Lake Highlands football keeps its season alive with a 43-36 win over South Grand Prairie in the first round of the playoffs.
Lake Highlands running back Christian Rhodes carries the ball in the bi-district round against South Grand Prairie in 2024. Courtesy of Mike Duhon.
On their own 48-yard line and with just 1:39 remaining in a 36-36 game, the Wildcats handed the ball off to their most consistent offensive force: Christian Rhodes.
Rhodes broke free for 15 yards, dragging tacklers along with him. After an incompletion from quarterback Chuck Smith, Rhodes was given the ball again from the 37-yard line. He proceeded to take it the distance, giving Lake Highlands the 43-36 lead that it held on to for the victory with just 1:04 left.
“I was expecting to get the first down, ended up getting more than I expected,” Rhodes said. “Ended up scoring and sealing off the game. Just very grateful for that moment.”
The Wildcats hit the road Friday night, and despite a slow first half, the last two quarters were an offensive showcase in the sixth straight season of the Lake Highlands versus South Grand Prairie rivalry.
Running the ball was a point of emphasis for the Warriors. San Diego State pledge Josiah Lucas scored two touchdowns with 163 rushing yards on the evening. He made his presence felt on an 81-yard scamper to the end zone to knot the score at 22 apiece with 3:44 left in the third.
That score came on the heels of Rhodes’ first touchdown. On the play, the Wildcats were backed up to 3rd and 26 from their own 10-yard line. Facing pressure, Smith dumped a screen pass off for Rhodes, who utilized his blockers and darted 90 yards down the field with 4:03 left in the third to gain a 22-15 advantage.
Rhodes also scored on a 39-yard reception to make the score 36-29 with 9:01 left in the game, although it would be quickly matched by Lucas, who rushed into the end zone from 10 yards out.
That South Grand Prairie touchdown came in part due to Cade Wallace, a Stephen F. Austin commit who found himself open time and time again for the Warriors. Wallace finished with nine receptions for 105 yards and two scores.
The first of Wallace’s touchdowns came from 15 yards out with 5:43 left in the third to tie the game at 15. Wallace struck again with 11:33 left in the fourth, when he hauled in a 10-yard touchdown reception after a good kickoff return and Lake Highlands penalty set South Grand Prairie up with first and goal from the 10.
Franklon Evans, the Wildcats’ dynamic playmaker, recorded two second-half touchdowns of his own. With 8:53 left in the third, Evans found himself wide open in the end zone, where Smith delivered a 9-yard strike to make the score 15-7.
Then, with 11:53 remaining in the fourth, Evans made a juggling 8-yard catch to extend the Lake Highlands lead to 29-22.
“(Rhodes and Evans) haven’t played much in the second half in a lot of games,” Wildcats’ coach Cory Campbell said. “And man, we needed every second of those guys tonight.”
Even though Lake Highlands held only a slim 8-7 lead at halftime, the Wildcats controlled the tempo for most of the first half.
“Both teams came out and displayed phenomenal defense,” Campbell said. “We were a little frustrated because I think we only punted one time (in the first half), but we were moving the ball.”
“Give them credit, they’re a great football team. We went into halftime, and we just said, ‘When we get in these situations, we gotta execute.’”
After kicking off to start the game, Lake Highlands’ defense forced a three-and-out and was primed for a big first drive. Warriors’ defensive back MarcAnthony Wiley quickly dispelled the Wildcats’ hopes to put points on the board with an interception.
The defense responded, though, and after a South Grand Prairie punt, Lake Highlands seized its next opportunity to score.
A monotonous drive from the Wildcats ensued, lasting nearly six minutes before kicker Chris Zepeda lined up a 36-yard field goal to secure a 3-0 lead with 51 seconds left in the first quarter. The lead was short-lived, with Lake Highlands making a costly mistake early in the second.
The defense overplayed as Warriors quarterback Daylon Brooks dropped back and unleashed a 47-yard strike downfield to Ryan Goss, who got behind the safety. The result of the play was a touchdown and a 7-3 lead for South Grand Prairie with 11:53 remaining in the half.
Bad became worse for the Wildcats when the ensuing kickoff was fumbled and recovered by the Warriors. The defense stiffened, however, forcing a punt.
That punt was then blocked by Lake Highlands, rolling out of the back of the end zone for a safety. Suddenly, the Wildcats were getting the ball back, down 7-5.
11 plays and six Rhodes rushes later, Zepeda drilled a 32-yarder and Lake Highlands led 8-7 with 4:43 in the second quarter. They would hold on to that lead into the break.
All seven SportsDay pickers predicted the Wildcats to win, with Greg Riddle forecasting a 28-24 Lake Highlands victory. They were right, and mostly because Rhodes came to play. He finished the game with 310 total yards and three scores.
“(The) O-line fought very hard (and) played very well,” Rhodes said. “It was great to see them execute and come out here and just do what needed to be done to get the dub.”
South Grand Prairie’s promising 8-0 start ends after consecutive heartbreaking losses to close the year.
The Wildcats will move on to face Allen, which is ranked second in the state, after the Eagles survived a scare from Lewisville in a 22-15 win Thursday night.
“It feels great,” Campbell said. “I’m so happy for our kids.”
