ARLINGTON, TX – The last game of day two of the 2022 UIL Texas High School Football Playoffs on Thursday, Dec. 15, featured the Franklin Lions (15-0) versus the Brock Eagles (11-4) in the 3A-Div I State Championship game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington at 7 p.m.
1st Quarter
Franklin received the first-half kickoff and began their ground game. They ran a version of the triple option that Wall Hawks fans would recognize. They aimed to control the clock, accumulate time of possession, and keep the ball on the ground.
They started their first drive at Franklin’s 30-yard line. Franklin ran their offense to perfection as they ate the clock and steadily pushed down the field. Brock put the Lions in several 3rd downs, but Franklin got them every time. After the Lions got inside Brock’s 20-yard line, the Eagles' defense stepped up and forced a 4th and long. Franklin’s field goal unit came out but missed the field goal wide to the right.
A defensive battle ensued for the rest of the first quarter and most of the second. Brock and Franklin exchanged four punts before Brock finally got their offense going.
2nd Quarter
With Brock driving and Franklin’s back against their own end zone, the Lions’ defense stepped up. On 2nd and seven from Franklin’s 11-yard line, QB Tyler Moody dropped back to pass and forced a throw into double coverage. LB Brayden Youree stepped in front of the pass and picked it off. Franklin did nothing with the extra possession and punted the ball away.
Brock found themselves inside Franklin’s 20-yard line on their ensuing possession but stalled at the 17-yard line. Faced with 4th and long, Brock attempted to kick a field goal. The snap and hold went off without a hitch, but the kick sailed wide right. The score remained 0-0 with 3:14 remaining in the 2nd quarter.
Franklin finally got on the board with time running out in the first half. RB Jayden Jackson got around the edge of the defense and sprinted 45 yards to the Eagles’ 21-yard line. Excellent clock management moved the Lions inside the 10-yard line with time to spare. Jackson punched the football into the end zone with 15 seconds remaining and scored the game’s first points. The Lions led at the half 7-0.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE FIRST HALF
3rd Quarter
The defensive battle continued as both Brock and Franklin punted on their opening possessions in the second half. With less than 8:00 in the 3rd quarter, Brock drove inside Franklin’s 20-yard line. After converting a 4th and four, the Eagles handed the ball off, and what was an excellent gain turned into a disaster. The Lions ripped the ball away, and Franklin recovered.
On the first play of the ensuing drive, the Eagles’ defense made a play as they ripped the ball away from the Lions. Brock got the ball right back, and RB Reid Watkins carried the ball into the end zone for Brock’s first score. The Eagles tied the game with 2:57 remaining in the 3rd quarter, 7-7.
4th Quarter
After Brock forced another punt, the Eagles drove into Franklin territory before the turnover bug bit them again. This time Franklin picked up the fumble, and DB Fragiel Owens returned the loose ball 64 yards down the field for a touchdown. Franklin retook the lead 14-7.
Brock’s offense delivered following the turnover. With the ball at the Eagles’ 31-yard line, Brock marched 69 yards on four plays and another touchdown. Faced with a 3rd and 14 outside field goal range, Moody threw a deep pass to the corner of the end zone. RB Brett Tutter jumped up and over the defender and hauled in the pass for a 34-yard touchdown. The Eagles tied the game at 14-14 with 5:54 remaining in the contest.
With the game tied, the Lions ran their most impressive drive of the 2022 season. The ground-and-pound worked like a well-oiled machine when the team needed it most. Franklin put together a 16-play, 65-yard drive that took the remaining 5:54 off the clock. Franklin forced Brock to use their timeouts to preserve as much time as possible; however, the Lions did not stop. With under ten seconds to go in the contest and Brock denying three straight attempts at the end zone, Cort Lowry nailed a 20-yard field goal as time expired to etch his name into Texas High School Football History.
In a remarkable show of sportsmanship and camaraderie, several Franklin players comforted and picked up distraught Brock players from the turf following the conclusion of the game. Brock's Head Coach Billy Mathis gathered both teams after the game and spoke directly to them about the importance of that moment. He let the players lead a prayer and both teams went home as brothers after such a close fight. That moment encapsulated Texas High School Football at its finest and was an incredible event to witness.
The Franklin Lions (16-0) defeated the Brock Eagles (11-5) as time expired to claim the 2022 3A-Div I State Championship 17-14.
Coach Billy Mathis lets the Players lead Brock and Franklin in Prayer following the Championship Game
(Credit: Ryan Chadwick)
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