My video of this adventure:
I went to Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium on
the campus of the University of Texas, the home of the Longhorns. This old stadium has seen a long list of
great football games. For this game it played host to the Allen Eagles and the
Woodlands Highlanders.
Terry Gambill is in his first year as head coach of
Allen. He had been their Defensive
Coordinator from 2001 to 2009, then took the head coaching job at Waco
Midway. The Eagles have a perfect 14-0
record this year. In fact, they have won
70 of their last 71 games. They were
three time defending state champions with a 57 game winning streak before
losing to Westlake in the Final Four in 2015.
Mark Schmid has been the coach of the Woodlands for
thirteen seasons. Before becoming head
coach, he was the Highlanders’ Offensive Coordinator and Quarterback Coach for
nine years. The Woodlands also has a
perfect 14-0 record this year. They have
made the play-offs every year under Coach Schmid, but have never made it to the
state championship game.
The temperature was in the low 50s with an overcast
sky. Not much of a breeze and no
forecast of rain. The weather wasn’t a
factor in the game.
Sixty-four teams started the play-offs four weeks
ago. Now we are down to four and these
are two of the very best. The winning team
gets its ticket punched for a trip to Jerry’s World to play for the state
championship. The losing team today will
have to buy their tickets to Jerry’s World or see the state championship game
on TV. Allen has been on a mission all
year to get back what they lost to Westlake in 2015. The Woodlands is hungry to make that trip to
state for the very first time. It should
be a good one.
Part of my pre-game ritual is to eat barbecue. Let me tell you about that barbecue. . .
The
Barbecue
Black’s Barbecue is located at 3110 Guadalupe
Street. At least the Austin incarnation
of Black’s is located just north of the UT campus. The original Black’s opened up in Lockhart,
thirty miles south of Austin, back in 1932.
That’s where their pits are and that’s where the actual cooking is
done. Barbecue is hand delivered to be
served at their “outpost” in Austin every day.
That is one way to maintain consistency between restaurants.
I ordered my usual half pound of moist brisket, a
couple of pork spare ribs, and their pecan cobbler. The brisket had a nice bark and a deep smoky
flavor. Very moist and tender, but
perhaps “too tender” if that is possible as it sometimes crumbled. The ribs were meaty and full of flavor. The meat easily pulled from the bone, but was
just a wee bit chewy. Their sauce was a
typical sweet red sauce, but had no extra zing.
The pecan cobbler was excellent.
Black’s has a good sized dining area inside and another
covered area out back for when the weather is nice. Parking can get tricky at times. The counter staff is very friendly. While there are other joints in the Austin
area serving better barbecue, Black’s barbecue is very tasty and it is a good
place to take friends and family.
I give this barbecue a single Hook ‘Em.
Special
Note
Grant Milton played linebacker for the
Woodlands. In a play-off game in Waco on
27 Nov 2016, he sustained a serious head injury and had to be rushed to a local
hospital for emergency surgery. He remains
in a medically induced coma, but has shown improvement each day. His family listened to the game against Allen
at his bedside and reported his vital signs spiked when the Highlanders fight
song was played. A GoFundMe page has
been set up to help his family with medical expenses. Many of the Woodlands fans wore a #21 jersey
in his honor.
The
Game
Allen received the opening kick-off and began a march
downfield. Passes from quarterback
Mitchell Jonke to Josh Cornell and runs by Brock Sturgess gave the Eagles a
first down on the Woodlands 19. The
Highlanders defense stiffened and Allen was forced to attempt a field
goal. The 32 yard attempt was no good
and the Woodlands took possession on their 20.
The Highlanders steadily moved downfield with a mixture
of runs and short passes. Kesean Carter
went in motion, received a short “push pass” from quarterback Eric Schmid and
ran through the Eagles defense for 28 yards to the Allen 14 yard line. Two runs by Carlos Ramos put the ball in the
end zone and the Woodlands on the scoreboard at 7-0.
 |
| Carlos Ramos scores for The Woodlands |
After stopping the Woodlands on fourth and short, Kirby
Bennett burst up the middle for good yardage.
Jonke connected with Cornell and Tevyn Stevenson to keep the chains
moving. Allen had first and goal on the
7 when the Highlanders defense stiffened once again. The Eagles could only manage a 27 yard field
goal to make the score 10-3.
The Woodlands returned the kick-off to the 18 yard
line. A run by Ramos picked up a first
down on the 32. Dylan Casey got behind
the Eagles defense and Schmid hit him in stride for a 68 yard touchdown. The extra point extended the Highlanders lead
to 17-3.
The Woodlands got the ball as the clock wound down in
the second quarter. Schmid hit Carter on
the sideline to set up first and goal on the Eagles 9. The Highlanders kicked a 24 yard field goal
to end the first half with a 20-3 lead.
 |
| Dylan Casey makes the catch for 68 yard touchdown |
The Woodlands started the third quarter with the ball
on their 25. On their third play, Eric
Schmid lofted the ball deep. Kesean
Carter ran past two defenders for the catch, then turned on the jets for a 72
yard touchdown. The extra point was
blocked, but the Highlanders led 26-3.
A nifty punt return by Carson Schleker gave Allen some
momentum. Mitchell Jonke found Theo
Wease in the end zone for a 32 yard touchdown to make it 26-10. The Eagles later added a field goal to make
it 26-13.
 |
| Kesean Carter beats the defenders for 72 yard touchdown |
 |
| Mitchell Jonke throws. . . |
 |
| . . . Theo Wease makes the catch for a touchdown |
Early in the fourth quarter, Schmid scrambled then passed to Casey for a first down. Schmid found Carter on the 9, then threw to Cannon Tasker for an 8 yard touchdown. The extra point pushed the score to 33-13.
 |
| Eric Schmid throws to Cannon Tasker for six |
Allen tried an onsides kick, but it went out of
bounds. The Woodlands tried to eat up
clock, but was forced to punt. Schmid’s
pooch punt was downed on the Allen 1 yard line.
The Eagles moved the ball out past their 20. Jonke was sacked on third down and his arm was
hit as he tried to pass on fourth down.
The Highlanders took possession, Allen burned up their time outs, and
the Woodlands kicked a 30 yard field goal to extend their lead to 36-20 with
3:02 to play.
Jonke led Allen downfield on a desperation drive. He threw a dart to Schleker for a first down
on the Woodlands 12. Jonke found Wease
in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown, then passed to Stevenson for the two point
conversion. With 51 seconds left in
their season, Allen cut the lead to 36-28.
The Eagles only hope was an onsides kick, but it was
recovered by the Woodlands. They lined
up in the victory formation to kill the clock and Allen’s season. With the win, the Highlanders advance to their
first state championship game where they will face Lake Travis.
 |
| Jonke connects with Wease for a touchdown |
Allen is to be congratulated for a tremendous season,
but they ran into a Woodlands team that was hungrier. The Eagles were dominated on both sides of
the ball and fell into a big hole they could not climb out of. Their rally came too late.
