Lake Highlands football was stunned in a 21-15 overtime loss to Richardson on Friday, a game that could have secured a District 7-6A championship for the Wildcats.
Lake Highlands coach Cory Campbell speaks to his team. Photography by Mike Duhon.
With 8:26 left in the extra period, the Eagles (6-2, 5-1) knew a score would win it. They went deep on a 24-yard pass up the right sideline from quarterback Lucas Sawyer to Dameon Crowe, which was hauled in as Richardson held on to win and Eagle-Mustang Stadium broke into pandemonium.
After a scoreless first half, Lake Highlands had to pump the gas in the second half. The Wildcats wouldn’t score until late in the fourth quarter, though, when Chuck Smith rushed two yards up the middle to bring Lake Highlands within 9-7 with 2:57 left.
The Wildcats (7-2, 5-1) then tried an onside kick, which went straight to Rico Harris of the Eagles, who had nothing but green in front of him. He returned it 47 yards for a score with 2:52 left, but the failed extra point made it 15-7 and left the door open for the Wildcats.
Lake Highlands drove down the field, converting on a one-yard rush from Smith with 1:21 remaining. To tie the game, the Wildcats went for two and got it as Conrad Ince hauled in the reception to force overtime, although it would be for naught.
The first half of the game was a defensive slugfest, with the Eagles leading 9-0 going into the break. The first two quarters were filled with a lot of punts and incompletions.Â
Richardson’s defensive pressure challenged Lake Highlands early, with USC pledge Jai’meon Winfield getting in the face of Wildcat quarterback Chuck Smith with ease. Defensive back Michael Allen made his presence felt as well, jumping and intercepting a Smith pass in the second quarter.Â
Lake Highlands’ defense played well at times, too, save for the play that earned the Eagles their 6-0 lead. With 11:10 left in the first quarter, Richardson running back Zach Breazeale exposed the defense on a 65-yard dash to the end zone. The ensuing extra-point attempt was missed, helping to keep the Wildcats in striking distance.
No one else would score until the end of the second, when a pass interference against Lake Highlands set Richardson up at the two-yard line. The Wildcat’s defense stiffened, backing up the Eagles as the clock ticked down.Â
Now at the 10-yard line with a running clock, kicker Keneth Flores and company ran on the field and completed a 27-yard field goal as time expired. That would extend Richardson’s lead to 9-0 heading into halftime.
Despite the meager first-half scoring total, receiver Jayden Hernandez feasted against Lake Highlands’ secondary, hauling in catch after catch. Through two quarters, he caught six passes, with four going for 20 or more yards. Hernandez finished with seven receptions and 150 receiving yards.
All seven SportsDay pickers chose the Wilcats to come away victorious, and the Eagles proved them wrong, mostly behind their stellar defense. Lake Highlands, which has averaged over 44 points per contest heading into the matchup, was held to a season-low 15.
The Wildcats still have a shot at a district title, but the path just got murkier.
The Eagles return to action versus Irving MacArthur (3-6, 2-4) at 7 p.m. Thursday in Irving. Lake Highlands will look to get back on the right track in its regular season finale at 7 p.m. Thursday at home against Irving (1-5, 2-7).
