Scots Rally Past Ryan, Reach Title Game

FRISCO — Only a few of the 900 wins in Highland Park football history have been as dramatic as Friday’s Class 5A Division I state semifinal — or as rewarding.

The Scots rallied to win a 24-21 thriller over Denton Ryan at The Star for their milestone victory, advancing to the state championship game for the first time since 2018.

Sutton Stock split the uprights on a 28-yard field goal attempt with 6 seconds remaining to put HP in front and send the sidelines and stands into a frenzy.

The Scots (14-1) will be heavily favored against either Angleton or Spring Branch Smithson Valley on Dec. 21 as they seek the school’s seventh title and fifth since 2005.

Although the players are different, there are certainly echoes of the three consecutive crowns for HP from 2016 to 2018, when it knocked out Ryan in the state semifinals all three times.

“They’ve been trained to do this. They’ve worked their whole careers to be here. It’s in their blood because they’ve seen other guys do it,” said HP head coach Randy Allen. “When the game’s on the line, they’re going to find a way to make a play.”

Once again, the combination of shutdown defense and timely offense provided the winning recipe for the Scots, who extended their winning streak to 11 games overall. HP is 14-0 against in-state opponents this season.

The Scots didn’t get rattled after falling behind 14-0 in the first quarter after Ryan’s Trae Williams returned an interception for a touchdown. That followed an impressive 88-yard drive that reached the end zone moments earlier.

However, while neutralizing a size and speed disadvantage, HP shut out the Raiders (13-2) on nine of their final 10 offensive possessions without forcing any turnovers but by limiting significant plays.

“If the defense didn’t hold them, we didn’t have a chance,” Allen said. “They had an explosive [running] back and the best offensive line we’ve seen.”

Meanwhile, the offense settled into a better rhythm in the second quarter. James Lancaster tallied the first of his two touchdowns on a 1-yard plunge to cap a 12-play, 75-yard drive. Three possessions later, Lancaster scored from 6 yards out, bringing HP level going into halftime.

“The game went about the way we thought it was going to go. If we get ahead, they’re coming back, and if they get ahead, we’re going to come back,” said Ryan head coach Dave Henigan. “It was going to come down to the very end.”

The Raiders were plagued by pre-snap penalties on their opening possession of the second half. They had first-and-goal from the 7 but came up empty after a missed field goal.

HP needed just one snap to take its first lead of the game at 21-14 when sophomore quarterback Buck Randall connected with Cannon Bozman on an 80-yard touchdown strike.

“That was huge,” Allen said. “If you want to change the tide and get the momentum on your side, the best way to do it is after a turnover or a mistake. It was a beautiful play.”

The Raiders responded with their biggest play of the night on a 32-yard scoring pass from Quin Henigan to Braeden Mussett to knot the score at 21.

It was a stalemate from that point forward, until a Ryan punt gave the Scots possession at their own 41-yard line with 1:44 remaining, setting up Stock’s heroics.

They milked the clock and marched into field goal range, with the highlight being a 16-yard completion on third-and-long when receiver Charlie Olmstead was ruled in bounds along the HP sideline.

“It was a real physical battle. Field position was important,” Allen said. “We happened to get the ball last and made enough plays.”

Several small miscues accumulated into missed opportunities for the Raiders, including a potential punt return for a touchdown that was called back because of a flag.

“Towards the end, they won the field position war,” Dave Henigan said. “We had a couple of drops on offense that didn’t give us a chance to extend drives and flip the field. They ended up making the plays.”

Randall finished 18-of-36 for 256 yards passing despite being pressured and sacked multiple times. Bozman caught eight throws for a game-high 145 yards. The Scots managed only six rushing yards after halftime.

Nemo Warmate paced the Ryan offense with 93 rushing yards including an early touchdown. Quin Henigan, son of the Ryan coach, was 14-of-25 for 136 yards through the air, which amounts to less than 10 yards per completion.