How Grandview finally caught up to eliminate Pottsboro in Texas high school football playoffs (again)

Zebras get big plays offensively and defensively in wild 56-42 area round win

MESQUITE, TEXAS - Through one quarter, Grandview needed to play catch-up.

Every time the Zebras got within striking distance of Pottsboro, though, the Cardinals answered. But in the fourth quarter, Grandview assumed control of Thursday’s Class 3A Division I area round playoff, getting two unanswered touchdowns for a 56-42 win.

Pottsboro, which lost 29-7 to Grandview in last season’s 3A Division I regional semifinal round, jumped out to a 21-7 first-quarter advantage in Thursday’s rematch. The Zebras kept clawing back and were able to pull even right before halftime.

“We just had to keep fighting,” said Grandview senior receiver Carter Collins, who caught three TDs in Thursday’s win. “It was never over until the clock hits zero.

“We fought through adversity like we were taught to. … We just had to keep going, no matter what. It’s definitely a big mentality game; you come in slow and then you’ve got to start swinging harder, that’s all it really was.”

As mentioned, Carter had a big game with three TD receptions. Sophomore receiver Jaleal Allen also caught two TDs as the Zebras decided to go from their traditional running offense to an aerial one.

Allen caught a 68-yard TD pass from quarterback Ryder Hayes to get Grandview within seven, 28-21, in the second quarter. Then after Pottsboro took a 42-35 lead, the two hooked up again with a 10-yard strike late in the third, as the Zebras forced a 42-all score.

“We’ve got a group of loaded receivers, but if they pick one of us to double or guard, then the other one’s going to get it every time,” Allen said. “I had seen they had no safety on those plays, and I knew like, I was open, so that was it, really.”

Grandview went ahead to stay with more than nine minutes left on a 14-yard TD run from senior tailback Casey Cannon. He sealed the game with a 1-yard TD in the final minutes after Pottsboro failed on a fourth-and-10 attempt at its own 1-yard line.

However, perhaps the biggest TD by the Zebras came via their defense.

With Pottsboro up 28-21 in the second quarter, the Cardinals were driving in Grandview territory and faced a fourth-and-short. They went for it, but the snap went over the quarterback’s head.

The ball landed near midfield in the hands of Grandview safety Anthoney Berrones, who took it to the house. Though the Zebras missed the PAT, keeping the Cardinals in front, a tide had turned.

“I saw the ball go up and my first thought was to dive on it,” Berrones said. “Then out of nowhere, Jaleal (playing cornerback) came in and slapped the ball farther, so as it bounced around, I tried to pick it up and go, and the second I had it in my hands, my only thought was, ‘Go,’ and then just took off after that.”

Texas high school football playoff scores: UIL area round live updates (11/16/2023)

Grandview’s defense also came through in the second half, holding the Cardinals to just one touchdown. Then, after Cannon’s go-ahead score, the Zebras forced a takeaway as junior defensive back Easton Ebner picked off a pass near his own 30.

In the final minutes, Grandview stopped the Cardinals twice on fourth-down conversions.

“We made a lot of adjustments with our linebackers as far as how calls went,” Berrones said. “We took away a call and instead played more man, so that way our linebackers would be a lot more into the box. We focused more on the run and took away the pass then.”

Conversely, Grandview’s offense shifted from the run to the pass. Collins accounted for the Zebras’ first two TDs, and then caught a wide-open pass on fourth down, sprinting 35 yards into the end zone as Grandview eventually was able to tie things up at 35-all late in the first half.

“They were focused on our run. We had run a lot in our district, and I knew that we had less safeties, but we really attacked them (Thursday),” Collins said.

Collins plans to play ball at the next level, but in baseball. As a corner infielder and outfielder, he has already received some college interest.

As for Allen, he’s hoping a few more good games like Thursday can get him on the radar of college football coaches.

“I’m a sophomore, and my recruiting’s really not buzzing right now, but as time goes, I’m looking to play college football as well,” he said.

The Zebras (11-1) advance to next week’s regional round. They will play the winner of Friday’s area playoff game between Malakoff and Mount Vernon.

Photo of Grandview players, from left, Carter Collins, Anthoney Berrones and Jaleal Allen

-- Buck Ringgold | buck@scorebooklive | @SBLiveTX