game. These kids have answered the challenge every single time. They did it last week, and they did it again this week. They come together, and they rally as a family. It doesn’t matter what the score is. Our kids believe we can win the football game.”
Crosby excelled on its own end in the first half, stopping Marshall four times on downs, including three times inside the 10yard line.
Dunn nearly intercepted a pass in the end zone on fourth down, followed by fourth-down stops on consecutive possessions by Jamauri Johnson. Sir Hill and Coby Riendeau were among the many Cougars involved in key defensive plays.
“That saved us,” Prieto said. “We had multiple stops inside the 10-yard line. That saved the game right there. It kept them from gaining any kind of momentum, and it gave our defense a whole bunch of confidence.”
The Cougars finally broke the scoreless deadlock at the 6:40 mark of the second quarter, covering 86 yards on a drive sparked by Irvin Paige’s 27-yard catch. A personal foul helped set up a 29-yard touchdown run by Branch, who followed excellent blocking for the go-ahead score, though the extra point attempt failed.
Crosby appeared to have another touchdown, but a leaping grab by Jaylen Herman was ruled incomplete as he took the ball to the turf. Adari Haulcy took advantage of Marshall’s second chance, making a redzone interception to follow his two-pick performance at Turner Stadium in the regional semifinal.
Marshall drove the remaining 55 yards to pull ahead. Chris Marshall, who had catches of 38 and 65 yards on earlier drives, scored on a 26-yard leaping catch with 1:54 remaining in the half. Rodrigo Escamilla’s point-after kick narrowly made it over the bar for a 7-6 lead.
The Buffalos answered a 37-yard field goal by Trevor Helburg with a quick touchdown drive. Roland Harvey completed all five attempts, including a 12yard touchdown to Marshall, who was called for a celebration penalty after the catch.
Marshall added a 23yard catch near the end of the Buffalos’ next drive, but was ruled down at the 1-yard line. He was called for a second personal foul, resulting in an ejection.
Without their top target, the Buffalos turned to Javion Matthews, first for a touchdown run on a reverse for the 21-9 lead with 11:07 remaining. Matthews finished with 14 catches for 169 yards, including a spectacular 29-yard touchdown catch despite pass interference to put Marshall ahead 28-24.
That would be the Buffalos’ last lead, as Crosby continued to hit its stride on offense with the help of strong downfield blocking.
“We just had to come in, do what we needed to do, fix some mistakes,” senior offensive tackle Demetrius Strahan said.
Strahan and Branch agreed a faster pace played a role in Crosby’s fourthquarter success.
“In practice, we work a lot of tempo plays,” Branch said. “We like to get in shape and condition because we know a lot of other teams can’t really keep up with us like that.”
Branch powered through a backfield tackle and two defenders at the goal line to cut into Marshall’s lead, which was eclipsed when Dunn sprinted in untouched from 28 yards out for a 24-21 Crosby lead with 4:52 left.
Crosby needed four plays to answer Matthews’ touchdown, as Branch weaved his way for a 62yard catch-and-run for a 3128 lead with 2:00 left. A pack of Cougars including Hill and Trevon King stopped Marshall on fourth and 2, setting up Branch’s final touchdown.
Crosby’s remarkable postseason run continues, with Liberty Hill or Sharyland Pioneer waiting in the state semifinals.
“It’s extremely special,” Prieto said. “You saw the community support here. The community has rallied around this team, and this team has given the community some hope. When those two things come together, it can be pretty special. This will be the third time in Crosby history one of their teams will play in the state semis, so it’s a pretty special deal.”