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The One That Got Away: Late touchdown, two-point conversion allows Scots to stun Poteet
By DEVIN HASSON, dhasson@starlocalnews.com
This one might sting for a while.
Poteet dominated longtime rival Highland Park for nearly the entire second half on Thursday.
Using an efficient offense and a suffocating defense, the Pirates appeared well on their way to extending their perfect record and solidifying their spot atop the 10-4A standings.
After stopping the Pirates on fourth down, a stagnant Highland Park sprang to life when it needed to most when Hank Howard scored on a short touchdown run and Jet Tuma followed by running in the two-point conversion with 55 seconds left as the Scots shocked Poteet for a 20-19 victory at Mesquite Memorial Stadium.
Poteet suffers its first loss of the season, dropping to 5-1 overall and 2-1 in 10-4A while Highland Park (5-1) moves into sole possession of first place in the district standings at 3-0.
The outcome was eerily reminiscent to a year ago, when the Pirates also started 5-0 before back-to-back one-point defeats were the reason they missed the playoffs.
Poteet had hoped it had learned from those experiences and it appeared that it had.
Trailing 12-10 at halftime, the Pirates drove 70 yards in 16 plays, with quarterback Tanner Ramsey bulling into the end zone from five yards out to give them the lead with 3:28 left in the third quarter.
Poteet was stuffed on the two-point conversion attempt, though, leaving them with a 16-12 lead and those points would loom large at the end.
At the start of the fourth quarter, the Pirates embarked on the kind of drive that can define a season.
Poteet moved 74 yards in 16 plays and kept Highland Park's offense on the sideline by chewing up nearly eight minutes off the clock.
But a Ramsey touchdown run was negated by a penalty and they were forced to settle for a 34-yard field goal by Brett Rattan that made it 19-12 with 4:08 left in the game.
The Pirates held Highland Park on fourth down on the next drive and when they faced fourth-and-three themselves at the HP 20, they opted to try to put the game away.
Even though the Scots held, Poteet had to feel good about its chances. The Scots had managed only 19 yards on 14 plays in the second half, Jet Tuma had completed only four-of-11 passes in the game and they had to move 80 yards in less than two minutes with only one timeout.
Unfortunately for the Pirates, that is exactly what they did.
Tuma hit Anthony Vallera with a short pass that turned into a 59-yard gain deep into Poteet territory. Tuma then broke free for an 11-yard run and Howard followed with a 2-yard touchdown run, his third of the game, to bring Highland Park to within a point with 57 seconds left.
With the momentum suddenly in their corner, the Scots seized on their chance, with Tuma converting the two-point attempt on a quarterback keeper to take a 20-19 lead.
Poteet had the wind at its back and a chance to get into position for a game-winning field goal, but a Highland Park interception with 35 seconds left ended the threat and completed the dramatic turnaround.
The Pirates will look back at this contest and see the chances that got away from them and that trend started early.
After forcing a three-and-out, Poteet drove down to the Highland Park 4, but could not punch it in, settling for a 21-yard field goal that gave them a 3-0 lead.
The Scots had done nothing on offense through the first quarter, but when a driving wind killed a Poteet punt at its own 16-yard line, they took advantage, with Howard scoring on a 12-yard run to give them a 6-3 lead with 10:33 left in the first half.
The Pirates had an instant answer with a seven-play, 90-yard drive. Rodney Douglas started it with a 33-yard catch from Ramsey, and finished it with a 7-yard touchdown run to give them a 10-6 lead.
Highland Park had its best drive of the night when it moved 74 yards in 14 plays, with Howard scoring from two yards out to regain the lead at 12-10.
Poteet tried to counter in the final minute, but after reaching the Scot 35, a quarterback sack knocked them out of field goal range.
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