Despite the loss, the eighth in row for Early (1-8, 0-4), the Longhorns can still force a three-way tie with Eastland (5-4, 1-3) and Dublin (1-8, 1-3) for fourth place and the final playoff berth from the district with a victory at Dublin in next week’s regular season finale, assuming Eastland falls to league front-runner Tolar (8-1, 4-0).
In Friday night’s home finale, Early led 10-0 after one quarter, trailed 22-17 at halftime and faced a 24-17 deficit heading into the fourth period, where Eastland scored the first touchdown of the quarter before the Longhorns fought back.
The Longhorns generated 395 yards of total offense – 230 rushing and 165 passing – and overcame a pair of turnovers.
Cameron Love rushed for 173 yards and a touchdown to help pace the Early offensive attack, while Andrew Reedy added 61 yards and two scores on the ground and caught a team-high six passes for 64 yards. Ben Bleth also hauled in four receptions for 81 yards and scored once, as quarterback Weston Barton connected on 15 of 23 attempts for 165 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Defensive standouts for the Longhorns included Angel Marquez with 12 tackles, including two for loss, and a fumble recovery; Kaeden Byrd with 11 tackles and one sack; Bleth with 11 tackles; and Barton with nine tackles and one interception.
