Kirk Dooley’s Blog
Somebody needed to make a play and Turner Rejebian decided it would be him.
The Scots were having a hard time stopping a strong North Mesquite Stallion offense and time was running out last Friday night. The Stallions were up 27-21 and were driving down the field to ice the game. It didn’t look like the Scots’ new home winning streak would get off the ground.
Impossible-to-bottle-up quarterback Ja’Quez Gooch threw deep down the right sideline and Rejebian came down with the ball on the North Mesquite 10, giving the Scots a chance at wining the game. All it would take was a 90-yard drive and a PAT.
Henry Allen marched his team down the field with precision and on the 17th play of the drive, hit Mr. Cy McCullough in traffic with a 12-yard bullet to tie the score. Will Moore stepped in to win the game, 28-27.
In the first half, the Stallions were unstoppable except for one key play. They scored on each of their first four possessions but after the first touchdown, the extra point was blocked. Who would have guessed that it would wind up being the difference in the game?
The Scots defense has seen its share of great running backs and Dreshawn Minnieweather was one of the more punishing. He carried the ball 20 times for 136 yards and fell forward for several first downs.
Highland Park’s miniature version of Minnieweather, Stephen Dieb, ran 19 times for 119 yards and spun his way to extra yardage when the Scots needed it. Allen completed 50 percent of his passes for 212 yards and won the ESPY for his 12-yard shot to McCullough to win the game. When the referee raised his arms signaling the touchdown, more Mesquite hearts were broken than when Donnie Gay retired from bull riding.
This Friday the Scots travel to Eagle-Mustang Stadium in Richardson to battle their longtime rival, J.J. Pearce. The Mustangs are 2-2 and are coming off a heart-breaking 54-50 loss to crosstown rival Richardson. In that game, the Mustangs gained 585 total yards and the Eagles added 548. You would have though you stumbled into a Big 12 shootout.
Hank Hughes returns as the Pearce quarterback for what seems like the 10th year. Through the first four games he has completed 80 of 127 passes for 1,175 yards and leads the team in rushing. Like the Scots, the Mustangs have a herd of great receivers. Jake Griffin, De’Astone Barlow and Jack Brewer all have more than 200 receiving yards. Pearce is averaging 41 points per game, while the Scots are scoring 26.
All four of the Scots previous opponents – Frisco Centennial, Pulaski, Prosper and North Mesquite – have won all of their other games this season. These are all good teams, no cupcakes.
In Richardson, they still talk about the game in 2001 when Pearce beat HP in double overtime, handing Randy Allen his first district loss as the Scots coach. But Allen prefers to remember the 2010 Pearce game, when that victory made him the winningest coach in Highland Park history.