ARLINGTON – The Gordon Longhorns were on pace to score the most points in a Class 1A Six-Man state championship on Wednesday against Westbrook.
They didn’t get the record.
But they did win by the mercy rule.
Gordon scored eight touchdowns in the first half and then Stryker Reed found the end zone from 16 yards out with 3:45 left in the third quarter to end the game – giving the Longhorns a 70-20 win over the Wildcats in the 1A Division 1 final at AT&T Stadium.
“It’s been an absolutely total community win today,” Gordon coach Mike Reed said.
The #1 team in the state caps off a 15-0 season with the program’s third title overall and first since 1999. Gordon beat Groom 54-34 for the 1A D1 title in 1999.
Gordon’s first title came 51-50 over Whitharral in 1996.
Westbrook, #4, ends 13-2.
The Wildcats came in as two-time defending champs. They beat Abbott 69-24 last season and beat May 72-66 for their first title in 2021.
“They’re really good. They played really well,” Westbrook coach Homer Matlock said. “No excuses. They got after us today. We didn’t execute and we seemed out of sync a little bit. Gordon was on another level from us today.”
After one half of play, Gordon had scored eight touchdowns, seven on offense with one interception return for a total of 64 points. AND the Longhorns only held onto the ball for a little more than four minutes compared to Westbrook, which had it for nearly 16 minutes.
Riley Reed was named offensive game MVP with 100 yards rushing and three touchdowns. He had a fourth touchdown on a pick-six in the second quarter.
Gordon scored less than a minute into the game on Reed’s 14-yard run.
Westbrook matched the Horns with a 46-yard TD run from Keegan Gilbreath and it was 8-8 with 7:14 left in the first quarter. Brayden Walters caught a 10-yard TD from Stryker Reed to give Gordon a 16-8 lead.
Grayson Jeffrey scored on a 36-yard TD run for the Wildcats, but the kick was blocked leaving the Horns ahead 16-14 at the 5:20 mark.
Then Gordon began to pull away.
Touchdowns by Stryker Reed (38 yard run) and Riley Reed (3 yard run) extended the margin to 32-16 after the opening period.
Gordon scored three more times before Westbrook got on the board again.
Walters rolled in from the 10 and Reed added a 74-yard TD run and his 65-yard pick-six to give the Longhorns a 56-14 edge with 5:19 left in the second quarter.
Westbrook stopped the bleeding with a 40-yard TD run from Brannon Larson and after another blocked kick, the Gordon lead was 56-20. The Horns got one more before halftime on Noah Kostiha’s 43-yard pass to Walters.
The mercy rule is 45 points by halftime, but after the touchdown it was 44 (64-20) with 2:57 left. Gordon would take that score into intermission.
Needing one more score to end it in the third, the Gordon D was able to make a fourth down stop to get the ball back. With a chance to go downfield and win it, the Longhorns coughed it up when Parker Matlock came through the Gordon line and forced a fumble.
Ethan King recovered it for Westbrook at its own 37.
But two plays later, the Wildcats fumbled and Whit Fuller got it for Gordon.
Kostiha hit Walters for a gain of six to the Westbrook 33. Then he hit Riley Reed for a pick up of 17 to the Westbrook 16. Reed nearly scored. He made a great catch with some extension, but lost his balance and fell to the turf.
On the next play, Stryker Reed took the draw play and walked it off for the Horns.
“Running into the end zone, I knew that was the score to end it,” he said. “But I was more excited when I turned around and saw all these guys hugging me and shoving me. It’s an unreal feeling. We’ve had a walk off TD in every game – it was my turn.”
The record for most points in a six man state championship is 122 – set by Garden City in 2009.
Gordon gained 363 yards total offense to Westbrook’s 362.
The Horns held the Wildcats to 2 of 9 on third own and 2 of 6 on fourth down.
Stryker Reed finished with 94 yards on five carries and two touchdowns. He was also 4 of 4 passing with 49 yards and one score. Walters caught four passes for 63 yards and two scores.
Westbrook was led by Gilbreath’s game-high 133 yards rushing. He added 33 yards passing and 28 yards receiving. Jeffrey added 65 yards on 14 carries, 34 yards passing and 42 yards receiving on three catches.
Gordon’s Kaden Crowe was voted defensive game MVP with 8 1/2 tackles and one for loss.
Gordon’s Juan Cabrera added 6 1/2 tackles.
