Week 2 of the football season started Thursday night with a pair of rousing, double-digit victories and concluded Friday night with an enthralling, point extravaganza between rivals and a nail-biter that went four overtimes.
It’s OK. Exhale.
Harker Heights held Manor scoreless for three quarters in a 38-14 win at Leo Buckley Stadium on Thursday night, when about 8 miles away the Bobcats cruised through Manor New Tech, 54-0, in their home opener at Joseph L. Searles Stadium.
Ellison and Killeen combined for 110 points in the Eagles’ 58-52 victory Friday night while the Grey Wolves converted a 2-point conversion in the fourth OT to outlast Nuevo Leon, 35-33.
Check out our photo galleries from all four games.
Harker Heights: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBGpC5
Chaparral: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBGpys
Ellison: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBGBYj
Killeen: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBFBFh
Shoemaker: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBGwzq
Ellison vs. Killeen
Offense took centerstage for most of the night as the Eagles’ and Kangaroos’ high-powered attacks put up big numbers and boat-loads of points in front of a lively rivalry crowd that was treated to nearly 4 hours of entertainment.
Down the stretch, though, it was Ellison’s defense that stepped up in crunch time, twice stopping Killeen inside the red zone and forcing two fourth-quarter turnovers.
With Ellison ahead 52-45, Joseph Fowlkes IV chased down Killeen quarterback D’Angelo Ingram for a sack on fourth down. On the very next play, Daryl Cannie Jr. sprinted up the middle for a 73-yard TD run that vaulted the Eagles to a 58-45 advantage and all but iced the outcome.
Killeen got it back to a one-score game with Antwoine Warren’s TD reception with 42 seconds left, but the Eagles recovered the ensuing onside kick and kneeled out the final few seconds.
After the game, Ellison was presented a trophy and commemorative caps for winning the crosstown showdown that was part of the nationwide All-American Rivalry Series presented by the United States Marine Corps.
“It feels really good. We fought hard all four quarters through adversity. We had a speech about that (Thursday) and the team took that in and really used that,” said Ellison wide receiver Travaris Turner-Smith, who was voted the game’s MVP.
Turner-Smith finished with 271 yards and four TDs receiving. Cannie rushed 17 times for 198 yards and two scores, and quarterback Sidney Holland completed 16 of 25 passes for 416 yards and four TDs.
Ingram was 32-of-53 for 571 yards and seven TDs. Timothy Boatner and Warren combined for more than 300 yards receiving.
Shoemaker vs. Nuevo Leon
Grey Wolves coach Toby Foreman said he thought his team played well in certain spots and not as well in others against the Tigres.
“But, we did come out with the win, and I believe overall, we are healthy,” he said. “We’ve got to improve in a hurry, and I am glad that we have four non-district games and a scrimmage to get ready for district play because we are definitely going to need it.”
Shoemaker went up 13-0 in the first quarter on touchdown passes from Malachi Jerome to Brandon Brown and Jamal Polite. The Tigres cut the deficit to 13-6 with a touchdown at the 10:30 mark of the second quarter.
The visitors from Mexico, Nuevo Leon, then tied it at 13-13 with 3:13 left before halftime with a short rushing score.
Quarterback Tyrieke Wade hit Brown for a 60-yard TD strike with 2:02 remaining in the second quarter that pushed Shoemaker back ahead 20-13.
The Tigres stayed on the Grey Wolves’ heels, though, and answered with a TD pass with just 11 seconds left in the second to send the contest into the break deadlocked at 20-all.
Nuevo Leon took its first lead, 27-20, in the third but the Grey Wolves countered with Brown’s plunge across the goal line for a 27-27 tie where it stood until overtime. Each team scored a TD, and Shoemaker won it with a 2-point conversion.
Brown finished with four total touchdowns to go with five receptions for 122 yards.
“I thought he played really well. He still has to work on some things but, overall, he is a veteran, a junior, and we expect a lot out of him.”
Harker Heights vs. Manor
Neither Mustangs nor lightning stood in the way of the Knights.
“We’ve had an interesting two games where we’ve battled and learned a lot,” Harker Heights said head coach Mark Humble, whose team outlasted Cedar Park in five overtimes last week then weathered a 30-minute lightning delay Thursday.
“Manor has a great team with a lot of speed and athleticism, and facing them will help us prepare for district,” Humble added. “So, I’m super proud of our kids, super excited, and what a way to move to 2-0.”
The Heights offense picked up where it left off in Week 1 and the defense was stingy throughout.
Sophomore quarterback Hudson Humble took long and short routes to the end zone with touchdown tosses of 96, 5 and 3 yards, and Kaden Butler added a breakaway 27-yard TD run for Harker Heights, which led 14-0 at halftime and by as much as 28-0 before Manor got on the board a minute into the fourth quarter.
Humble connected with Kai McMillan for the 96-yard scoring strike on the first play of the second quarter when McMillan sprinted past single coverage and underneath Humble’s offering down the right sideline for a 7-0 lead.
Butler’s scoring jaunt made it 14-0 with 4:47 left in the second quarter, but about 2 minutes later the lightning delay went into effect for 30 minutes. Once the teams returned to the field, Harker Heights’ defense made a stand inside the 5-yard line, neither scored and the Knights’ 14-0 advantage held into halftime.
Jordan Loney and Taneel Nelson had first-half interceptions for Harker Heights.
“We talked about wanting to come out and have overwhelming team play, and I think we did that –– starting with 2 minutes left in the second quarter. That spring-boarded us into the second half,” Mark Humble said.
Hudson Humble dialed up Butler for the 5-yard TD reception and Ryan Taylor for the 3 yarder, which pushed the buffer to 28-0 with 3:48 remaining in the third.
After Manor made it 28-7, Michael Mayes and Rocky Crooks teamed up for perhaps the play of the game when Mayes blocked a punt attempt and the ball ricocheted into Crooks’ arms in the end zone for a touchdown and 35-7 lead.
Manor added a TD run late in the fourth quarter and Heights capped the scoring with a short field goal as time expired.
Hudson Humble passed for 302 yards and two scores, Butler rushed 12 times for 125 yards and McMillan hauled in six passes for 157 yards.
Chaparral vs. New Tech
Chaparral did it all against New Tech, scoring on offense, defense and special teams.
On the same night Chaparral recorded its first shutout in school history, the 54 points scored were the most in program history, topping the previous high of 50 that the Bobcats scored in Week 10 of their inaugural season (2022) against Pflugerville Connally –– the team’s first victory.
“Our biggest thing was basically to work on us, work on the little things that we needed to clean up from Week 1, and I think we did that,” Chaparral head coach Tyrell McCrea said. “We still have learning and growing to do, whether that’s sideline etiquette or locker room etiquette. But, I’m proud of the display on the field.”
Kenneth Johnson returned a punt for a touchdown and added a pair of receiving scores, Davian Arthur and Neveon Shaw had rushing TDs, and Imer Bolton-Smith, Elijah Lawson and Aaden McCullum recorded interceptions, the latter of those McCullum returned for a touchdown.
Also scoring on defense was Sam Wohlgemuth, who pounced on a fumble in the end zone.
Photos by Josh Weaver and Todd Martin
