Upsets and drama rule local playoffs

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Teams from east Tarrant County and east Texas were key players in a holiday weekend of dramatic finishes and upsets.

Here’s a look back at some of the storylines that went along with those upsets:

Arlington Martin ends Trinity’s state streak

Arlington Martin entered its Class 5A Division I Region I semifinal having lost to Trinity in each of the last two postseasons. The Warriors ended that streak and Trinity’s streak of winning 5A Division I state titles in each of the last three odd-numbered years with a 19-7 victory.

Surprisingly, the Warriors appeared to beat the Trojans at their own game, using a power running game and physical defense to wear down their opponent. Martin limited Trinity’s usually dominating run-oriented offense to 135 yards on 33 carries just one week after the Trojans amassed 510 yards on the ground against nationally ranked Allen.

Trinity’s Joel Kimpela, who rambled for 345 yards against Allen, did break away for a 51-yard TD in the second quarter, but was otherwise limited to 37 yards on his other 16 carries.

Martin’s running game found better traction against a tough Trinity defense, rushing for 125 yards on 41 attempts. Martin’s Kyle Hicks picked up 125 yards on 20 carries.

Gusty winds made field position even more critical. Trailing 10-7, Trinity coach Steve Lineweaver even elected to take a safety and give Martin two points rather than punt out of his own end zone, with six minutes left in the game. The Warriors put last year’s 5A Division I runner-up away with a Kyle Hicks TD run three minutes later.

Southlake Carroll outlasts Arlington Bowie

What a difference one quarter can make in a football playoff game.

A state-ranked and undefeated Southlake Carroll team found itself trailing Arlington Bowie, 17-0, with less than a minute remaining in the first half of their Class 5A Division I Region I semifinal. That’s when quarterback Kenny Hill jumpstarted the Dragons offense with a 54-yard touchdown pass to Sabian Holmes with just nine seconds on the clock. When Carroll drove 80 yards for a touchdown on its first possession of the second half, the Dragons were back in business.

A confident Bowie team that had upset Carroll deep in the 2009 playoffs, bounced back defensively before running into Carroll kicker Drew Brown on a successful 25-yard field goal. Carroll coach Hal Wasson elected to take the points off the board for a first-and-goal at the 4. Hill’s subsequent 1-yard TD run with 50 seconds remaining in the third quarter gave the Dragons a 21-17 lead they would not relinquish. Carroll’s defense subsequently recovered a Bowie fumble and made the lead stand.

Highland Park falls in shootout

Fourth-ranked and previously unbeaten Highland Park couldn’t quite overcome an upset-minded Tyler John Tyler team and an injury to prolific quarterback Brady Burgin in the Scots’ 42-39 loss in their Class 4A Division I Region II semifinal Friday.

The game was an offensive shootout, with the teams trading the game’s first six touchdowns and producing almost 900 yards. John Tyler jumped ahead with a pair of third-quarter touchdowns following Nick Rose’s 42-yard field goal just before the half.

Scott Ellerman replaced Burgin, who was sidelined with a collarbone injury, midway through the fourth quarter. Ellerman rallied the Scots with a 57-yard touchdown pass to Hunter Halpin, but a late sack forced the Scots into a long field goal that ended up with the holder throwing an incomplete desperation pass.

300-win coach hospitalized

To make matters worse, legendary HP coach Randy Allen was injured in a car accident before leaving Waco. Allen, his wife and daughter were following the Scots team buses when their car was hit and pushed into the back of an HP bus. Allen was taken to a Waco area hospital, treated for two broken vertebrae and a fractured ankle, before being released.

Denton Ryan’s unexpected demise

After falling to Lake Travis in last year’s Class 4A Division I state final, Denton Ryan was determined to get back to Cowboys Stadium for another shot. The Raiders’ defense – loaded with major college recruits – managed to keep Waco Midway’s offense out of the end zone of their Region I semifinal, but couldn’t keep pace on the scoreboard. Midway’s defense produced four turnovers including Orion Stewart’s 25-yard interception return for a touchdown on its way to upsetting Ryan, 19-7, in a rematch from last year’s playoffs.

Ryan otherwise limited Midway to four Drew Owen field goals including a 52-yarder in the second quarter. Alex De La Torre’s four-yard run in the second quarter turned out to be Ryan’s only score.

Oddly enough, Ryan easily topped Midway in almost every statistical category including total yards (259 to 208), but the Raiders were a minus-2 in turnovers.

Rockwall-Heath victimized by Sherman comeback

A 14-yard touchdown pass from Cody Court to Amaris Fields seemed to give Rockwall-Heath a very comfortable 19-0 lead Sherman with seven seconds left in the third quarter of the Class 4A Division ?? region semifinal at UNT’s Apogee Stadium. But the Hawks would not get out of the third quarter without seeing their lead shrink.

A 92-yard return for a touchdown by Sherman’s Ryan Reid on the ensuing kickoff started a streak in which the Bearcats outscored the Hawks 25-6, sending Heath home for the holidays.

Sherman followed with two more fourth-quarter touchdowns to take a 20-19 lead before Heath rallied. The Hawks regained the lead on Court’s two-yard TD run with 1:25 left , but the Bearcats were not done yet. A 31-yard TD pass from Gus Daniel to J.T. Luper and a two-point conversion produced the game-winning points with 35 seconds left.

In the end, three failed conversions – one kick and a pair of two-point tries – following touchdowns became a factor in Heath’s three-point loss.

Mansfield Timberview ‘s howling good comeback

Mansfield Timberview’s year has been filled with the glory of its best season in school history and the sudden, tragic death of assistant coach Cody McCarty. The Wolves’ Cinderella postseason continues thanks to a dramatic come-from-behind 29-25 win over Abilene Cooper in their Class 5A Division II Region I semifinal.

The Wolves hurt themselves with two turnovers and trailed Cooper, 16-0, at the end of the first quarter. Timberview managed to use its run-oriented attack to chip away at Cooper’s lead, while limiting the Cougars to just nine points the rest of the way.

After Timberview ended up on the wrong end of a hotly disputed fair catch call with five minutes remaining, the Wolves relinquished its lead on a Cooper field goal.

That set up Timberview’s game-winning drive capped by quarterback Charles Taylor breaking several tackles on his 25-yard touchdown with 16 seconds remaining. Taylor also reeled off a 41-yard TD run among his three scores.

Mansfield’s incomplete moment

Mansfield coach Jeff Hulme was confident in his team’s ability to convert fourth downs in key situations. Which is why Hulme, trailing Abilene 25-22 with 25 seconds left, passed up a 22-yard field goal attempt that could likely send the game into overtime and chose to have his Tigers go for it on fourth-and-goal from the 5.

Hulme’s decision was backed up by Mansfield’s nearly 400 total yards against Abilene’s defense on a blustery day at Shotwell Stadium.

Mansfield quarterback Jerod Evans’ pass sailed through the hands of fullback Bryan Shanklin, ending the Tiger’s wildly successful 2011 season.

Argyle stops Carthage streak

Argyle rallied from a 21-3 deficit and hung on against Carthage until a missed extra-point gave the Eagles a 35-35 win, ending Carthage’s 20-game postseason winning streak.

Argyle saw an early 3-0 lead fall when Carthage converted three turnovers into three touchdowns in a three-minute period of their Class 3A Division II Region II semifinal. The Eagles’ comeback was capped by Austin Aune’s 5-yard TD run that tied the game, 28-28, and forced overtime.

Argyle’s balanced attack was effective against the three-time defending 3A state champions. Tyler Eveleth rushed for 121 yards, Aune combined for 283 combined yards and Chadd Bossow had 11 receptions for 133 yards.