Scots Blank Raiders in Playoff Opener
The best teams are peaking when the playoffs roll around, and Highland Park certainly appeared in top form for its postseason opener on Friday.
The Scots were dominant in every phase of the game during a 48-0 dismantling of Leander Rouse in a Class 5A Division II bi-district game at Highlander Stadium.
HP advances to meet Frisco Wakeland in the Region II area round on Nov. 22 at Plano’s Kimbrough Stadium. The Wolverines rolled past Carrollton Newman Smith in their first-round matchup.
For the Scots (10-1), Buck Randall threw for 214 yards and three touchdowns and Matthew White reached the end zone twice in the first quarter.
HP won its seventh consecutive game overall by taking control early and never relinquishing momentum. The Scots defense allowed just 3 yards rushing and forced punts on the first seven possessions by the Raiders (6-5).
“They couldn’t run the ball, so they wound up throwing it a lot out on the perimeter,” said HP head coach Randy Allen. “Our guys did a great job of tackling and not giving up a big play.”
HP’s special teams units were stellar, too, with multiple long kick returns leading to favorable field position and two Reece Tiffany field goals adding to the tally.
It started with Benton Owens returning the opening kickoff almost 50 yards, jump-starting a drive that ended with a fumble on a quarterback scramble at the goal line. White pounced on it for score.
“Benton is a really special punt returner and kickoff returner. He’s very aggressive,” Allen said. “He’s a real threat. He just keeps getting better.”
The next drive covered 78 yards, more than half on a 40-yard strike from Randall to Owens, culminating in a 6-yard touchdown scamper by White.
The Scots added a pair of scores in a two-minute span shortly before halftime. A 93-yard drive included a 38-yard run by James Lancaster, and ended with a 4-yard touchdown toss from Randall to Jack Morse.
The opportunity to line up at tight end was an appropriate reward for Morse, who has been the emotional and statistical leader of the HP defense all season from his linebacker spot. He had two key first-half sacks of Rouse quarterback London Morgan.
The Scots extended the margin to 34-0 at the break after Randall connected with Harrison Cullum for 39 yards, then found Owens for a 13-yard touchdown with 36 seconds left before halftime.
An exchange of punts early in the third quarter again gave HP good field position, and Randall took advantage with a 34-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Lilly that ended the day for many of the starters with the advantage ballooning to 41-0.
The Raiders struggled to sustain drives with their quick-strike offense. They averaged just 5.9 yards on 26 completed passes and committed untimely penalties.
The HP defense had two takeaways in the second half to preserve the clean sheet. Thomas Cook recovered a fumble deep in Rouse territory late in the third quarter, which led to a short Cullum scoring catch from reserve quarterback Sam Montgomery.
Rouse’s best possession was its last, although the 19-play effort was stopped on an interception in the end zone by HP safety Marshall Smith.
Morgan finished 26-of-46 passing for 153 yards. Noah Fabila was the top receiver for the Raiders with a game-high seven catches for 51 yards.
The Scots spread the ball among 10 receivers and eight running backs, which affected the individual numbers. Lancaster accumulated 58 rushing yards on seven attempts, all in the first half. Cannon Bozman contributed a team-high four grabs through the air.
HP won its 12th consecutive first-round playoff game and earned its first postseason shutout since 2013. Rouse snapped its string of four straight bi-district victories.
