The Texas High Tigers defeated the Colleyville Heritage Panthers 48-23 in their second preseason game of the year, Sept 2, 2022.

The first quarter of the game was fast paced, specifically on the offensive side of the ball, for both teams. 

The Tigers came out hot, trading touchdowns in the opening moments of the quarter.

Senior quarterback Cody Reese moved the ball well with the help of his deep running back lineup.

Reese completed a pass to senior Xavier Daingerfield, who ran it to the endzone, taking an early lead of 7-0 in the first six minutes of the game.

The Panthers answered quickly in the following possession, tying the game 7-7, with a 76 yard run by Colleyville’s junior Kai Pruitt.

The Tiger offense came out shifty in the next possession.

Reese completed a pass to junior Brandon Hall, who fumbled the ball into the possession of Daingerfield. 

Daingerfield ran the ball 85 yards for a Tiger touchdown, giving them the lead 14-7 with 4:15 left in the first. 

“I came into the game doing the best I could to help my team get the [win],” Daingerfield said. “I had a chip on my shoulder coming in from last week, so I had to make sure to stay humble and deliver.” 

Colleyville, again, answered the Tigers with a 76 yard touchdown run from Pruitt, knotting the game up at 14. 

Daingerfield received a pooch kick, running it 40 yards. Reese completed a pass to Hall for a 27 yard touchdown run. With 1:52 left in the first, Texas regained the lead 21-14.

Junior AJ McElroy came up with a huge pick six for the Tigers, extending the Texas  lead to 27-14. 

At the end of the quarter, Texas led Colleyville 27-18. 

The Panthers came out aggressive immediately in the second quarter, sacking Reese two times in a row for losses, taking Texas to a fourth down and forcing them to give Colleyville the ball back. 

However, Senior C.J. Brown came up with a pick, placing the ball back into Reese’s hands. 

Hall had a first down for the Tigers, but ultimately they could not convert on the next set of downs leaving it at 4th and 2, forcing Texas to kick.

The Tigers punted the ball to the Panthers at the 35 yard line, but Colleyville fumbled the ball and Daingerfield recovered, now putting them at their own 30 yard line. 

Colleyville junior Steven Cole came up with a big sack of Reese, putting pressure on the Tigers to make a play.

Reese lobbed the ball to Junior T.J Gray, drawing a flag for pass interference on the Panthers.

The ball was handed off to Senior Trent Kelley, who ran the ball into the endzone for a touchdown. 

Going into half time, the Tigers led the Panthers 34-14. 

Colleyville started out with the ball in the second half but they could not convert any big plays against the Texas defense, making it four and out.

Reese had the ball and was struggling to find anyone open in the next set of downs. The Panthers junior Johnny Kabeya came up with a huge play and tackled Reese for a loss into the endzone causing a safety. This led Colleyville to a 34-16 trail. 

The panthers responded quickly, changing the momentum for their team. 

Off the kick they ran the ball to the 50 yd line. Moving at a quick pace, Junior Luke Ullrich ran the rest of the way to the endzone, giving Colleyville a touchdown and making the score 34-23.

“I feel good [about the win]. I just gave the ball to our play makers and they made the plays.” Reese said. “Our defense did what they know to do, and we came out on top.”

Hall came up with another big catch, putting the Tigers in a good position to score again.

The Tigers handed the ball to freshman Tradarian Ball, who ran it into the endzone, extending the lead for Texas to 41-23. 

Colleyville attempted to score again, but the Tiger defense came up with multiple big stops.

The fourth quarter started off slow, both teams exchanged short possessions. 

In the middle of one of the possessions for Texas, Reese passed the ball to Gray who broke multiple tackles and ran the ball the rest of the way for a Tiger touchdown, putting the score at 48-23.

Colleyville was still struggling on the offensive side of the ball giving Texas the chance to take over the game. 

The Panthers errors got the best of them, and the Tigers took the win with a score of 48-23. 

This win gives Texas a 1-1 record going into next week’s game where they will play Benton on Sept. 9, 2022.