The Cypress Falls Eagles took on the Lamar Texans at Delmar Stadium on Friday night for round one of the 2019 Texas High School Football Playoffs. The stadium was buzzing as some of the two best teams in the state went head to head.

The Texans received the opening kickoff and went three and out after a good defensive effort. The same happened with the Eagles when they got their first shot on offense. They went for it on fourth down, but the pass was a little high and the Texans took back over. The Texans went with a quarterback keeper on third down, but the ball came loose and the Eagles successfully recovered the fumble. The Eagles were met with pressure from the Texans defense and were forced to punt for a second time on just as many drives. The Texans took the field for one more offensive drive of the first and punted the ball away and then the Eagles did the same on the following drive. The defenses were working hard on both teams and kept both sides scoreless through the first quarter of play. 

The second quarter was quiet until Lamar started to inch closer to the endzone about midway through the second quarter with 6:32 remaining. Texans Quarterback Troy Tisdale (12) kept the ball and ran it in for six plus the made extra point. Lamar’s defense was no match for the Eagles’ offense on the next drive as they were looking for revenge points. Eagles Quarterback Brandon Collins (12) kept the ball on the quarterback keeper. The extra point was tacked on by kicker Noah Smith (12), and the game was tied once again and remained 7 to 7 at halftime.

The Eagles took the second half kickoff and had no trouble getting hot to start the half. A big pass from Brandon Collins to Ricky Johnson (12) put the Eagles at the Texans’ 32 yard line, then on the next play, Eagles Runningback JP Martin (11) got the handoff and ran it all the way in for the 32 yard touchdown. Eagles, for the first time all night, took the lead 14-7 and kept that lead for the rest of the third quarter.

The Eagles QB Brandon Collins would score once again in the fourth quarter on a similar play from earlier in the evening. He kept the ball and ran it in 12 yards for the touchdown. A huge play that would put the Eagles up by two possessions with eight minutes left in the game. 

When Lamar took over, it was a “do or die” situation in which they needed to score a touchdown to tie and possibly win. Texans’ QB Tisdale got the snap and dropped back. Eagles DL Jerrion Sostand (12) ran full speed towards Tisdale and sacked him at their own two and turning it over on downs to the Eagles’ offense at the two-yard line. The Eagles would score on the next play and brought the final score to 27-14. 

It was an enormous win for the Eagles and they will move on to play Katy Thompkins in round two of the playoffs on Friday, November 22, at Legacy Stadium at 6:30 p.m.