In a battle of Texas heavyweight powers,
Ollie Gordon delivered a knockout performance on Saturday night. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound junior running back rushed 49 times for 455 yards and six touchdowns as
Trinity (Euless) recorded a 49-45 win over No. 12
Allen in a University Interscholastic League 6A-1 third-round victory at Globe Life Park in Arlington.
According to the
Dallas Morning News, Gordon finished off an 8-play, 74-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run with 3 minutes, 33 seconds left for the winning touchdown in a showdown of multiple large school Texas state champions.
Allen (10-1) had a chance to go-ahead but a pass from from
General Booty was intercepted, clinching the win for the Trojans (11-1). They now face No. 37 Southlake Carroll (10-1), which edged No. 36 Martin 20-16 on Thursday, in next week's Region 1 final.
It was the second straight shootout win for Trinity, which beat Midland Lee 56-49 last week in second-round play. Gordon, ranked the No. 94 junior in the state by 247Sports, rushed for 200 yards in that game and accounted for four touchdowns, including the game-winning score on a halfback option pass.
He has eight college offers, including from Utah, Washington State, SMU, Houston, BYU and Iowa State.
On Saturday, Booty finished 32 of 42 for 300 yards and four touchdowns but it wasn't enough for the Eagles, who squandered a 24-13 halftime lead.
Gordon scored on previous touchdown runs of 2, 37, 29, 4 and 22 yards, the latter giving Trinity its first lead, 35-31 late in the third quarter.
Ollie Gordon rushed for 455 yards and six touchdowns, including the game-winner leading Trinity to a 49-45 upset of No. 12 Allen Saturday.
Photo by Tommy Hays
Booty completed a 4-yard TD pass to
Bryson Green giving Allen the lead back, but a 1-yard TD plunge from quarterback
Valentino Foni, put Trinity back up on top, 42-38 with 6:08 remaining. That lead didn't last long.
Jordan Johnson returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a score and Allen had the lead back, 45-42 with 5:54 left.
But like they did all night, the Trojans relied on the legs of Gordon on their game-winning drive. He carried the ball six times for 72 yards, including runs of 18 and 31 yards before his game-winning score.
The game featured 986 total yards (548 by Trinity) and 57 first downs (30 by Trinity). Allen committed the game's only two turnovers.
Since 2005, the two programs have combined for eight state titles at the largest classification, with Allen winning five (2008, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017) and Trinity claiming three (2005, 2007, 2009).
