Highland Park marches past Denton Ryan into state final
Dallas Highland Park drove 82 yards in 11 plays for the winning score midway through the fourth quarter and finished off a 31-24 victory Saturday in a Class 5A Division I state semifinal at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Ryan, bidding for a perfect season and trip to the state championship game, lost quarterback Spencer Sanders to injury midway through the second quarter. Regardless, the Raiders tied the game 24-24 with 3:50 left in the third quarter on Jordan Rucker’s pass to Jimmy Love.
Key players: Ryan backup QB Rucker, who had not thrown a pass all season, stepped in for the injured Sanders and completed 9 of 15 passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. Scots running back Paxton Alexander scored four times on 138 yards rushing and 67 receiving.
Key stat: Highland Park meets Temple, a 31-24 winner over Richmond Foster, for the title Friday at noon at AT&T Stadium.
Records: Ryan 14-1; Highland Park 13-2
This story was originally published December 10, 2016 at 6:27 PM with the headline "Highland Park marches past Denton Ryan into state final."