Resilient Scots Advance to State Semis

FRISCO — Despite some early miscues in the biggest game any of its players had ever played, Highland Park refused to get rattled.

Instead, the Scots found their footing and stormed to a 41-28 win over Frisco Lone Star on Friday in the Region II final of the Class 5A Division I playoffs at The Star.

The victory returns HP to the state semifinals for the first time since 2018, with a showdown looming against either Aledo or Denton Ryan on Dec. 13 for the right to play for a championship.

Sophomore quarterback Buck Randall shook off a pair of red-zone interceptions on each of the first two possessions and engineered seven scoring drives afterward. He threw for 237 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for a team-high 124 yards and a score.

“Buck had a great night running the ball and throwing it,” said HP head coach Randy Allen. “He just keeps getting better with all of the experience he’s getting. He’s got poise and he doesn’t let one mistake carry over into the next play or series. He goes about his business and tries to improve each time he goes out there.”

The Scots (13-1) found success with the running game, which accounted for almost 300 yards.  James Lancaster had 110 of those on 18 attempts, and Matthew White contributed a touchdown.

“Most people think if they stop our passing game, they can stop us,” Allen said. “We were just taking what they gave us and running the ball into a four-man box.”

Meanwhile, while the offense struggled to reach the end zone early, the HP defense stifled any momentum for the Rangers (12-2), in particular an interception by linebacker Jack Morse near midfield on the first Lone Star drive of the game.

“Our defense has played great all year,” Allen said. “They have a physical running game and a finesse passing game. They were really tough to stop.”

The Scots never trailed after getting on the board with a 30-yard touchdown strike from Randall to Cannon Bozman on the opening play of the second quarter.

HP failed to capitalize on an interception by linebacker Jack Steed in Lone Star territory three snaps later but still kept the Rangers off the board until an impressive 14-play. 82-yard drive that ended with an 11-yard scoring run by sophomore Karece Hoyt.

The Scots kept Lone Star’s dynamic dual-threat quarterback in check for much of the night, although Hoyt finished with 231 passing yards on 21-of-35 completions, and accumulated 155 rushing yards on 27 carries, with a hand in three touchdowns.

Most importantly, however, HP answered quickly every time the Rangers reached the end zone. Only 18 seconds after Lone Star’s opening score, Randall and Benton Owens hooked up on a 67-yard touchdown to shift the advantage — and the momentum — back to the Scots.

“They executed at a high level and we didn’t as much. We couldn’t get [our defense] off the field, and they stymied us a few times on offense,” said Lone Star head coach Jeff Rayburn. “I’m proud of this group for the way they battled.”

Randall found Owens on a 14-yard scoring toss early in the third quarter to make it 24-7, set up by Lancaster’s 35-yard sprint.

Later in the third, Randall scrambled 4 yards for a score after a long kickoff return by Owens and a key connection between Randall and Brandon Lilly.

Lone Star was able to move the ball better after halftime but the margin remained in double digits. Reece Tiffany added two field goals for HP to offset a pair of misses by the Rangers.

Bozman led all receivers for the Scots with eight catches for 103 yards. HP averaged 9.4 yards per offensive snap and racked up 528 yards of total offense.

Davian Groce caught eight passes for 108 yards for the Rangers, and Dekhari Dean added a late punt return for a score. Easton Pulliam and Caden Corfman had the two interceptions for Lone Star, the latter of which came in the end zone.

The Scots took a 3-2 lead in the all-time series between the perennial powerhouse programs, and earned their second straight postseason victory over Lone Star, with the other coming in 2020.

HP also extended its current winning streak to 10 games, with the last three coming against Frisco ISD opponents in the playoffs.