Fort Worth North Side loses televised game, Steers can still clinch playoff berth
With only two games left in the regular season, Fort Worth North Side needed every win to keep its playoff hopes alive.
The Steers entered Thursday night in a three-way tie for fourth place in District 4-5A Division 2 along with Southwest and Polytechnic, and the three schools were a game behind third-place Carrollton Creekview, which visited North Side at Farrington Field to begin Week 10 action.
North Side had a nice start and it seemed the Steers could be on their way to an impressive victory.
But Creekview tight end Sean Sallis caught two touchdown passes and the Mustangs’ defense clamped down after a scorching first quarter by both teams to beat the Steers, 37-21.
Creekview clinched a playoff berth and moved to 5-2 in district and 6-4 overall.
The Mustangs picked up two wins this week, against North Side on Thursday, and a forfeit win from Trimble Tech during next week’s game.
However, Thursday night’s game had some history behind it, televised on CW33, the first televised football game in Fort Worth ISD in a generation.
“We didn’t really talk much about it,” North Side coach Joseph Turner said about being on TV. “We talked for about five minutes after practice on Wednesday. We told them how exciting of an opportunity it was to play on TV, on senior night, on middle school recognition night.
“They put themselves in this position. If last year’s team didn’t do what they did, we might not be on TV. So it’s a good deal and they need to continue that type of success to have these opportunities.”
North Side’s defense stood strong on the opening drive forcing Creekview into a fourth-and-9. But the Mustangs scored when Garrett Palacio connected with Sallis for a 39-yard touchdown and 7-0 lead with 9:47 left in the first quarter.
The Steers (4-5, 2-4) responded on the ensuing possession.
On their second play from scrimmage, running back Brandon Forrest took the hand off and rumbled 44 yards to the Creekview 7, and two plays later punched it in from the 2 that tied the game at the 8:35 mark.
But the tie was short lived as Jordyn Crain returned the kickoff 86 yards for a 14-7 Creekview lead.
The Steers matched the Mustangs’ score when on a fourth-and-15, the Creekview defense fell asleep and didn’t cover Forrest, who caught a Kevin Ortega pass and walked into the end zone 29 yards later with 2:07 left in the period.
Creekview regained the lead on its next possession, which was capped off with a 6-yard touchdown run from Isaiah Evans that gave the Mustangs a 21-14 lead early in the second.
North Side had a pair of chances to score again before halftime, but its next drive was stopped on a fourth-and-7 when Forrest caught a pass and was tackled by linebacker Victory Gharve just short of the marker.
Both teams traded interceptions by North Side’s Isaiah Ybarra, which halted a Creekview drive in the end zone, and Creekview’s Ben Pfeil, which stopped the Steers’ ensuing drive.
Following Pfeil’s pick, the Mustangs drove down the field and kicked a field goal just before intermission, a 27-yarder from Ricardo Chairez for a 24-14 lead at the break.
The Steers took the first drive of the third quarter from their 16 to the Creekview 48, but they were forced to punt for the first time by either team.
Sallis caught a 20-yard touchdown and Evans added a 9-yard touchdown run for Creekview in the second half.
North Side added one more score when Ortega rushed for a 48-yard gain, and then the next play, Forrest scored on a 26-yard run that cut the lead to 31-21 with 5:31 left to play.
“We were trying to spread [Creekview] out early, see what they were doing up the middle. We could run the ball up the middle,” Turner said. “But we started to make small mistakes. We were doing our best to take advantage on some things, but they did a good job adjusting on defense.”
Forrest rushed 11 times for 129 yards and two touchdowns. Ortega finished with 108 yards on 14 carries, and added 71 yards passing.
North Side can still clinch a playoff berth next week against Southwest. If the two teams are in a three-way tie with Poly (playing against South Hills) for fourth, the Steers will have to win by at least 12 points. The Steers can also make the playoffs with a win (by any amount) and Poly loss.
If the three teams are tied and Southwest loses to North Side by 11 or fewer, then Southwest clinches a berth.
This story was originally published October 29, 2021 at 12:02 AM.
