The Texas Tigers defeated the Port Neches – Groves Indians in round three of the playoffs. This win was in part to a stellar run performance and another shutdown defensive performance.

The Tigers came out hot, scoring a 54-yard touchdown with running back Braylon Stewart on the first offensive play. Texas High’s Darin Finley scored after he intercepted a pass on the Indian’s next drive. Stewart continued to leave the defense in the dust with another 46-yard touchdown run to put the Tigers up 20-0 at the end of the first quarter.

“I just knew we came out with it on our mind, and we were just going head on to the next round because there was nobody playing [any] games,” Stewart said.

Although the Tigers finally slowed down in the second quarter. They didn’t give in as they finally hit pay-dirt with a 3-yard touchdown run by quarterback Brayson McHenry. Although the Tiger defense looked great in the first half, the Indians did find the end zone on a 2-yard touchdown run with 37 seconds remaining in the half, which made the score 27-7.

The Tigers came out roaring in the second half with a 34-yard touchdown run by Stewart. They then continued to pile on the points with a field goal by Austin Miller and an acrobatic interception by defensive back Michael Thomas that setup a 22-yard touchdown reception by wide receiver Cody Reese. The Tigers led 44-7 at the end of three quarters.

“Coming in out of halftime, I knew they’re gonna take a shot, so I was ready for it,” Thomas said.

The Indians showed late game heroics scoring two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but it was too little too late as the Tigers advance to the quarterfinal round of the playoffs defeating Port Neches Groves 44-21.

“We came in and we wanted to play, and we came in like we wanted to keep playing and just got after it for four quarters,” Head Coach Gerry Stanford said.

The Tigers will face off against the Crosby Cougars on Friday, Dec. 3, at Lufkin’s Abe Martin Stadium. Kickoff time is 7:30 p.m.

“It’s a winner take all part of the year right now,” Stanford said. “So we know that we’ve got to stay on the field so for us to keep playing we’ve got to go out and play well this week.”