Flower Mound 3-0 thanks to dramatic late drive against Lake Highlands: 5 takeaways

Sophomore QB engineers late game-winning drive for Jaguars in Texas high school football showdown: ‘We just stayed calm’

Flower Mound players pose for a postgame photo after the Jaguars' win at Lake Highlands on Sept. 12, 2024. It was also the 100th career win for coach Brian Basil. / Buck Ringgold

RICHARDSON, TEXAS - Flower Mound already had a double-overtime win to start its season.

The Jaguars then had another enthralling finish to pull off another win to move their record to 3-0.

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Trailing 17-14 with less than three minutes to play, they embarked on an 11-play, 75-yard drive, capped by an 18-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Noah Spinks to junior receiver Carter Massey with three seconds left, lifting Flower Mound to a stunning 21-17 win against Lake Highlands at Wildcat-Ram Stadium. 

Here, now, are five takeaways from Flower Mound’s dramatic last-second win.

The score was tied at 14-all at halftime, and it remained intact for much of the second half.

But Lake Highlands broke the tie when Aidan Delgado drilled a 39-yard field goal with 2:37 left, giving the Wildcats a 17-14 lead. Flower Mound took over at its own 25-yard line and only one time out.

“We felt like we still had enough time left,” Flower Mound coach Brian Basil said. “I was really happy for our defense to hold them to a field goal there.

“We had a time out left and a little over two minutes on the clock, so we felt like that was enough time; we just had to make some plays and give ourselves a chance, but our first thought was they left the door open and we took advantage of it.”

The Jaguars got into Wildcat territory when Spinks threw a 19-yard pass to Massey to the Lake Highlands’ 38. Then, the Jags faced a fourth-and-6 at the 34.

But Spinks fired a slant that went to receiver Eli Brown for an 8-yard gain, moving the chains and keeping the Jaguars’ hopes intact. Seconds later, Spinks hooked up with Massey for a 13-yard gain to the 18.

Then, with time ticking away, instead of going for a potential game-tying field goal, Basil and Spinks went for the win. Spinks launched a pass toward the end zone, and despite being heavily blanked by a defender, Massey was able to secure the ball in the corner with three seconds still showing on the clock.

“We took a little too much time to get lined up and snap the ball,” Basil said. “We still had a time out left and wanted to leave enough time to kick the field goal; we were in field goal range, we wanted to take the shot and just outstanding execution.

“Of course, the o-line, great job protecting, and the throw and catch was phenomenal.”

Keep Calm and Carry On

Flower Mound sophomore quarterback Noah Spinks (right) is interviewed after the Jaguars' 21-17 win at Lake Highlands on Sept 12, 2024. / Buck Ringgold

Spinks remarked there was no panic on the Jaguar sideline when they fell behind by three in the closing minutes.

“The key was to stay calm and just know what we’ve practiced to do and we know what to do, we just executed it, like we know we can do this,” he said.

Spinks also confirmed he knew time was running out when he snapped the ball, and knew he had to release the ball in an instant.

“I did (know the clock was running out),” Spinks said. “We tried to rush, we tried to get the play in quick. … It was going crazy, but we just stayed calm, we just stayed calm.”

However, once Massey grabbed the ball in the end zone, Spinks was feeling the opposite effect of staying calm.

“I don’t even remember, I was just going crazy, hyping up the student section, it was crazy,” Spinks said. “But I know we can make those plays.”

Spinks finished the night completing 21-of-32 passes for 250 yards and two TDs, both to Massey. Earlier, the two hooked up for a 56-yard catch-and-run with more than three minutes left in the third quarter, which tied the score at 14-all.

Massey caught nine passes for 134 yards and those two TDs. Flower Mound also scored on the game’s opening possession, a 4-yard run from senior tailback Marcus Simpson before Lake Highlands took the lead with touchdowns on each of its first two possessions.

Rallying to win late is nothing new to the Jaguars. In their opening game two weeks ago, they trailed Arlington Bowie, 35-28, late in regulation before scoring with 12 seconds left on a Spinks TD pass to Brown.

Then trailing 48-42 in double overtime, Spinks threw an 11-yard TD pass to Massey; and Spinks also hit Massey on the game-winning two-point conversion for a wild 50-48 win.

“It happened the first week against Arlington Bowie in double overtime,” Spinks said. “This team, man, we just have something in us, like we just finish games.”

‘We Love To Play For Him’

Thursday’s win was also special for Basil, as it was the 100th win in his career. He is in his ninth season at Flower Mound and Basil previously was head coach at Irving MacArthur and Crandall.

Afterward, Basil received the game ball and he and the team posed for a postgame photo with a sign in the background commemorating the occasion.

“I’ll never forget it; you enjoy every win and I’m just very fortunate and blessed to be able to do it,” Basil said. “This game is always about the players and I’ve been fortunate to be around outstanding players and coaches.

“And I wouldn’t be able to do it without an outstanding coach’s wife, so really happy for Michelle and my kids (son) Kaden and (daughter) Kallie; they’ve been a part of this career for a long, long time. This is my 29th year overall and they’ve been coming to games since they were babies, so I’m really happy for them as well as being able to celebrate this.”

Spinks was also happy to do his part in helping get his coach that milestone win in dramatic circumstances.

“For sure; we love Coach Basil and he puts in so much time for us, so much work for us,” Spinks said. “We love to play for him, man.”

Garnering Interest

Spinks is one of the rising quarterbacks in the Class of 2027 and has already received interest from several schools. This summer, he has attended camps at LSU, Nebraska and Notre Dame.

In Thursday’s game, Spinks was wearing an LSU wristband on one arm and a North Texas wristband on his other, with the Mean Green also on his radar. But Spinks remarked at the moment, he has received just one offer.

“I have one offer now, from Incarnate Word in San Antonio,” he said.

Another Flower Mound player receiving heavy interest is junior tackle Drew Evers, who has been offered by top in-state teams like Texas, Texas A&M, TCU and SMU, but also offered by Oklahoma, LSU, Ohio State and Georgia.

On to the Second Season

Flower Mound, which went 5-5 a season ago and missed a playoff berth, will get to enjoy Thursday’s win a bit longer, as the Jaguars are off next week.

But the following week, District 5-6A play begins, featuring contenders like Denton Guyer, Coppell, Lewisville and Flower Mound Marcus. The Jaguars' district opener is Sept. 27 at home against Guyer.

“Feels really good; we’re getting into the bye week and then get ready for a tough District 5-6A schedule,” Basil said. “But 3-0 is a lot of hard work that goes into it and I think it’s been since 2009 that Flower Mound was 3-0, and our kids were really wanting to try and do something that hadn’t been done in a while and they worked really hard for it, so I’m happy for them.”

Spinks hopes the team’s propensity for finding ways to win already carries over into the important stretch of district games.

“We’ve got to stay sharp, we’ve just got to keep on rolling,” he said. “Do our jobs, trust our coaches, just everything.”

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-- Buck Ringgold | buck@scorebooklive.com | @SBLiveTX