Garcia’s field goal as time expired gives Centennial improbable victory over Midlothian

Sophomore kicker Josh Garcia kicked a 34-yard field goal as time expired to give Burleson Centennial an improbable 23-21 victory over Midlothian in a District 5-5A Division II football game on Friday night at Midlothian ISD Stadium.

“I was kind of nervous,” said Garcia on his game winner. “After that blocked kick I thought I wasn’t going to have another shot, but I wanted redemption. So I just went out there and got in my own head that I was going to knock it through.”

Garcia had attempted a 25 yarder with 2:16 left in the game, but it was blocked by Midlothian’s Kaleb Tompkins.

Centennial (4-1, 2-1 5-5A DII) forced a Panther punt with 25 seconds left. Spartans’ running back/return man Jaylon Jackson returned the kick 26 yards down to the Midlothian 39.

An 8-yard gain and a big pass interference call on Midlothian (4-1, 2-1) moved the ball to the 16 to set up Garcia’s heroics.

“I kick every day and I knock them through all the time into the wind,” said Garcia, who was kicking into a stiff breeze. “It doesn’t really matter to me. I’m just hitting the ball like I usually do.”

If not for two defensive touchdowns, Centennial wouldn’t have even been close enough to pull out the win.

Defensive back Chase Phillips picked up a fumble, following a jarring hit by Matiroyn Easley, and returned it 79 yards to cut Midlothian’s lead to 14-7 with 9 seconds left in the half.

Easley scooped up another Panther fumble at the Midlothian 10 and scampered into the end zone to give Centennial its first lead at 20-14 with 5:31 left in the third.

The Easley score came three plays after Spartans’ quarterback Hank Meyer had tied the game at 14 on a 2-yard TD run.

Midlothian, ranked No. 9 in the Dave Campbell’s 5A DII state poll, used a stout defensive effort led by defensive lineman Nick Pollard and linebacker J.T. Cavender. The Panthers dominated the first half allowing only two Centennial first downs and 25 yards of total offense.

“They kicked our lungs in the whole first half,” said Centennial coach Kyle Geller, whose team’s only loss this season was to No. 1 Aledo. “We never gave up...just never gave up. Nobody gave up.

“That makes me proud to coach these guys. This is probably one of the most unforgettable wins that I’ll probably ever have.”

The Panthers scored twice in the first half.

A 3-yard run by Cavender, who doubles at running back, with 35 second left in the first quarter gave Midlothian a 7-0 lead. Quarterback Tate Corbin put the Panthers up 14-0 with an 8-yarder with 1:11 left in the half.

Corbin came up gimpy after the touchdown, but came out for the Panthers’ next series. The senior was noticeably limping, however, and didn’t play in the second half.

Backup quarterback Nicholas De Los Santos did finally get comfortable and led the Panthers to a score with 5:36 left in the game. Cavender took an option pitch over right end from 24-yards out to give Midlothian a 21-20 lead.

Midlothian outgained Centennial 322-164 in total offense on the night, but the Spartans had a 139-110 advantage in the second half.

“I’m happy for our team,” added Geller. “I don’t know if we deserved to win the ball game, but we did.”

This story was originally published September 27, 2019 at 11:21 PM.