Lake Highlands football’s season came to an end Friday with a 41-7 loss to Allen in the area round of the playoffs.
The Lake Highlands offense lines up prior to the snap in the Wildcats’ 43-36 win against South Grand Prairie in the bi-district round. Courtesy of Mike Duhon Photography.
With the result, the Wildcats’ losing streak in the second round of the playoffs extended to five games. Similarly, Lake Highlands has now lost seven straight games to the Eagles, dating back to 2001 when the Wildcats won 17-3.Â
“That’s a tough second-round draw,” Lake Highlands coach Cory Campbell said. “You get the best defense in the state of Texas, number two team in the state, top team in the nation.”
Allen, ranked No. 13 in the country by Sports Illustrated, leaned on its rushing attack in the victory. Three of the Eagles’ four first-half touchdowns came from the ground.
Jaden Hambric, Allen’s senior running back, scored twice in the first half. First, he dove in to give the Eagles a 20-0 lead with 11:25 in the second. Then, with just 20 seconds left in the half, he ran from five yards out to extend the lead to 27-0.
Quarterback Jeremiah Daoud opened up scoring on a designed run of his own that he took 62 yards to the end zone with 3:40 left in the first quarter to make it 7-0.Â
Allen converted again on its next possession with a one-play score. With 57 seconds left in the first, Daoud dropped back and unleashed a 59-yard bomb down the field to Carter Harris, whose defender slipped en route to a touchdown.
The extra point was blocked, but suddenly, the Wildcats faced a 13-0 deficit at the end of the opening period.Â
Lake Highlands’ offense looked good on its first drive, getting down to the Eagle 10-yard line. Four receptions from Conrad Ince and four rushes for Christian Rhodes put the Wildcats in good position, but Allen stuffed Lake Highlands on fourth and one to force a turnover on downs.
Scoring slowed in the second half, but the Eagles’ run game still flourished. Lyndon Spriggs scored on an 8-yard rush with 20 seconds left in the third to make the score 34-0.
To cap off Allen’s performance, freshman quarterback Ty Snell came in to the game and quickly made his impact felt. First, he completed a 41-yard pass to Josyah Johnson, and after a Wildcat penalty, ran it in himself for 10 yards and a 41-0 lead with 9:57 left in the game.
Lake Highlands found the end zone for its only score with 6:58 remaining. On a fourth and goal from the one-yard line, Rhodes dove in for his final score as a Wildcat.
Eagle receiver Caleb Smith, an Arizona commit, was named a player to watch this week by SportsDay. He finished with six receptions for 108 yards, despite not recording a touchdown.
Myah Taylor of SportsDay predicted a 30-17 loss for Lake Highlands and was joined by six of her colleagues who chose Allen to win, and now, the Eagles will move on to the next round.
Allen will face Odessa Permian as the Eagles seek their first state title since 2017.
The Wildcats finish the season 9-3, matching their record from a year ago.Â
“It’s truly been an honor this year,” Campbell said. “What a journey these seniors have put us on and we’re humbled.”
“(The seniors) gave their all. I can’t put into words what they meant to us. All the hours when nobody was watching — what a special group.”
