The Sharks overcame a 14-point deficit to Richmond Foster and rallied for 18 unanswered points to capture a dramatic 25-21 triumph in the Class 5A Division-1 football regional finals Saturday afternoon at the University of Houston’s TDECU Stadium.
Continuing their incredible season, Shadow Creek (14-0) now advances to meet San Antonio Wagner in the state semifinals on Dec. 15 at NRG Stadium in Houston. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. Wagner knocked off Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial 54-21 in the Region IV final on Saturday.
Saturday’s rally for Shadow Creek marked the second time this postseason that the Sharks had battled back from a double digit deficit and also the second time this year that Brad Butler’s squad had pulled off the feat against 10-5A foe Foster.
Shadow Creek stormed back from a 27-point deficit to top the Falcons by a 35-34 count in the teams’ previous meeting in Iowa Colony on Oct. 26.
“Every time these guys get their backs against the wall, they just rally around each other and find a way to make some plays on both sides of the ball and special teams,” Butler said following the game. “I couldn’t be happier right now.”
The Sharks rode on the legs of senior signal caller Jamarian George, who scored three second-half touchdowns on the ground, while the SC defense held the Falcons in check after Foster scored on the third quarter’s opening possession to increased their lead to 21-7.
However, Shadow Creek started climbing back on the comeback trail later in the period with a 6-play, 80-yard march, capped by George motoring 16 yards on a keeper to cut the gap to 21-13 with 2:35 remaining in the third.
“The wind was strange today,” Butler said. “Jamarian made some big throws, but down the stretch, he was big running the football. He really came up big for us.”
Senior end Alec Bryant then delivered another big play on the other side of the ball with a third-down sack on Foster quarterback Ryan Stubblefield. The sack forced a quick three-and-out on the Falcons’ series.
For Bryant and his SC teammates, they could sense another cardiac performance was in the making.
“We knew we had to come out hard in the second half and we did to make it part two,” Bryant said. “
George quickly got the Sharks deep into Falcons’ territory early in the fourth with a 29-yard strike to Kealon Jackson and a 17-yard scramble to the Foster 6, paving the way for his 5-yard scamper into the end zone two plays later.
Although the Sharks’ two-point conversion attempt came up short with Huland being tackled near the goal line, SC still only trailed by a 21-19 count with 9:57 left in the contest.
The Sharks made great use of the time remaining to wreck further havoc, when Bryant sacked Stubblefield again near midfield to force another Foster punt.
Shadow Creek soon faced a third-and-seven from its own 23-yard line, but George hooked up again with Jackson, this time with a 32-yard fling to the Foster 45-yard line.
After back-to-back runs by Isaiah Harper netted 15 and 13 yards, a Foster defensive pass interference call got the Sharks another first down near the goal line. Two plays following the costly Falcons’ miscue, George scooted 6 yards to pay dirt with 4:27 left to give Shadow Creek their first lead since the opening period at 25-21.
The SC defense then slammed the door shut on the Falcons with a pair of clutch fourth-down stops.
Stubblefield was tackled two yards short of the first down on fourth-and-5 from his own 37. Following a Shadow Creek punt, the Falcons faced fourth-and-23 from their own 45-yard line and Jeremiah Harris brought down Stubblefield for a 15-yard loss to seal it with 1:42 left.
With the Falcons not having any timeouts left, three straight kneel downs by George ate up the remaining time on the clock.
The closing seconds also ate away at any remaining prospects some skeptics held prior to Saturday’s contest that Foster held the upper hand this time around.
“Everyone doubted us from the beginning, so we just proved them wrong,” Bryant said. “We’re going to finish it. That’s our goal.”
Shadow Creek scored on their second possession during the first quarter to seize initial control. Huland broke loose for a 29-yard scoring run and Greg Ezechukwu added the extra point for a 7-0 Sharks’ lead with 4:43 left.
Despite getting the early advantage, Shadow Creek was unable to capitalize on good field position during the rest of the first half and the Falcons started unloading with the big plays.
Stubblefield connected with Cody Jackson for a 78-yard TD catch-and-run play to tie it at 7-7 with 9:37 remaining in the second, while a 64-yard bomb to Sean Kelly set up Chidozie Nwankwo’s 1-yard run, giving Foster a 13-7 lead at intermission.
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