Sunny along with a few clouds. High 84F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph..
Partly cloudy. Low 58F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.
Tivy's Jackson Johnston hauls in a long ball for critical yardage Friday night at Mustang Stadium to help the Antlers defeat Marble Falls 28-21.
Tivy's Jackson Johnston hauls in a long ball for critical yardage Friday night at Mustang Stadium to help the Antlers defeat Marble Falls 28-21.
MARBLE FALLS — Tivy senior Kale Lackey’s 16-yard touchdown run with just over a minute to play capped a stunning late drive by the Antlers Friday night and lifted Tivy to a thrilling 28-21 come-from-behind win over host Marble Falls in a non-district battle at Mustang Stadium.
Marble Falls’ time-consuming, grind-it-out rushing attack held Tivy at bay through most of the second half as the Antlers managed just one third quarter play and were limited to negative yards on their first two fourth-quarter drives. Leading 21-20, the Mustangs strung together a long offensive series midway through the final quarter that carried them to the Tivy 36-yard line before stalling with 2:46 left to play.
That was all the time Tivy needed. Lackey tossed a pair of clutch passes to Jackson Johnston – the first a 39-yard bomb and the second an 11-yard completion two plays later – then just beat Mustang defensive back Jamie Castillo to the left pylon of the end zone on his game-winning touchdown run for a 26-21 Antler edge.
Lackey’s 2-point throw to Lake Audrain upped the score to 28-21 with 1:23 remaining, but a long Marble Falls kickoff return and a 9-yard run by Castillo moved the Mustangs to the Tivy 44 in the closing minute.
Marble Falls wouldn’t get any closer. Tivy’s Gavin Garcia blasted Mustang quarterback Kody Smith on the ensuing snap with a blindside hit that jarred the ball loose, and teammate Garrett Abel chased down the fumble to secure the victory for the Antlers.
“That’s an incredible win,” Tivy coach David Jones said after watching his team even its season record at 2-2. “That goes down as one of the best wins I’ve been part of since I’ve been here. What an incredible comeback.”
Jones was especially proud of Johnston, who’s diving grab on Lackey’s bomb kept the Antlers going. The senior’s big showing continued his amazing comeback story after he suffered a devastating knee injury last year.
“That kid has gone through an incredible ordeal with his leg,” Jones said. “He had a chance to lose it last year and never play anything. And for him to go out there and make a play like that and give us some momentum … there’s no words.”
Tivy and Marble Falls (2-2) traded first-quarter scores. Lackey hit Audrain on a 15-yard TD throw to cap the Antlers’ opening drive, and Smith connected with Brian Beltran for a 27-yard touchdown on the Mustangs’ first series to knot the score at 7-7.
Tivy grabbed a 14-7 edge midway through the second quarter on Landon Barnett’s 13-yard halfback pass to Stormy Rhodes – Barnett’s second TD throw of the season off the same play, but Kole Becker answered for Marble Falls with a 6-yard touchdown run at the 2:34 mark.
Lackey lofted a 44-yard scoring bomb to Treves Hyde just before halftime that gave the Antlers a 20-14 lead heading into the break.
Marble Falls grabbed its first lead of the night late in the third quarter on Castillo’s 3-yard TD run, but the Mustangs couldn’t hold on down the stretch.
Lackey finished the night 11-of-15 through the air for 179 yards and two touchdowns, and Johnston paced Tivy’s receivers with three catches for 61 yards.
Will Robinson connected on two extra-point kicks.
“I just want to give a shoutout to all my teammates for a real TFND effort,” Johnston said. “We’ve been working for this and practicing the 2-minute drill all week, and it paid off tonight.”
Tivy opens District 13-5A Division II action next Friday at Liberty Hill. Game time is 7 p.m.
Your comment has been submitted.
There was a problem reporting this.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos.