Lovejoy football suffocates Melissa for Texas high school district championship

Leopards win District 6-5A championship behind suffocating D, 4-star receiver's big day

Andy Buhler, SBLive Sports | Nov 3, 2023

Daylon McCutcheon hauled in seven catches for 110 receiving yards and a touchdown as No. 21 Lovejoy (Texas) throttled No. 9 Melissa 28-7 to claim the District 6-5A, Region II title on Thursday night.

While the 4-star class of 2025 receiver delivered a show-stopping performance, the Leopards' (9-1, 6-0) defense stole the show.

>>Lovejoy blasts Melissa: Live score, game updates from Texas high school showdown

Melissa (9-1, 6-1) entered Thursday's SBLive Texas Power 25 showdown averaging more than 53 points per game on the season, until it was held to just a touchdown by Lovejoy's imposing defense.

The Cardinals offense was held to 143 yards on the night and turned the ball over three time (two interceptions and a fumble).

Lovejoy put the first points on the board in the first quarter and the game was tied 7-7 at halftime.

The Leopards exploded out of halftime, as Ethan Nelson caught a 48-yard touchdown pass from Alexander Franklin and McCutcheon broke loose for a 53-yard touchdown haul, breaking loose untouched after a one-handed snag over the middle, to build a 21-7 lead.

Khalin Williams added an insurance TD with 4:16 left in the game, a 15-yard scramble.

Here are photos from Melissa ISD Stadium. All photos are by Tommy Hays:

melissa lovejoy texas football — Photo by Tommy Hays

-- Andy Buhler | andy@scorebooklive.com | @sblivetx

Published Nov 3, 2023

ANDY BUHLER, SBLIVE SPORTS

Andy Buhler is a Regional Editor of Texas and the national breaking news desk. He brings more than five years of experience covering high school sports across the state of Washington and beyond, where he covered the likes of Paolo Banchero and Tari Eason served on state tournament seeding committees. He works on the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national boys basketball rankings. He has covered everything from the Final Four, MLS in Atlanta to local velodrome before diving into the world of preps. His bylines can be found in The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington), The Associated Press, The Columbian (Vancouver, Washington), The Oregonian and more. He holds a degree from Gonzaga and is based out of Portland, Oregon.