ROBERT LEE – Clinging to a 22-20 lead with 2:53 left in the first period, the Class A Division I No. 1 May Tigers were able to regroup and shutdown the Irion County Hornets en route to a 68-20 Region IV bi-district championship victory here Thursday night.
After allowing 155 yards of total offense during the first period, District 13 champion May (11-0) yielded just 6 yards to District 14 runner-up Irion County (8-3) the rest of the way while the Tiger offense produced the final six touchdowns to end the game at halftime.
Irion County scored on passes of 45 and 19 yards early, and returned an onside kick 41 yards for a touchdown as the Hornets gave the Tigers – seeking a return to the state championship game in Arlington – all they wanted in the early going.
“They had some good designs on some plays early, then we just didn’t play very well on that onside kick. We didn’t do what we were supposed to do, but that stuff happens,” said May 18th-year head coach Craig Steele. “After that, we just starting paying attention to what we should be paying attention to.”
While the May defense experienced some struggles early on, Irion County had no answer for the Tiger offense. May produced 273 total yards – 200 rushing and 73 passing – led by a standout performance from Avery Williford. A 134-yard, two-touchdown rushing effort, two catches for 29 yards and a pair of scores, and a 42-yard onside kick return for a touchdown highlighted Williford’s night.
“We thought we’d have a chance to be successful tonight,” Steele said of the offense. “I thought we blocked really well, we blocked well from the backfield tonight and that’s the been the last thing to come for us this year, our blocking from the backfield, but we did a good job with that. We have some hard-nosed kids and they get after it and they hit, and that’s what really sprung our running game.”
Kaden Halk chipped in 33 yards and two rushing touchdowns, Braden Steele added 32 yards and a score on the ground, and Blake Harrell rushed for 12 yards.
Through the air, Luke McKenzie connected on 2 of 3 passes for 29 yards and two touchdowns – both to Williford – while Harrell hurled a 44-yard scoring toss to Damian Salinas.
May forced its 39th turnover to essentially begin the scoring, as Halk intercepted a Trevin Coffell pass and returned it to the Hornet 9 on the third snap of the game. Two plays later, Halk scored on a 5-yard carry to put the Tigers in front, 8-0, just 2:09 into the contest.
Irion County answered with a 45-yard touchdown pass from Coffell to Jordan Harrison, but the two-point kick was off target, leaving the Tigers in front, 8-6.
May responded with a three-play, 46-yard trek that ended on a 39-yard scoring sprint by Williford to boost the lead to 14-6.
Again the Hornets had an answer with a 19-yard scoring toss from Coffell to Harrison, but once more the extra-point attempt failed as May held on to a 14-12 edge.
Harrell then hit Salinas on a swing pass out of the backfield for a 44-yard touchdown and one-play drive that extended the cushion 22-12.
May then opted for an onside kick, but Harrison scooped up the ball and raced 41 yards to the end zone to cut the Tiger lead to 22-20.
The Hornets would not score again, while the Tigers fired back with their own onside kick return for a touchdowns as Williford traveled 42 yards to boost the advantage to 30-20 with 2:42 left in the first quarter.
Following an Irion County four-and-out, May took over at midfield and scored three plays later on a 5-yard carry by Steele to stretch the lead to 36-20 with 1:16 left in the opening period.
Irion County’s next drive lasted just four plays before May gained possession at the Irion County 22, which led to another one-play scoring drive for the Tigers on a pass from McKenzie to Williford.
Up 44-20, May then pieced together a nine-play, 56-yard drive in which it converted a pair of fourth-down conversions, including the 7-yard pass from McKenzie to Williford that increased the Tiger advantage to 52-20 with 4:27 left in the first half.
The Tigers then secured a third one-play scoring drive following an Irion County four-and-out that ended at the Hornet 34. On the next snap,Williford galloped to the end zone for a 60-20 advantage.
Irion County failed to convert a fourth-and-11 from its own 25 with 29 seconds left before intermission, and two plays later the Tigers reached the end zone a 9-yard scoring sprint by Halk, which enforced the 45-point mercy rule due to the 46-point halftime margin.
As for pulling away and ending the game at halftime, Steele said, “I thought there would be a chance at some point they might get their heads down a little bit, we just had to keep plugging away and get to that point. They fought harder than I wanted them to, and they played pretty well. Irion County’s a good team. They’re fast and they’re big and they’re young. They’ll be back next year and they’re going to be good.”
The top-ranked Tigers will face No. 4 Jonesboro (11-0) – a 90-40 winner over Leakey Thursday night – next week in the Class A Division I Region IV semifinals. Details on the matchup had not been finalized late Thursday night.
“They’re big and physical like a normal Jonesboro team,” Steele said of the impending matchup. “It’s never peasant to play them because they put a physical toll on your body. We’re going to have to match that and do the same to them. It ought to be a really good game.”
