Tompkins High School, Falcons, Texas high school football, Katy ISD

Milroe, Tompkins survive Cy-Falls in 2 OTs

By STEPHEN GREENWELL, Times Correspondent
Posted 11/22/19

Tompkins survived Katy ISD’s most thrilling playoff football game so far this season, as the Falcons secured a 30-27 win Cypress Falls in two overtimes in their Class 6A-Division I area round game on Friday, Nov. 22, at Legacy Stadium.

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Tompkins High School, Falcons, Texas high school football, Katy ISD

Milroe, Tompkins survive Cy-Falls in 2 OTs

Posted

Tompkins survived Katy ISD’s most thrilling playoff football game so far this season, as the Falcons secured a 30-27 win Cypress Falls in two overtimes in their Class 6A-Division I area round game on Friday, Nov. 22, at Legacy Stadium.

Junior quarterback and Texas verbal commit Jalen Milroe scored on a two-yard draw in the second extra session to lift the Falcons to the third round of the postseason for the second straight season. Tompkins (11-1) plays Atascocita (11-1) at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 30, at NRG Stadium.

Last Friday’s game against Cy-Falls (10-2) was the type of game that won’t be forgotten any time soon by those who played in it. The second half featured a kickoff return for a touchdown, a 70-yard touchdown pass and back-to-back overtime interceptions.

Tompkins coach Todd McVey said summing up a game like that was impossible.

“The kids made plays when they had to make plays, and that’s playoff football,” he said. “Throw the records out, right? It’s two good teams at this level, and the next level and the next level, so it’s going to be those little things. We made a few more plays at the end of the game than we did at the beginning, and I’m proud of the kids and their resilience. I chewed on them a little at halftime and they responded.”

Tompkins needed the points from Milroe’s touchdown after Eagles kicker Noah Smith drilled a 38-yard field goal to start the second overtime, giving Cy Falls a 27-24 lead. As they have most of the year, when the Falcons needed yardage, they turned to Milroe and senior running back R.J. Smith.

Smith had nine carries in overtime and finished the night with 25 rushing attempts for 155 yards. Milroe had seven carries for 31 yards and two touchdowns, and he shook off two interceptions to finish with a passing line of 12-for-20 for 174 yards and a touchdown.

Milroe said the team knew what it had to do in overtime because it practiced that specific game situation.

“We practiced for this moment, knowing that going into the red zone, it’s either three points or a touchdown,” he said. “That was a key thing for us. It came from practicing each and every day during the week, so it was comfortable for us. We didn’t get overwhelmed or anything. We stayed composed and didn’t get rattled at all.”

The final play was set up by a gutsy call by McVey a few moments earlier—to go for the first down on 4th-and-1 instead of extending the game with a 33-yard field goal. Instead, Milroe kept the ball on a draw and picked up the fresh set of downs with a two-yard gain.

His two-yard run to win the game mirrored that one, as the 6-foot-2, 185-pound quarterback went at a full sprint and barreled through several attempted tackles.

“I just trusted my offensive line and followed the holes,” Milroe said.

Heading into the second half with Tompkins holding a 14-7 lead, it wasn’t clear that an instant classic was in the cards. Both teams used a patient attack on offense, which resulted in long drives that chewed up time on the clock.

Tompkins struggled to contain Cy-Falls senior quarterback Brandon Collins to the pocket, as he finished with 16 carries for 97 yards. With the Tompkins defense having to account for Collins’ scrambling, it allowed junior running back J.P. Martin to punch through holes created by his linemen. He had 21 carries for 137 yards and two touchdowns.

The Eagles scored the second half’s first points on a 35-yard field goal by Noah Smith with 4:51 left in the third quarter. The next Tompkins drive ate four minutes off the clock, but the Falcons punted after stalling on their own 43-yard line. The kick from senior defensive back and punter Pryce Powell took a great bounce for Tompkins, and it downed the ball at the Cy-Falls 3.

The Tompkins defense held on the next possession, forcing its first three-and-out of the night. Incredibly, because of the slower pace both teams played it, it was also the first Eagles punt, coming with 11:38 left in the fourth quarter.

Cy-Falls was forced to punt from its own end zone, with Tompkins taking over on the 45. Three carries from Smith racked up 33 yards, but a false start and an incomplete pass caused the drive to stall. Junior kicker Hunter Huckaby hit a 30-yard field goal, though, which seemed to give the Falcons some breathing room, 17-10, with 8:17 left in the fourth quarter.

That “breathing room” lasted all of 14 seconds. Cy-Falls running back Jaylan Walker received the kickoff with his foot between the 1-yard line and the end zone, and then cut through the middle of Tompkins’ kickoff coverage for a 99-yard touchdown.

The return seemed to open the floodgates for both teams. On the second play of the next drive, Milroe hit senior wideout Taurean Muhammad on the right sideline. He made the first defender miss with a sidestep, and then sprinted down the right sideline for a 70-yard touchdown.

“I knew the clock was winding down, so initially I was trying to get out of bounds at first, but I saw that there was a little space on the sideline,” Muhammad said. “I tried to tiptoe my way, and I did it and ran as fast as I think I ever have before. (The end zone) was like a big old sign waiting for me, the finish line.”

With 7:09 left and trailing by a touchdown, some urgency from Cy-Falls might have been expected. But instead, the Eagles played even slower and more methodical, taking 6:40 off the clock and scoring with 29 seconds left after a 14-play, 85-yard drive that forced overtime.

Tompkins received the ball at the Eagles’ 25-yard line to start the first overtime, similar to college football’s overtime format. The drive ended with a Milroe interception, the second pick of the night by defensive back Jayden Goodwin.

However, Goodwin was flagged for taunting on the play, and as a result, Cy-Falls started its drive on the Tompkins 40. As a result, the Eagles had to play-call more aggressively to get into field goal range, instead of being able to settle for one at the start of their possession that could have won the game.

The 15-yard penalty flag on Goodwin turned out to save Tompkins, as Cy-Falls’ first play in the overtime was a dropback by Collins. The pass was intercepted by Powell, and the game proceeded to the second overtime, and ultimately, the Tompkins win.

Tompkins High School, Falcons, Texas high school football, Katy ISD