In a back-and-forth clash at the most expensive high school stadium in the country, the Tigers fell to the McKinney North Bulldogs 47-44 on Friday night at McKinney ISD Stadium.

Both teams traded punts early on before the Tigers got on the board first as kicker Diego Mata connected on a 34-yard field goal. The Bulldogs responded, however, by marching down the field and scoring a touchdown on a 33-yard run by running back Hunter Chae. A blocked extra point saw the Bulldogs lead 6-3.

The next drive for the Tigers would produce one of the most controversial plays of the season. Senior quarterback Coltin Clack scored what appeared to be a rushing touchdown before the referees converged and declared that he had been stripped of the ball before crossing the goal line. This gave the ball back to the Bulldogs and completely swung the momentum in their favor.

The Bulldogs scored on the ensuing drive on a 4-yard rushing touchdown by Chae. After stopping the two-point conversion, the Tigers came back with a score of their own as Clack connected with senior wide receiver Myles Washington for a 55-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 12-10.

On their next drive, the Bulldogs again moved down the field as running back Manny Fincher punched it from a yard out. The Tigers’ aerial attack continued to excel, though, as they answered back with a 64-yard passing touchdown from Clack to senior wide receiver Mason Jones to make it 19-17 as the teams went into the locker rooms.

The Tigers couldn’t manage any success on their first possession of the second half. This led to the Bulldogs striking on a 3-yard passing touchdown from quarterback Dillon Markiewicz to wide receiver Sean Monsour. The next possession saw the Tigers answer the bell, however, as Clack ran it in from six yards out to make it 26-24.

On the next drive, the Tiger defense could not stop the Bulldogs’ rushing attack as Chae scored his third touchdown of the night on a 55-yard scamper.
The Clack-Washington collab continued to blossom as they connected on a 24-yard touchdown on the ensuing possession to make the score 33-30 after a blocked extra point.

The Tiger defense almost caught a break after recovering a fumble inside Bulldog territory, but their accomplishment would prove to be short-lived as the offense coughed up the ball on the very next play. The Bulldogs counted their lucky stars and cashed them in as Markiewicz and Monsour allied again on a 36-yard touchdown.

The Tiger offense kept paying interest on their deficit as Clack found senior wide receiver Kendall Reid for a 19-yard score. The Bulldogs then went three-and-out on their next drive, but a fantastic punt pinned the Tigers deep and allowed them to get the ball back with good field possession.

The Bulldogs put the game away on their next drive as Fincher scored on a nine-yard carry. Senior wide receiver Chris Sutton caught a six-yard pass for the Tigers from Clack to cut into the lead, but the Bulldogs then ran out the clock to seal the deal and leave with a 47-44 win.

Clack and the Tiger offense turned things up a notch to play toe-to-toe with the Bulldogs, but a few missed opportunities and tough calls cost them severely.

“I think the effort overall was really good,” head coach Gerry Stanford said. “The quarterback and receivers were aligned as a unit and played pretty well together. We’ve just got to keep getting better.”

The Tiger defense once again proved to be a point of concern after allowing 364 yards rushing. A few starters were out with injuries, but this marks the third straight week that the unit has been torched by an opposing offense.

“Everyone has to do their part,” Reid said. “It all starts in practice. We just have to finish every play and the game.”

Clack completed 23 of 37 passes for 361 yards and five touchdowns with another score on the ground. Sutton has 13 carries for 30 yards and a receiving touchdown, and Washington had six catches for 143 yards and two scores.

Markiewicz completed seven of 12 passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns. Chae had 27 carries for 191 yards and two touchdowns while Fincher had 35 carries for 151 yards and two scores. Monsour had two catches for 39 yards and two touchdowns.

“I feel like as a team, our effort was there,” Jones said. “It just came down to making more plays than the other team. The best we can do is be ready.”

The Tigers are back at home next week as they face the Poteet Pirates at Tiger Stadium on Friday night at 7 p.m.