Troy (7-2 overall, 6-0 District 16-2A), behind a rushing attack that generated almost 9 yards per carry, downed the Hico Tigers 28-7 at Tiger Stadium and clinched at least a share of the 16-2A crown.
The Tigers (5-4, 3-3) took the early lead when Buddy Roamer scored from 5 yards out, but the Trojans came back with a 14-yard scoring pass from Dylan Sebek to Jeremy Conrad to knot it.
Troy took the lead for good in the second quarter on Derrick Vasta’s 62-yard scoring romp and padded it minutes later when Cyrus McKenzie scored from the 4.
Vasta scored his second touchdown of the night on a 19-yard run in the third quarter. He finished with 115 yards on just eight carries, and Roy Freeman added 67 yards on six totes.
Moody 43, Bruceville-Eddy 33
BRUCEVILLE-EDDY - In a battle between two teams fighting for mere pride in District 16-2A, the Moody Bearcats came out ahead and snapped their 18-game district losing streak.
Moody quarterback Nate Wilburn ran for two touchdowns, threw for one and had a 98-yard kickoff return for a score. Richard Avilla added a 70-yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter for the Bearcats (2-7, 1-5), who outscored the Eagles (1-8, 0-6) 20-7 in the fourth.
Bartlett 21, Thrall 0
BARTLETT - A year made all the difference for the Bartlett Bulldogs.
Just one year after a winless season, the Bulldogs clinched at least a share of the District 26-A title with a 21-0 victory over Thrall at Bulldog Stadium.
Bartlett (6-3, 4-0 in 26-A) churned out 317 yards and allowed just 132 in the shutout.
Holland 34, Milano 7
MILANO - The Holland Hornets kept their playoff hopes alive in District 26-A with a 34-7 victory over Milano at Pruitt Field.
The Hornets (4-5, 2-2 in 26-A) dominated from the start, taking a 13-0 lead on a 2-yard run by quarterback Clayton Ash and an 8-yard pass from Ash to Darius Moore.
Milano (4-5, 0-4) cut it to 13-7 late in the second quarter when Mark Russell caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from Thomas Sanders.
But Holland came right back as Ash found Doug Murphy from 28 yards out with just 9 seconds remaining in the half to extend the lead to 19-7, and the final two quarters were all Hornets.
Thorndale 28, Granger 0
THORNDALE - Granger’s road to the playoffs got a little rockier - and Thorndale’s way was paved - when the Bulldogs stifled the Lions 28-0 at Bulldog Stadium.
Thorndale (4-5, 3-1 District 26-A) amassed 317 yards and held Granger (4-5, 2-2) to just 105.
Lexington 41, Jarrell 33 (4 OT)
JARRELL - Clinton Hutson scored on a 12-yard run in the fourth overtime to stake Lexington to a 41-33 victory over the Jarrell Cougars in District 25-2A action at Cougar Field.
With the score tied at 27 at the end of regulation, Kris Jensen kicked a 30-yard field goal to give the Cougars a 30-27 lead in the first overtime. But Mason Vecera countered with a 24-yard boot to knot it at 30, which withstood the second overtime. In the third extra frame, Jensen booted a 41-yarder to give Jarrell a 33-30 advantage, but again Vecera matched the effort from 25 yards out. The Eagles (4-5, 3-3 in 25-2A) forged ahead in the fourth overtime on Hutson’s touchdown and the Cougars (3-6, 1-4) couldn’t counter.
Rosebud-Lott 23, Jewett Leon 16
JEWETT - The Rosebud-Lott Cougars kept their playoff hopes alive with a 23-16 win over Jewett Leon.
Rosebud-Lott (7-2, 2-2 District 20-2A) used as pair of Ernesto Flores touchdown passes, an Adryan Howard fumble recovery in the end zone and two Deandre Thompson two-point conversion runs to offset 144 rushing yards and two touchdowns by Leon’s Johnny Guevara.
West 44, Gatesville 33
WEST - Gatesville had no answer for West’s Cody Aycock as the Fightin’ Hornets dropped a 44-33 decision to the Trojans.
Aycock ran for 153 yards on just 16 carries and had fourth-quarter touchdown runs of 71 and 20 yards to seal it for West (4-5, 2-2 District 7-3A).
Shane Clark threw for 202 yards and two scores for Gatesville (5-4, 2-2), which wasn’t eliminated from playoff contention.
Austin Hill Country Christian 86, Central Texas Christian 41
AUSTIN - Central Texas Christian managed only six second-half points as Austin Hill Country Christian ran away to the TAPPS District 3 Six-Man title with an 86-41 victory.
The Lions (5-5, 2-1 district) trailed 46-35 at halftime before the Rams (6-4, 3-0) reeled off 40 second-half points.
CTCS had already clinched a berth in the TAPPS playoffs, which begin in two weeks.
Waco Live Oak 33, Holy Trinity Catholic 30
The Holy Trinity Catholic Celtics saw a 10-point fourth-quarter lead slip away as the Waco Live Oak Falcons won 33-30 in a non-district six-man football game at Gandy Field.
The Celtics (2-8) took a 30-20 lead into the final quarter on two touchdown passes from Andrew Couvillon to Chris Watson. But the Falcons (5-1) outscored the Celtics 13-0 in the fourth.
College Station A&M Consolidated 31, No. 7 Copperas Cove 27
COLLEGE STATION - Copperas Cove’s bid to clinch the outright District 12-5A title fell short as the Bulldawgs suffered their first loss with a 31-27 setback to College Station A&M Consolidated.
The seventh-ranked Bulldawgs (8-1, 5-1 in 12-5A) mustered only 177 yards and let a 27-24 fourth-quarter lead slip away on Chris Nutall’s 4-yard touchdown with 1:26 remaining.
Nutall was one of two Tigers to rush for more than 100 yards as Consol (4-4, 4-2) churned out 301 yards on the ground.
Bryan 28, Harker Heights 24
KILLEEN - The Bryan Vikings scored 14 fourth-quarter points to top the Harker Heights Knights 28-24.
The Knights (1-8, 1-5 District 12-5A) took a 24-14 lead with the help of two Kerry Sloan touchdowns. But Bryan (4-4, 2-4) answered in the fourth quarter with touchdowns by Monterrell Washington and Kesnick Taylor.
Killeen 38, Lampasas 3
LAMPASAS - The Killeen Kanga-roos clinched a playoff berth with a 38-3 victory over the Lampasas Badgers.
Killeen (6-3, 3-2 District 25-4A) got 87 rushing yards from Jaquail Haskins and 79 from Marcus Tillman as the Kangaroos rumbled for 323 yards on the ground. Lampasas (0-9, 0-5) took a 3-0 first-quarter lead on Joshua Akers’ 26-yard field goal before giving up 38 unanswered points.
