MAGNOLIA — A key stretch in the second quarter lifted the Magnolia Bulldogs to the district championship Friday night.
After a low-scoring start against Porter in the District 8-5A (Div. I) contest at Bulldog Stadium, Magnolia blocked a field goal, scored a long passing touchdown, forced a fumble on the kick return and returned that ball to the end zone.
A three-score lead at halftime turned into a 31-6 win as Magnolia extended its winning streak to eight games.
“It’s a great feeling,” Magnolia senior offensive lineman Matthew Wykoff said of winning at minimum a share of the district title for now. “It’s something that I’ve never had the chance to do. It’s great to celebrate with the guys I’ve been playing with for four years now.”
The district title is Magnolia’s first since 2016 and their third in the past 18 years
Third-year Magnolia coach Craig Martin said it was a goal at the beginning of the season. But a goal that they knew would be tough considering the competition in the league like Magnolia West, College Station, Lufkin and of course Porter and New Caney.
“They are easy to say, but a lot more difficult to do,” Martin said of a goal like that. “Couldn’t be happier for these kids and this community and all the support we get.”
Magnolia (8-1, 7-0) enters the final week of district play a full game ahead of College Station. The Bulldogs hold the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Cougars from a win in October. A victory at New Caney next week will secure the outright title.
“It’s a really, really good district,” Martin said. “We still have work to do, don’t get me wrong. New Caney is going to be a handful just like any other week in our district. I’m super proud of our kids and our staff. Our staff has done a phenomenal job of getting us ready each week.”
Porter (6-4, 4-4) saw its four-game winning streak come to an end. The Spartans entered the night alone in fourth place in district play and will have to wait out next week to see if the playoffs are a possibility. It is looking to reach the playoffs for the fifth straight year but has finished out its district slate of games.
During the winning streak, the Spartans were averaging 44 points per game and were coming off its biggest win in the stretch over Magnolia West last Friday.
“Coach (Jim) Holley does a great job,” Martin said “We knew we would get their best shot.”
The Bulldogs got on the scoreboard first as senior running back Tevin Jemison finished off a workman-like drive with a 7-yard touchdown as time expired in the first quarter.
On the ensuing Porter drive, senior rusher Caleb Evan-Pickens bolted for a 66-yard gain which led the Spartans into the red zone.
After some key stops by Magnolia, Garrison Hefner blocked a 24-yard field goal attempt.
“I felt like we’ve been close to blocking some kicks all year long,” Martin said. “On Thursdays, we usually have a team meeting to kind of go over what happened the week before. I mention that just about every week that we’ve gotten close.”
Two plays into the Magnolia ensuing drive, quarterback Travis Moore heaved a pass to Heston Kelly who turned up field and doved across the goal line as a Spartan defender challenged for a 69-yard touchdown.
Magnolia was back in the end zone nine seconds later as Grady Harper recovered a fumble inside the 10-yard line and returned it to the end zone.
“Huge momentum swing there for sure,” Martin said.
Magnolia led 21-0 at halftime.
The Bulldogs added a 5-yard touchdown run by Moore in the third quarter and Ernie Mendoza hit a 23-yard chip shot field goal to make it 31-0 going into the fourth quarter.
Porter scored on a 17-yard run by Caleb Evans-Pickens to dash Magnolia’s attempt at the shutout late in the fourth quarter.
For Porter, Caleb Evans-Pickens finished with 111 yards rushing. Avry Porter Campbell had 55 yards and Jace Russell threw for 82 yards, 60 of which went to Evans-Pickens.
Tevin Jemison, filling in for leading rusher Mitch Hall who was out, had 148 yards on 20 touches. Cameron Yale ran mostly in the fourth quarter and finished with 20 yards.
“I’m really proud of how our kids each week step up and get the job done when one of our teammates is down,” Martin said. “Tevin is a phenomenal running back and he would be a starter in a lot of places. I was super proud of how he stepped in tonight.”
Moore threw for 153 yards and rushed for 32. His favorite target was Kelly, who finished with three catches for 85 yards.
“They do a great job of controlling the clock offensively,” Martin said of Porter. “For offenses like ours, they try to keep you off the field. I was proud of our defense forgetting them off the field as much as they did there in the first half.”
Wykoff and his teammates celebrated with the golden ball trophy on the field afterwards. The big Texas A&M commit deep down felt his team earned it.
“It’s a great division,” Wykoff said. “There’s a lot of great competitors. When it came down to it, I just think our team had more grit and more heart. We went out there and played better than a lot of people. We came out with a lot of Ws and it’s a great feeling to be on top of the district.”
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