Scots Blank Prosper to Remain Unbeaten
Poor field position didn’t faze the Highland Park offense on Friday night. Swirling winds and intermittent rain likewise didn’t rattle the Scots. And neither did the Prosper defense.
In their final nondistrict test, HP crushed Prosper 54-0 at Highlander Stadium to start the season 3-0 for the first time since 2011. The Scots also easily extended their home winning streak to 81 games.
HP started fast and didn’t slow down until the game was well out of reach. Brooks Burgin completed 19 of 29 passes for 327 yards and four touchdowns, all without playing a snap in the second half. His favorite target was Kevin Ken, who tallied 10 receptions for 159 yards and three scores — again, all before halftime.
In all, the Scots rolled up 487 yards in their most prolific offensive performance so far this season. And perhaps more importantly, they established momentum heading into their bye week, which will be followed by the District 10-6A opener on Sept. 26 at North Mesquite.
“I thought we took a step backward last week, but this week we took a step forward,” said HP head coach Randy Allen. “We’re where we need to be right now. We’ve still got a long way to go.”
Meanwhile, the aggressive HP defense earned its second shutout of the season. The Scots had four interceptions, including two apiece for Hayden Schnieders and Carter McDade. Schnieders returned one 34 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter.
“I’m very proud of our defense. We did a good job not giving up big plays,” Allen said. “We played with confidence.”
HP’s first two drives were quick and efficient, and both ended with a short touchdown pass from Burgin to Ken. The first drive went for 81 yards, and the second covered 97 yards — aided by a 35-yard strike from Burgin to Sam Welfelt.
“We got off to a quick start, which was what we wanted to do,” Allen said.
Prosper’s ensuing possession stalled on downs at the HP 25-yard line. The Scots marched down the field again, with a 15-yard catch by Welfelt on fourth down setting up a 31-yard Grayson Borrego field goal early in the second quarter.
The Scots (3-0) made their only major mistake of the first half on their next drive, which ended with an interception by Prosper’s Kody Kupke on a tipped pass inside the Prosper 10-yard line.
But the Eagles (1-2) couldn’t capitalize, as Schnieders picked off a pass inside Prosper territory a few plays later. On the next snap, Burgin hit a wide-open Ken over the middle for a 36-yard scoring pass.
HP added nine more points in the closing minutes of the first half to lead 33-0 at the break. Prosper gave up a safety on a bad punt snap, and the Scots took advantage of the favorable field position on the free kick that followed. Burgin’s fourth touchdown pass of the half went to Andrew Frost with 22 seconds remaining before halftime.
Stephen Dieb and Will Jackson added short rushing touchdowns in the third quarter to pad the margin.
