Backup quarterback helps Poteet stun Lancaster

MESQUITE, Texas — On the last day of spring practice, Courtland Crumby's chance to play in the fall was suddenly in doubt. The receiver, defensive back and backup quarterback suffered a torn ACL in his right knee.

"The doctors told me I wasn't going to play this year," Crumby said, "but I said, 'I'm coming back.'"

Crumby came back just in time for Poteet (Mesquite), which had lost two straight games and had also lost starting quarterback Beau Nowell to an injured shoulder. In stepped Crumby, who returned from his knee injury just three weeks earlier and hadn’t attempted a pass all season.

It didn't show. Crumby completed 14 of 18 passes for 174 yards and a touchdown and also ran for a touchdown as Poteet beat previously unbeaten Lancaster, 28-25, at Hanby Stadium.

"For what he did tonight," Poteet coach Randy Jackson said, "I think it should go down in the annals of Poteet football."

Lancaster (6-1, 4-1 in District 15-4A) had allowed only 11 points per game during its winning streak. But Crumby and Poteet (6-2, 4-2 in District 15-4A) took an early lead and held on for a win that continues Poteet’s big turnaround.

Poteet was a combined 1-19 the last two seasons before Jackson was hired, and now it has a great chance to make the playoffs in a district loaded with strong teams.

"Sometimes when you take over a program that's been losing, it's hard to win the close games," Jackson said. "But we've been winning those games, and I just couldn't be more proud of these guys."

More top stories of the last week from around the Dallas area:

Coppell stays undefeated with win over Carroll: Coppell's Cam McDaniel, one of the Dallas-area’s top recruits, rushed 26 times for 175 yards and three touchdowns as Coppell improved to 7-0 with a 35-17 victory over rival Carroll (Southlake). Coppell avenged last season’s loss to Carroll and is expected to win District 7-5A and enter the playoffs undefeated.

Carter wins ninth straight against Kimball: With Carter (Dallas) struggling this season, Kimball hoped it would break its eight-game losing streak against its rival. But Carter’s defense, which had been allowing 33 points per game, stuffed Kimball in a 14-0 Carter win. Carter sacked Kimball quarterbacks 15 times.

Bishop Dunne quarterback puts up big numbers in loss: Bishop Dunne (Dallas) quarterback Tony Brodner threw for a stunning 632 yards and six touchdowns last week. Even more stunning was that his team lost, 70-58, to Liberty Christian (Argyle). The teams combined for 1,227 yards.

UIL to follow new guidelines for concussions: The University Interscholastic League, the governing body for public-school athletics in Texas, announced that it will begin following guidelines for concussions as set by the National Federation of High Schools beginning in August 2011. The new guidelines will require an athlete who has sustained a concussion to be evaluated by a licensed health-care professional. The athlete won't be allowed to return to play on the same day he or she suffers a concussion.

TOP PERFORMERS
* Alan Reed, Rockwall football: The senior quarterback completed 18 of 30 passes for 418 yards and three touchdowns and rushed 37 times for 153 yards and four scores as Rockwall rallied from a three-touchdown deficit to beat Rockwall-Heath, 52-51.

* Joe Bergeron, North Mesquite football: The senior running back, who is orally committed to Texas, had 27 carries for 164 yards and five touchdowns in a 49-11 victory over rival Mesquite.

* Blake Poston, Highland Park (Dallas) football: The senior defensive back blocked a punt and blocked a field goal as Highland Park improved to 7-0 with a 35-28 victory over Richardson Pearce.

RECRUITING
Cedar Hill receiver Lovett Gibson, who has 43 catches for 707 yards and seven touchdowns this season, has orally committed to UTEP. … A. Maceo Smith's (Dallas) Keithen English, a 6-4, 315-pound offensive and defensive lineman, has orally committed to Memphis. “He's a big kid, extremely fast for his size, very strong and real physical," A. Maceo Smith coach Elzie Barnett told The Dallas Morning News. "He's what you want in an interior lineman."

NEWS AND VIEWS
* The UIL has decided to leave the race distance for girls cross country at two miles rather than extend it to 3.1 miles for district, regional and state events. That makes Texas one of the few states that hasn’t expanded the race length to what is typical for college races. Most likely, the race length will eventually be extended to 3.1 miles for the 4A and 5A schools, which are more in favor of the change than the smaller schools.

* One of this week’s biggest football games features Waxahachie (3-4, 2-3 in District 15-4A) taking on Lancaster (6-1, 4-1). With a fourth district loss, Waxahachie’s 20-year streak of playoff seasons will probably be snapped.

* I never thought I would see officials using instant replay to review calls in a high school game, but it’s now a possibility. The UIL said it will study the use of replay this summer. Not surprisingly, the coach who proposed the use of instant replay to review calls was Westlake (Austin) coach Darren Allman, whose team lost to Euless Trinity in last year’s 5A Division I championship game. Trinity won on a controversial touchdown catch in overtime.

Matt Wixon is the high school sports columnist for The Dallas Morning News. He can be reached at mwixon@dallasnews.com or on Twitter @mattwixon.