By Brian Gosset
X – @gosset41
X – @gmsportsmedia1
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FORT WORTH – I haven’t seen an ending quite like the one I witnessed at Farrington Field on Thursday night between Wyatt and Paschal.
Wyatt won 37-31 to keep its hopes of a district title in District 4-5A D1 still alive. The Chaparrals haven’t won a district championship since 1998 when Anthony Criss was head coach. His younger brother, Zach is the current head coach – picking up his 93rd career win.
Paschal (5-3, 3-3) pulled within 37-31 with 3:35 left in the fourth quarter when QB Jashaun Thomas scored on a keeper from the 2. Then the Panthers recovered the ensuing onside kick.
Paschal reached the Wyatt 24 at the two-minute warning and then Thomas moved the chains with a fourth-down run to the 13 with 45 seconds left.
Paschal took its final timeout with 19 seconds left and the ball at the 9. Wyatt was called for a pass interference in the end zone, pushing it up to the 2 with 14 seconds.
Then the insanity followed.
Thomas was called half a yard short of the go-ahead touchdown, but the clock stopped at 10 seconds – thinking the clock operator thought the same thing as me…he scored.
But it stopped at 10 and didn’t restart until the next snap.
Both teams rushed to the ball and Paschal had an incomplete pass and one second was left. Wyatt coaches argued the game was over because the clock stopped. But play resumed and Paschal had another play to run.
Thomas ran in a touchdown with time expired…….but Paschal was called for holding. Instead of a penalty and 10-second runoff, which would have ended the contest, the Panthers got one untimed down at the 12.
After a Wyatt timeout, both teams came back to the ball.
Thomas took the snap and went to the left, but was pressured right away. He ran back to the right and got off a good pass to the end zone. He had a receiver there, but Wyatt DB Malikhi Mingo made the game-sealing pass break up as the Chaparrals hung on.
Wyatt improved to 5-1 in district and 6-2 overall.
The Chaps are tied for first place with Arlington Heights (5-1, 7-1) and Saginaw (5-1, 6-2). Heights can move to 6-1 on Saturday against Trimble Tech. If there is a three-way tie at season’s end, Wyatt will be the third seed due to point tiebreaker. Wyatt will end with South Hills and North Side.
