Scots Clinch District Crown With Shutout
Rainy conditions kept it from being pretty. Yet there was nothing ugly about the result for Highland Park on Friday.
The Scots blanked Richardson 31-0 at Highlander Stadium to clinch at least a share of the District 7-6A championship, as well as the league’s top seed in the Division II playoff bracket.
It marks the eighth consecutive district title for HP and the 57th in program history, which is the most of any school in the state.
“This is one more to add to our collection. What a great accomplishment,” said HP head coach Randy Allen. “A lot of people didn’t know if we could play in 6A, but we’re district champs. I’m really proud of their effort.”
Before turning their attention to postseason play — and a likely matchup against Arlington in the bi-district round — the Scots (9-0, 7-0) will look to wrap up a perfect regular season next week at Richardson Pearce.
HP earned its second shutout in a row and third this season. The Scots have outscored their last three opponents by a combined margin of 134-6.
Frank Mousa scored two of HP’s four rushing touchdowns on a night when wet and slippery conditions limited both offenses primarily to runs and short passes. The start of the game was delayed by 90 minutes due to weather.
“We just had a hard time handling the ball,” Allen said. “The ball was wet, so we ran the ball more than normal, which was good. We need to be able to run it.”
Jay Cox and Wilson Axley also ran for scores as part of a balanced attack for the Scots. Brennan Storer passed for 113 yards and rushed for another 67. Grayson Schrank, the only HP receiver who caught more than one pass, finished with five receptions for 76 yards.
Those aren’t flashy numbers, but consider that the HP defense limited the Eagles (3-6, 2-5) to just 16 passing yards and forced two turnovers, including a Jack Morse fumble recovery to stop a scoring threat on the opening drive.
That led to a 74-yard initial possession for HP that included a fourth-and-13 conversion inside the red zone. The Scots were 3-for-3 on fourth down in the game.
It also marked the first of five consecutive scoring drives for HP. On the next series, the Scots reeled off a pair of big gains on third down — a Storer scramble and a 32-yard pass to Schrank — before extending the advantage to 10-0 on a Jake Tanzy field goal. Cox scored moments later to make the score 17-0 at halftime.
Mousa did his damage in the third quarter, beginning with a lengthy return of an attempted onside kick by the Eagles to the Richardson 28. Seven plays later, he secured the first of his two touchdowns in a six-minute span.
The two teams traded turnovers early in the fourth quarter, with a fumble recovery by Richardson’s Adrian Standmire followed by an interception by HP’s Mac Ballard.
Howard Armstrong rushed for a game-high 76 yards for the Eagles, who were eliminated from playoff contention with their third shutout loss of the season.
