Tigers victorious against Hallsville in homecoming matchup

The Texas High Tigers continued their undefeated streak in district with a 24-17 win in the homecoming game against the Hallsville Bobcats.

“The first half we came out pretty good. We came out to dominate,” senior defensive linemen Will Brown said. “The second half we slacked off a little bit, and we picked it up in the fourth quarter.”

Junior defensive back Dee Jones stripped the ball and returned it 96 yards for a touchdown to open the matchup against Bobcats, making the first score of the game 7-0 in favor of the Tigers.

“I feel like I performed very well in the first quarter,” Jones said. “I just need to do it in the second half. We played good, we’ve just got to keep that up in the second half.”

The Tigers closed out the first quarter with a field goal from junior kicker Ethan Montez, resulting in a Tiger lead of 10-0.

The second quarter began with a missed field goal from Montez, but followed with an interception from Jones at the Tiger 37-yard line. The Bobcats senior defensive back Tayler Jacob intercepted the ball the following play at the Hallsville 24-yard line.

Brown recovered a fumble and returned it to the 14-yard line, resulting in the fourth turnover for the Bobcats.

With 7:15 remaining before the half, Tiger senior running back Javon Thomas ran the ball 3 yards for a touchdown, keeping the Tigers in the lead at 17-0.

The Bobcats put points on the board during the beginning of the third quarter, senior kicker Mason Beatty made a 16-yard field goal for the Bobcats, making the score to 10-3.

The Bobcats began to gain momentum, within the first 7 seconds of the fourth quarter senior running back Khalil Sneed rushed 35 yards to get the first Hallsville touchdown, resulting in a 17-10 lead for Texas High.

The Bobcats scored again with a touchdown from senior quarterback Wyatt Wolverton, running the ball 1-yard to tie the game 17-17 with around 11 minutes remaining in the quarter.

With approximately 3 minutes left, Thomas had a 25-yard run to put the Tigers back in the lead 24-17. On the ensuing kickoff, the Bobcats returned the ball deep into Tiger territory. However, the Tiger defense secured a victory by forcing a turnover on downs.

“It was a good fight, good competition, we stayed in, fought hard,” Thomas said. “We got a little scared in the end when they got that comeback on us, but we still pushed through it and came out with a victory.”