Eagles hang on to advance

 
Brooks sack Panther’s quarterback Edmonds with 25 seconds left to help visiting Atascocita walk away with a win
Klein – Junior defensive tackle Demarius Brooks bolted through the line of scrimmage, sacking Panthers’ quarterback Nate Edmonds with 25 seconds left to help Atascocita preserve a 32-27 victory over Klein Collins in the Class 6A Division II Region II Bi-District playoffs on Friday night at Klein Memorial Stadium.
The win sends Atascocita (10-1) to the second round of the playoffs where it will meet Round Rock Cedar Ridge, who beat Austin Bowie 47-17.
With Klein Collins (9-2) facing fourth down and five from the Eagles 15 yard line, Brooks had one thing on his mind when bolted through the middle of Collins line where he dropped Edmonds for a game-saving loss.
“I used my quickness to fake outside and went inside to make the sack,” Atascocita’s defensive tackle Brooks said.  “I was thinking about my team and how bad they wanted it. Their seniors and I’m a junior.”
It was less than three minutes left when Edmonds led a drive from the Panthers’ 31.  Edmonds 19-yard pass to Rashawn Newton and a pass interference penalty gave the Panthers the ball in Atascocita’s territory at the 38.
On the next two plays, Pratt and Richardson combined two carries to reach the 20-yard line before Newton’s catch at the 15 halted its progress. That would eventually setup the play of the game as Brooks used his quickness to bolt through the middle of Klein Collins’ offensive line as he dropped Edmonds with 25 seconds remaining.
“I was thinking about my senior teammates,” Brooks explained. “All week long they talked about how bad they wanted this game.”
“They were a good enough football team that they made you pay for it every time you made a mistake,” says Klein Collins coach Drew Svoboda.  “Hats off to them.”
Atascocita opened the scoring on its second series of the game.  Quarterback Daveson Boyd’s 26-yard connection with receiver Coye Fairman on his first of three first-half touchdowns gave the Eagles a 7-0 lead after kicker/punter David Heaton’s extra point kick with 7:27 to go in the first quarter.
Boyd finished 20-of-33 for 235 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. Go to receiver Fairman caught eight balls for 113 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Taylor had 16 carries for 116 yards and a touchdown.
“I was working real hard to make some room so that my quarter (Daveson Boyd) would have time to throw,” Atascocita’s receiver Coye Fairman said.  “And he made the throws and I made the plays.”
Led by defensive end Jackson Reed, the Eagles stonewalled Klein Collins when it wasn’t getting in its own way with careless penalties.
Klein Collins return the favor by stopping the Eagles twice in the second quarter.  Forcing a pair of punts. But it backfired as Eagles’ Heaton nail two perfect punts down inside the Collins’ one-yard line.
Both series resulted in back-to-back safety’s which allowed Atascocita an 11-0 lead.  Edmonds and Pratt were wrestled downed in the end zone to account for the safeties.
Atascocita wasted no time taking advantage of a short field from its 46.  Mixing the pass with the run, quarterback Daveson Boyd tossed a short pass to Fairman, who made the play look anything but fair when he outdueled cornerback Jake Hume for the ball.  Hume fell to the ground and Fairman was off to the races, collecting his second touchdown of the evening.
The Eagles defense kept a struggling Klein Collins offense quiet until Ernest Watts returned the kickoff 45 yards to the Atascocita’s 47.  From there, Edmonds broke free up the middle down to the 26. Then running back Justin Pratt ripped off his best carry of the day. A 22-yard run to the four. Two plays later, Pratt dived over the pile from a yard out, trimming the lead 18-7 after Jacob Cooper’s kick.
Defensive back Devin Hafford snuffed out the Panthers next drive, returning an interception 23 yards to the Klein Collins 14 which led to Fairman’s third touchdown of the night.  Once again, it was Hume, Fairman out jumped in the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown reception to help the Eagles build a 25-7 halftime lead.
The Panthers opened the third quarter by marching 76 yards.  Javon Richards got things going with a 12-yard run.  Two plays later, Edmonds scampered down to the Eagles 42 before Pratt finished off a 42-yard touchdown run. That cut the lead to 25-14.
Pratt piled up 181 rushing yards on 27 carries and four touchdowns.  Edmonds was 8-of-14 for 108 yards, one interception and he added 70 yards rushing on 16 carries.
After a Panther defensive stand, Pratt capped an 80-yard drive with a 56-yard touchdown scamper.  The extra point kick was good, but Atascocita was penalized for offsides.  The Eagles decided to go for two as Pratt came up short of the goal line.
Meanwhile running back Patrick Taylor Jr., who had not had a run of more than eight yards the entire game, surprised Klein Collings when he burst through the right side and outran the defense 64-yards to the end zone. That left the home crowd quiet and stunned while increasing the Eagles lead, 32-21 with 5:36 left in the third quarter.
Both teams battled to a scoreless fourth quarter before Brooks sacked Edmonds to put the game away.