Highland Park put together its most complete game of the year two weeks ago against North Forney, crushing the Falcons, 66-7. After the Sept. 30 open date, the Scots are now rested and ready to face their five remaining district games.
The Scots travel to Mesquite Memorial Stadium this Friday (Oct. 7) to face the West Mesquite Wranglers. HP, West Mesquite and Poteet are the leaders of the district race with 2-0 records. While 15-5A is predicted to come down to last team standing between HP, Poteet and Wylie East, this Friday’s game will alert the world to a potential West Mesquite challenge.
Here’s why the Scots should be concerned about Friday’s game in Mesquite. The Wranglers exploded into a superteam in the fourth quarter against Lovejoy two weeks ago. Trailing 37-6 with three and a half minutes left in the third quarter, the Wranglers watched as their season was slipping away. Then, incredibly, they stepped out of the phone booth and reeled off 40 straight points in 15 minutes to stun Lovejoy, 46-37.
Did anyone get the license number of that orange-and-white truck that knocked the joy out of Lovejoy?
With 3:37 left in the third quarter Wrangler quarterback Connor Neill hit Eric Knight with a 48-yard TD pass to tighten the score to 37-13. After an interception, the Wranglers went into an unstoppable Wildcat offense and didn’t throw another pass the rest of the game. Three plays after the pick, Demarcus Crockett scored from the nine. PAT blocked. Score: 37-19 with a minute left in the quarter.
Was this comeback for real? Ask Jaylon Monroe, who picked off a Lovejoy pass on the first play of the final quarter and ran it back 44 yards for a touchdown. 37-26.
The Wrangler defense then forced not one, not two, but three straight Lovejoy three-and-outs. With 9:16left in the game, Ja’Coty McCoy scored on a 16-yard run. 37-32. Then a minute-and-a-half later Crockett ran in from the 31 to give the Wranglers their first lead, 39-37. With two minutes left in the game West Mesquite put the game away with an eight-play, 61-yard drive to go up 46-37.
Forty unanswered points in 15 minutes. And just as incredible is the fact that during that offensive rampage, the Wrangler defense held the Lovejoy offense to minus-15 yards and grabbed two interceptions.
Most followers don’t know if West Mesquite will make the playoffs. I’m here to tell you that if the Wranglers play the rest of the season like they did in that 15-minute window against Lovejoy, not only will they make the playoffs, they’ll win the state championship.
The Scots played like Supermen against North Forney two Fridays ago. At Mesquite Memorial Stadium, they’ll face some focused Wranglers who now believe they ARE Supermen. The Scots need to be concerned with any high school football team that suddenly has great confidence in its abilities.
That confidence is the kryptonite of Friday Night Football in Texas.