The Galveston County Daily News

Ball High Tornadoes

• OUTCOME — Ball (5-4, 4-2) let an early lead slip away in a 35-28 home loss to Dickinson.

• WHAT WENT RIGHT — The first half played out great for Ball, with the Tors defense dominating and the offense making several big plays. After scoring early in the third quarter, Ball led by 14 points at 21-7.

• WHAT WENT WRONG — After a hot start, the Tors passing game gave the game away. Rodney Artmore was intercepted in three of his final eight pass attempts, failing to complete a pass to one of his receivers during that span. The defense also had a rough second half, allowing Dickinson to rush for 269 yards after halftime.

• STARS — Artmore finished with three touchdowns, two on the ground and one through the air. He rushed for 34 yards and passed for 76. His touchdown pass came on a 25-yard fade to Billy Williams. Dominique Brown led Ball with 139 yards rushing, 80 of those coming on a touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

• PLAYOFF PICTURE — Ball is still in the playoffs with a victory Friday. However, with a loss, the Tors would need Clear Creek to lose. Otherwise, a 4-3 district mark will keep Ball at home for the postseason.

• WHAT’S NEXT — Ball travels to Brazoswood on Friday. The Bucs already have clinched a playoff spot.

— Joshua Buckley

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Clear Creek Wildcats

• OUTCOME — Creek (4-5, 3-3) suffered a stunning, 33-16, loss to Alvin on the road.

• WHAT WENT RIGHT — It’s hard to say much went right. Creek quarterback Jarryd Garza did throw a couple of fourth-quarter touchdown passes to Marcus Mata. But the Wildcats already were down 33-3 when those scores occurred.

• WHAT WENT WRONG — The Wildcat defense was brutal again, allowing 475 total yards to the last-place Yellowjackets. Alvin rushed for 332 yards and had a 30-point lead in the fourth quarter. Alvin hadn’t scored 30 points all season.

• STARS — Garza finished with 252 yards passing, putting him over 2,000 for the season. Mata had 105 yards receiving and the two scores. He also added a team-high 39 yards rushing.

• PLAYOFF PICTURE — Creek must win this week against Lake, and hope for a Dickinson or a Ball High loss to qualify for the postseason.

• WHAT’S NEXT — Creek takes on rival Clear Lake at Veterans Memorial Stadium on Friday.

— Joshua Buckley

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Clear Springs Chargers

• OUTCOME — Springs (7-2, 5-1) clinched at least a share of the District 24-5A title with a 25-13 win over Clear Brook.

• PLAY OF THE GAME — With the Chargers only up 9-6 in the second quarter, Trevon Randle came up with a 77-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. That play give Springs enough for the victory.

• WHAT WENT RIGHT — Springs’ defense was outstanding against Brook’s option attack. It limited Brook to just 213 total yards and 11 first downs on the night.

“Against those guys, you have to win the battle up front,” Springs coach Clint Hartman said. “Our guys won the battle. Last spring, we practiced against that stuff every day in practice. It worked, because the kids executed well (Friday night).”

• WHAT WENT WRONG — The Springs offense didn’t have its best night. It finished with just 248 yards, 141 coming through the air. It was plenty for the Chargers to come away with the win, though.

• STARS — Sam Richardson had a big night, playing strong defense and coming up with a 38-yard touchdown reception from Phillip Miller. Miller threw for 141 yards and also had a team-high 53 yards on the ground with a touchdown. As a whole, Springs’ defense was dominant, with linebacker Trevon Randle and the defensive line leading the way.

• SIDELINES — Hartman said the team didn’t really celebrate winning a share of the district title. He said the players are more focused about winning the outright crown and clinching the top seed from 24-5A.

• PLAYOFF PICTURE — Springs can win the district title outright with a win in its season finale. That also would give it the top seed in the Division II bracket from 24-5A.

• WHAT’S NEXT — Springs travels to Dickinson for a Thursday night showdown.

— Joshua Buckley

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Dickinson Gators

• OUTCOME — Dickinson (6-3, 4-2) roared back from a double-digit deficit to take out Ball High, 35-28.

• PLAY OF THE GAME — Having already erased a 14-point deficit, the Gators completed their comeback on a 61-yard touchdown by Tyrell Preston early in the fourth quarter. Preston burst through the line of scrimmage and put on nice juke move on the Ball safety, before racing for the score. It was the first of his high school career.

• WHAT WENT RIGHT — The running game in the second half was the reason Dickinson claimed victory. The Gators lined up Corey Thomas and Preston in the backfield with quarterback Clay Honeycutt. Honeycutt would then fake to one and hand to the other. Honeycutt also kept the ball on a few plays. Overall, Dickinson had 301 yards rushing.

• WHAT WENT WRONG — The offense in the first half was not good. The Gators had just 32 yards rushing and five first downs. Their lone touchdown in that half came on a pass from Honeycutt to Jermaine Jenkins.

• STARS — Thomas rushed for 155 of his 171 yards in the second half. Preston had 95 yards rushing, while Honeycutt had 36 and two scores. Honeycutt also threw for 108 yards and two scores, the second to Tovonte Collins. Defensively, Jashuad Sims had two picks and Shawn Foster had another. The defensive line also did a good job limiting Ball High’s big plays.

• SIDELINES — Dickinson fans were not too happy with a decision to punt on fourth-and-one in the third quarter with the Gators down seven. It was the smart decision though, as the Gator defense came up with an interception three plays later, leading to the tying touchdown.

• PLAYOFF PICTURE — Dickinson can clinch a playoff berth with a win in its season finale or a loss by Ball High.

• WHAT’S NEXT — Dickinson hosts district champ Clear Springs on Thursday. A victory by the Gators would give them a share of the 24-5A crown.

— Joshua Buckley

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Friendswood Mustangs

• OUTCOME — Friendswood (6-3, 4-2) clinched a playoff berth with a 38-14 win over Brazosport.

• PLAY OF THE GAME — Friendswood scored just 57 seconds into the game on a 2-yard pass from Peter Maetzold to Chris O’Bryan. The Mustangs never trailed in the contest.

• WHAT WENT RIGHT — Pretty much everything went right for Friendswood. The Mustangs gained 364 yards and limited Brazosport to 117 total yards.

• WHAT WENT WRONG — Not much. Friendswood won the turnover battle 3-0. The Mustangs also won the first-down battle 18-8.

• STARS — Andrew Cole rushed for 63 yards, had 93 yards receiving and scored twice. Jonathan Johnson had 33 yards rushing and a score. He also threw a touchdown pass to Maetzold. Maetzold threw for 232 yards and had the 23-yard touchdown reception. Defensively, Hunter McAfee and Matt Kennemer each had an interception.

• PLAYOFF PICTURE — Friendswood sealed a berth in the 4A, Division I bracket. The Mustangs can claim the top 24-4A seed in that bracket with a win next week or a loss by Dawson.

• WHAT’S NEXT — Friendswood hosts La Marque on Friday night. The Mustangs officially can eliminate the Cougars from the playoff race for the second straight season.

— Joshua Buckley

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La Marque Cougars

• OUTCOME — La Marque (4-5, 2-4) suffered another blow to its playoff hopes, losing to Manvel at home, 20-12.

• WHAT WENT RIGHT — Quarterback Emanuell Williams hooked up with Michael Gilmore for a pair of touchdowns. The first was from 2 yards out, while the second was from 65 yards. It wasn’t enough offense in the end, though.

• WHAT WENT WRONG — La Marque committed five turnovers in the contest. It also had two extra points blocked, as special teams continue to doom the Cougars.

• PLAYOFF PICTURE — La Marque needs to win Friday and have Santa Fe and Manvel both lose. Otherwise, the Cougars will miss the playoffs for the second straight season.

• WHAT’S NEXT — La Marque travels to Friendswood on Friday.

— Joshua Buckley

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Santa Fe Indians

• OUTCOME — Santa Fe (6-3, 3-3) suffered its third straight defeat, falling to Angleton 35-14.

• WHAT WENT RIGHT — The Indians outscored Angleton 14-0 in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, that was well after that game was in hand for the Wildcats.

• WHAT WENT WRONG — As usual, the Angleton rush offense was dominant. The Wildcats rushed for 364 yards, while building a 35-0 advantage in the third quarter.

• STARS — Jacob Morse rushed for 111 yards and a touchdown. Garet Davidson also scored late in the game on a 3-yard run. Joseph Walton finished with 44 yards rushing.

• PLAYOFF PICTURE — Santa Fe is still in the postseason with a victory Friday. However, if it loses, it needs La Marque and Manvel to both lose to qualify for the postseason.

• WHAT’S NEXT — Santa Fe hosts Dawson on Friday night.

— Joshua Buckley

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Texas City Stings

• OUTCOME — Texas City (3-6, 2-4) lost to Dawson on the road, 34-14.

• WHAT WENT RIGHT — Not a whole lot. Texas City struggled offensively and couldn’t figure out a way to stop Dawson quarterback Darian Lazard.

• WHAT WENT WRONG — The Stings finished with just 134 total yards and seven touchdowns on the night. Defensively, they gave up 324 yards, including 264 total yards to Lazard.

• STARS — Justin Branch rushed for a team-high 65 yards and a touchdown. Ryan Harper also scored for Texas City on a 2-yard run in the fourth quarter. Harper rushed for 27 yards and threw for 61.

• PLAYOFF PICTURE —

There is only one scenario for the Stings to make the postseason. They have to win, and hope Manvel wins and Santa Fe and La Marque lose. In that case, it creates a three-way tie between Santa Fe, Manvel and Texas City for the last spot. Since each team beat each other by four points, it would come down to a coin flip to determine which team advances to the playoffs.

• WHAT’S NEXT — Texas City hosts Brazosport in the season finale Friday.

— Joshua Buckley

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Hitchcock Bulldogs

• OUTCOME — The Bulldogs (3-4, 3-1) got run over by Industrial, 50-23. Hitchcock will need a win or some help to clinch a playoff spot.

• PLAY OF THE GAME — The Bulldogs still had a chance in the game at the start of the fourth quarter. But Morris Tuck got sacked and coughed up the ball. Industrial’s Charles Hill recovered and ran into the end zone to make the contest a three-score game.

• WHAT WENT RIGHT — Hitchcock stayed in the game in the first half through the air. Tuck threw for 117 yards to four different receivers in the first two quarters to keep the Bulldogs within six.

• WHAT WENT WRONG — The defense had trouble stopping the run. Industrial gained 319 yards on the ground for 23 first downs and Hitchcock only got two stops on defense. The Bulldogs also got hurt by turnovers, throwing three interceptions and losing a fumble. The Cobras scored 21 points off the turnovers.

• STARS — Devante Provost had a spectacular night. He scored two touchdowns — one rushing, one receiving. He caught seven passes for 148 yards, including a huge 76-yard buttonhook pattern where he outran everyone. Bryan Smith added five catches for 55 yards.

• SIDELINES — Provost scored on one of the strangest two-point conversion plays. Hitchcock actually tried the point after, but it got blocked. Industrial picked the ball up and subsequently fumbled. Provost recovered and then twisted and turned his way into the end zone.

• QUOTABLE — “Everything that could go wrong went wrong,” Hitchcock coach Gary Carney said. “You’re going to have nights like that.”

• WHAT’S NEXT — Hitchcock travels to Boling.

— Evan Mohl

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O’Connell Buccaneers

• OUTCOME — O’Connell (4-4, 2-1) overcame a four-point halftime deficit to beat Beaumont Legacy, 36-19.

• STARS — James Jones rushed for 88 yards and three touchdowns, while Drew Rios had 124 yards rushing, including a 15-yard score. Jerome Birdow forced a fumble on a sack, leading to a return touchdown by Corey Lee. Luke DiMarco also made a tackle in the end zone for a safety.

• WHAT’S NEXT — O’Connell can clinch a home playoff game with a victory against The Woodlands Christian on the road Friday.

— Joshua Buckley

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Bay Area Christian Broncos

• OUTCOME — The Broncos (4-5, 3-1) clinched a playoff spot with a thrilling overtime victory over Katy Pope John XXIII, 26-20. It was the second time the schools went into overtime this season, with Bay Area winning both.

• PLAY OF THE GAME — The Broncos won the overtime coin toss and elected to receive. On the third play, Jared Hudson picked off a Pope John pass to set up the game-winning score by Cody Henriques.

• WHAT WENT RIGHT — The defense played outstanding. The unit picked off three passes and forced a fumble, allowing a paltry 149 yards of offense to the Lions. The Broncos offensive attack also played well, getting 353 yards of total offense (319 rushing) and 21 first downs.

• WHAT WENT WRONG — It was a wet field, but turnovers cost the Broncos. They muffed a punt inside their own 20 and then gave up another fumble in their own territory. Both turnovers set up Lion scores and kept the game close.

• STARS — Henriques rushed for 271 yards on 46 attempts. Quarterback Jared Fuqua ran for a score and also picked off a pass on defense. Jake Ricketts got the other interception. Karl Thomas and Evan Wilkinson both posted double-digits in tackles.

• SIDELINES — The 46 attempts for Henriques was a season-high. Coach Darwin Pennye said he’d like to keep that number down around 25, since Henriques plays both ways and is not built (5-10, 175) for that many carries. Henriques’ workload increased because fullback Andy Freeburg twisted a knee. Freeburg, who rushed for 51 yards on six carries before going out, is expected to return next week.

• WHAT’S NEXT — Bay Area hosts Brazosport Christian.

— Evan Mohl