No. 1
Trinity (Euless, Texas) suffered its first defeat of the season, losing 28-24 to
Pearland (Texas) in the 5A-I state final in front of more than 40,000 fans at Cowboys Stadium.
Trey Anderson led Pearland's upset
over Trinity.
Photo by John Godwin
Quarterback
Trey Anderson tossed for more than 100 yards and accounted for three touchdowns to lead the Oilers, who capped off a perfect 16-0 season with the victory.
Pearland, ranked No. 24 in the
Xcellent 25 Rankings presented by the Army National Guard entering the game, allowed Trinity to score first, but fought back to take a 14-10 lead at halftime.
A 54-yard touchdown off a trick play by
Samuel Ukwuachu pushed the Oilers' lead to 21-10 in the third quarter.
Trinity responded with a
Terrence Tusan score from two yards out, but Pearland answered once again, with a time-consuming drive that culminated with a
Dustin Garrison touchdown to push the lead to 28-17.
As it had done numerous times in the postseason, Trinity attempted another comeback, as
Brandon Carter scored from two yards out to bring the score to 28-24.
However, Pearland refused to fold against the country's top-ranked team, marching down the field to the Trinity 6-yard line. But a 22-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right, giving Trinity one final chance with 1:37 remaining.
The Trojans drove to within the Oilers' 40-yard line, but Pearland refused to allow another score, stopping Trinity on 4th-and-11 with 13 seconds to go to secure victory.
With the win, Pearland claims its first state title in school history.
More on Pearlman's victory and roundup of Texas championship games.
