Look: Calallen beats Alice 37-30 in first-place battle, improves to 8-0

Corpus Christi Calallen survived its toughest test of the season so far, as the Wildcats beat District 16-4A DI rival Alice 37-30 to solidify their hold on first place in the district standings

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Calallen Wildcats found themselves locked in a back-and-forth battle during their toughest test of the year Friday night at Phil Danaher Stadium.

Corpus Christi Calallen — the No. 7 team in SBLive's Texas Small School Top 25 power rankings — was deadlocked with district rival Alice 30-30 with time winding down during the fourth quarter.

Wildcats senior quarterback Bryce Burnett bolted up the middle for a 50-yard touchdown run to give his team a one-score lead with 2 minutes left in the game

Burnett's rushing score and late defensive stand to thwart a Coyotes' comeback bid propelled Calallen to a 37-30 victory over district rival Alice.

The Wildcats stayed undefeated with the win, improving to 8-0 overall and strengthening their grip on first place in the 16-4A DI district standings.

Alice senior quarterback Cutter Stewart and the Coyotes' offense responded to Calallen's late go-ahead score by marching down the field.

Led by Stewart's effective passing and with no timeouts remaining, the Coyotes pressed far enough downfield to heave one last shot at the end zone. 

Stewart aimed for his favorite target — receiver Alejandro Vasquez — but his pass was intercepted for the second time in the game by Calallen defensive back Skylar Rubio, who ripped the ball from the arms of Vasquez to secure the win. 

Alice allowed only two sacks all night to a hungry Wildcats' defense, the only sacks the Coyotes' offense has allowed all season.

The Coyotes jumped ahead early on a 68-yard touchdown pass from Stewart to Thomas Hinojosa with about 3 minutes into the first quarter.

Calallen, however, moved ahead during the second quarter on back-to-back touchdowns by Burnett.

The Wildcats' signal caller scored first on a 13-yard touchdown to start the second quarter and knot the game up at 7-7. Burnett then fired a 24-yard touchdown pass to Blaine Lamb to push Calallen ahead 14-7.

A Coyotes' field goal before halftime trimmed Corpus Christi Calallen's lead to 14-10 before a third-quarter scoring bonanza sent the game into an offensive frenzy.

Alice and Calallen combined to score 35 points during a wild third quarter, which culminated in a 30-30 tie heading into the fourth.

The Coyotes kicked off the second half with a 64-yard touchdown pass from Stewart to Vasquez on their first drive of the third quarter. 

Hector Garza III scored two more times for Alice during the third quarter: once on an 18-yard touchdown catch on a pass from Nik Garza, and again on a 68-yard punt return touchdown.

Burnett got the scoring started during the second half for Calallen with a 35-yard touchdown run to cap off the team's first drive of the third quarter.

Luke Medina also found the end zone for the Wildcats on an 18-yard touchdown run during the third before Burnett sealed the victory for Calallen with his third rushing score of the night late in the fourth quarter.

Corpus Christi Calallen (8-0, 4-0) hits the road for another test in District 16-4A DI play when the Wildcats are set to face the Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway Warriors (5-2, 2-1) at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21, at Warrior Stadium in Corpus Christi.

Alice (5-2, 2-1), meanwhile, will look to keep up in the 16-4A DI district playoff race when the Coyotes return to action against the Hidalgo Pirates (5-2, 2-1) at the same time Friday, Oct. 21, at Alice Memorial Stadium.

Check out SBLive's exclusive photo gallery from the game:

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PHOTO GALLERY — CORPUS CHRISTI CALALLEN 37, ALICE 30

All photos by Blake Purcell