Cy-Fair – It did not end when the clock showed zeros. The game ended once the last pass fell incomplete.
With the first half score of 18-13, favoring Fort Bend Marshall, one could only imagine what was in store for the second half.
Senior defensive back Sylvester LaBome had a hand in back to back defensive stops, and senior running back Devon Achane scored the deciding touchdown to help send Fort Bend Marshall Buffalos to a thrilling 32-27 defeat of A&M Consolidated on Friday night in the Region III Class 5-A Division II playoffs at Pridgeon Stadium.
With the win, the Buffalos (11-1) will meet the victor of Crosby/Huntsville game next weekend at a site and time to be determined.
LaBome’s game-saving tactics loomed huge in a game of playoff powers. Covering the right side of the end zone, LaBome spotted receiver Devin Price in the center of the end zone where Tiger’s quarterback Gage Pahl’s pass intended to be. The game saving-reaction watched LaBome sprint with great timing to break up the play.
“Our defense made a big play at the end of the game,” Buffalos quarterback Malik Hornsby added.
Although the last play of the evening capped the day, it came down to the play before, which set the stage for the closing moments.
LaBome read the play when Pahl turned to his right and tossed a lateral pass to Price. The speedy cornerback closed in, tackling Price for a three-yard loss as the clock continued to wind down to 20 seconds and counting.
Achane led the Buffalos with 239 yards on 23 carries and four touchdowns. Quarterback Malik Hornsby carried 10 times for 109 yards.
“I feel good, but this is not our goal,” said Buffalos running back Devon Achane. “Our goal is to go to state and win. We don’t take anybody lightly, we knew it would be a dog fight. I have to thank the linemen. They were moving well.”
For the Tigers (11-1), it’s rally cry begin at its ten-yard line with under 2:30 seconds left. Standout running back, Brian Darby, who’s been nursing a high ankle sprain all year, carried the ball five times on its last drive, netting 48 yards. Also, senior running back, Kerry Brooks, who lined up and took the snap from the wildcat formation, was stopped for no gain. However, facing fourth and one from it’s 45, Brooks picked up three yards and on the same play, benefitted from Buffalos Junior defensive tackle dead-ball personal foul which moved the ball to the Buffalos 37-yard line with 1:17 left.
“We tried to keep momentum on the side of our offense,” Tigers Offensive Coordinator Sean Witherwax said. “Keep those athletes off the field. We did that in the fourth quarter, running the ball right at them. We got a stop on defense and a chance to go down and win the game. But we just didn’t finish it.”
Two plays later, Darby penetrated the 20, down at the 18-yard line. That’s as close as the Tigers would get as Pahl absorbed a sack at the 21-yard line before the last two unfortunates game-ending plays.
“The plan was to drive down and score a touchdown. But unlucky things happened where we didn’t score,” A&M Consolidated Offensive tackle Trey Zimmerman offensive commented.
Darby paced the Tigers on 19 carries for 162 yards and one touchdown.
A&M Consolidated led 20-18 after opening the third quarter with a 14-play, 72-yard drive. Brooks sliced into the end zone from six-yards out with 7:03 left.
“It’s a big win for the team,” said Hornsby. “We came in as the underdog. I knew we had something to prove.”
“They moved the defensive ends out wide, so we thought we could run up the middle,” says A&M Consolidated Sophomore offensive lineman Rhett Larson. “We just wanted to go down and score and get a defensive stop. ”
On the ensuing drive, the Buffalos answered with a four-play, 60-yard possession. Achane’s 49-yard scamper to the Tigers nine-yard line, opened the lanes as receiver Brandon Tryon toted the ball the final six yards as Fort Bend Marshall regained the lead, 25-20 following Idi Mongelwa’s extra-point kick with 5:25 left in the third quarter.
“We knew all game they had so many athletes that could take it to the house on any play,” coach Witherwax explained.” “We had to keep it close and keep fighting and go about our game plan a little differently than we normally do.”
A slow start on a chilly night caught fire near the end of the first quarter when Marshall turned a 62-yard drive into its first touchdown of the evening. Achane’s prominent ability came alive when he took a carry and sprinted down to the Tigers 25-yard line and later, running 11-yards around the right end to give Marshall a 6-0 lead after the extra point kick failed with 3:32 left in the first quarter.
“Our kids were determined and fought hard,” says Fort Bend Marshall’s head football coach James Williams. “Our coaches made some significant adjustments to what A&M Consolidated was doing.”
Marshall’s defense got in on the act early, recording two sacks and a pair of plays for loss yards before the Tigers settled in on a scoring drive of its own.
A series of incomplete passes, a stop for no gain, watched Pahl bolt for 21 yards down to Marshall’s 21, followed by a 19-yard pickup down at the 2-yard line when Darby finished it to give the Tigers a 7-6 lead after Colby McBerty’s bonus kick with 7:23 to go in the second quarter.
But without wasting time, Achane and the Buffalos had an answer for every A&M score. Following a productive kickoff return, Marshall setup at its 48-yard line. Then Achane knifed down to the Tigers 35 and capped the drive with a 25-yard scamper, to build a 12-7 lead. The extra-point kick failed.
“I give credit to the offensive coordinator, who saw that we could run the ball,” Williams mentioned. “We didn’t throw one pass in the second half. We were grinding it out, being physical. The offensive line was physical. We just took advantage of what we saw.”
“When we went up 12-points, we knew the game was not over, Hornsby mentioned. “We knew they would fight until the end.”
After, both teams would trade scores as intermission ended the first half, 18-13, favoring the Buffalos.
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