(Photo via the Malakoff ISD Facebook page. See more photos here.)
MESQUITE -- The playoffs end the same way for every team except for one. In disappointment and tears.
Championships and trophies and state rankings will turn into treasured memories later, but the day of the final loss only brings heartbreak with it.
Friday was that day for the Malakoff Tigers, who came up inches short against West in the Class 3A Region II Championship, 14-12.
Inches is not hyperbole in this case, as DK Rose fell less than a yard from the goal line late in the fourth quarter as the Tigers tried a two-point conversion to tie the game. The Tigers never got the ball back after that.
It was fitting that the game was decided by a defensive play. The Tigers and Trojans combined for one of the most impressive defensive efforts I've ever watched. For example:
Malakoff notched its first 1st down of the game on the final play of the first quarter.
The Trojan's initial first down came with 3:11 left in the second quarter.
Neither team generated more than 100 yards in either half.
The West offense had more turnovers (3) than touchdowns (2).
The Malakoff offense had more turnovers (2) than touchdowns (1).
West only had one more pass completion (3) than interceptions (2).
Big plays were the difference in the final score. Malakoff generated three plays of more than 10 yards for the entire game, runs of 30 and 14 by Duce Hart, and a 13-yard pass from Judson Driskell to Zack Studley. West generated just two such plays, a 19-yard run and a 66-yard pass, but both of West's big plays went for touchdowns.
They were the Trojans' only scoring plays, but they were enough for West to move on to play Mount Vernon in the next round.
Malakoff jumped out on top of West 6-0 thanks to a pair of field goals (39, 24) from Juan Gonzalez.
The Tigers also got interceptions from Zack Studley and Chancey Hogg, plus a fumble recovery by Lance Robertson that led to Malakoff's only touchdown on a 3-yard Duce Hart run.
Duce Hart led all offensive players in the game with 106 yards on 23 carries and the touchdown.
When the Tigers look back on 2021, they will remember a season that included an undefeated run through their district and blowout victories in the Bi-district and Area rounds.
Just not today.
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