Scots Surge Past Spartans in Home Finale
Prior to Friday, Burleson Centennial had the highest-scoring offense this season in District 7-5A Div. I. Apparently no one told the Highland Park defense.
The Scots shut down the Spartans to take control early and cruise to a 42-14 win in their regular-season home finale at Highlander Stadium.
The victory sets up a road showdown next week against Midlothian, with the winner claiming the district championship and a top seed in the playoffs.
“Our guys are getting better each week, so we’re really excited about the opportunity,” said HP head coach Randy Allen. “They will be hard to beat at home. We will need to have a great week of preparation and play extremely hard.”
The HP defense was dominant, holding Centennial to negative total yardage in the first quarter. The Scots (8-1, 5-0) amassed a 21-0 advantage before the Spartans recorded a first down. And that was despite standout linebacker Jack Morse being ejected after a targeting penalty early in the second quarter.
“Our defense has been very consistent all year, being aggressive and creating turnovers,” Allen said. “The whole key right now is getting on a roll. I think we’re in a good spot.”
Meanwhile, sophomore quarterback Buck Randall threw for 285 yards and two touchdowns in the first half and also ran for a score on a 16-yard scramble.
James Lancaster rushed for two touchdowns. The first opened the scoring, and followed two long connections between Randall and Benton Owens covering 61 combined yards.
Randall’s first scoring pass came on a 46-yard bomb to Harrison Cullum late in the first quarter. Cullum led all receivers with four catches and a career-high 125 yards.
The Spartans (4-5, 2-3) forced two turnovers in the first half — a Cutter Vick fumble recovery on a first-quarter punt and a Keilan Gregory interception — but didn’t capitalize in either instance.
Instead, HP took advantage of favorable field position after a deflected punt late in the first half, and reached the end zone on a 32-yard toss from Randall to Charles Olmstead.
Centennial had a long touchdown scamper nullified by a holding penalty to start the second half, and that drive ended with a fourth-down sack near midfield by HP’s Thomas Cook. Moments later, Lancaster’s second touchdown enabled the Scots to regain momentum.
Damien Long scored two touchdowns — one rushing, one receiving — for Centennial, which remains tied for fourth place in the standings and can secure a postseason berth for the 11th straight season with a victory next week against Joshua.
Long’s first touchdown was a 16-yard carry in the final minute of the first half to cap an 88-yard drive that seemed to ignite the Centennial ground game.
However, the Spartans struggled through the air, completing just eight of 25 passes. HP linebacker Anders Corn returned a fourth-quarter interception for a touchdown to make the score 42-7.
“They have a great defense. We can’t go three-and-out three straight times and expect to beat a team like Highland Park,” said Centennial head coach Kyle Geller. “But our kids fought and didn’t give up.”
Jaylon Walker ran for a game-high 96 yards for the Spartans, including a 46-yard burst in the fourth quarter that set up Long’s scoring reception from Jacob Torres.
