Decatur rallies in the second half, comes up short against top-ranked China Spring

When you play against a good football team, it’s hard to make very many mistakes and come out on top.

When you play the No. 1 team in the state, it’s nearly impossible.

Decatur didn’t have many gaffes, but the Eagles had enough, coupled with missed opportunities that put them in a hole that they just couldn’t recover from. Top-ranked China Spring staved off a second-half rally by Decatur to down the Eagles 33-27 in a Class 4A Division 1 state semifinal on Friday night at a foggy, soggy Newsom Stadium.

China Spring (14-1) will be making its fifth trip to the state championship game where it will face Boerne (15-0). The Greyhounds defeated Tyler Chapel Hill 35-0 on Friday.

The Cougars won the 4A D2 title last season.

“We made too many mistakes to win the game today and made them at the wrong times,” said Decatur coach Steve Huff. “But they never quit and that’s one thing that I can appreciate about this group.

“China Spring is a good football team and maybe you make more mistakes against a really good team. That’s just the way it is and all credit to them because that is a good squad.”

Decatur (11-4), which saw its 11-game winning streak come to an end, stopped China Spring on the Cougars first possession and a short punt gave the Eagles the ball at their own 39.

The Eagles went three and out to start, but the punt snap sailed over the head of the Decatur punter who fell on it at the Eagles’ 27.

A 14-yard gain on a Cash McCollum to Tre Hafford pass play gave the Cougars a first and goal at the five and three plays later Kyle Barton bulled in from the one for a 7-0 lead with 5:29 left in the opening quarter.

McCollum, who was noticeably hampered by an ankle injury suffered a week ago, completed his first 11 passes before finishing 14 of 20 for 171 yards. Hafford, who gained a big portion of his yards on throws to the flat, caught nine passes for 112 yards.

After the Eagles went three and out again, McCollum found Hafford from 12 yards out to cap a 7-play, 67-yard drive on the Cougars next possession to up the lead to 14-0, but Decatur finally found some rhythm on offense.

The Eagles drove from their own 18 to the China Spring 12 led by quarterback Preston Escobar and running backs Nate Palmer and Devin James. But on third and goal from there Tristan Exline picked off a Decatur pass at the four and returned it 28 yards to the 32.

So instead of a 14-7 game, the Cougars upped the lead to 21-0 three plays later when McCollum and Hafford connected again for a 25-yard score at the 7:54 mark of the second quarter.

The Eagles got a spark from Palmer on the ensuing kickoff when the junior returned the boot 95 yards for a score, but China Spring took a 24-7 lead into the intermission when Thomas Barr was good on a 31-yard field goal.

Decatur came out on fire in the second half.

“We put ourselves in a bad situation, but we got ourselves back in the ball game just like we talked about at halftime,” said Huff. “I asked them to give me everything they had and leave it all out here on this field and they did just that. These guys will battle and will fight you tooth and nail to the end.”

The Eagles took the opening kickoff of the third quarter and went on a 13-play march to cut the lead to 24-14. Palmer capped the 64-yard drive, running around right end for a 6-yard TD.

The Decatur defense was up to the task as well, forcing a three and out by the Cougars. A 17-yard return by Landon Felts put the ball at the China Spring 36.

But on a first and 10 from the Cougars’ 11, Decatur missed another opportunity when a fumble was recovered by China Spring linebacker Ryder Reeves at the 6-yard line.

Decatur did take the ball right back when Brody Eddins picked off a Cougars’ pass at the China Spring 32 with 1:42 left in the third quarter. But the Eagles lost the ball on downs there and China Spring answered.

After Decatur had held the Cougars scoreless for the first 15:13 of the second half, China Spring found the end zone with 8:47 left in the game when Barton darted in from the one to go up 31-14.

“I thought that our defense played stellar in the second half,” said Huff, who in his first year at Decatur almost took the Eagles to the title game a year after he guided College Station to a runner up finish at state. “They gave up that one drive, but besides that they couldn’t do what they wanted to do.”

But the Eagles never quit. Felts returned the ensuing kickoff 41 yards to the China Spring 40 and six plays later Escobar ran right up the middle for a 24-yard TD. The point after was blocked and returned 88 yards for two points by the Cougars’ Gabe Watkins to make the score 33-20 with 5:35 left.

Decatur was able to recover the onside kick that followed at the Cougars’ 40. After a 38-yard pass from Escobar to Hunter Smith gave the Eagles a first down at the 2, Decatur missed another opportunity by losing the ball on downs four snaps later.

The Eagles were far from done though. Another three and out by the Decatur defense and a 20-yard punt by the Cougars gave the Eagles life at the China Spring 23. Escobar hit Smith for 15 yards to the eight, then connected with Palmer on an 8-yard TD pass to cut the lead to 33-27 with 1:19 left.

But Decatur was out of timeouts and China Spring was able to recover the following onside kick to run out the clock.

Escobar, a senior, finished with 11 completions on 21 attempts for 102 yards and had 60 yards rushing on 10 carries. Palmer led the Eagles with 90 rushing yards on 23 totes.

“This season was a testament to our senior class, the way that they hung in there,” said Huff. “When you start off 0-3 it’s very easy to start doubting things, but they didn’t.

“They’re tough ole kids and will fight tooth and nail and they have all year. They played some good ball through those first three games and then started playing together as a unit.”