TCU commit Nate Palmer’s game winning touchdown lifts Decatur Eagles over Brownwood

WACO – Decatur’s Jed Ross threw a 1-yard toss to Nate Palmer for a touchdown with four seconds left to complete a thrilling come-from-behind win, 38-35, over Brownwood Friday night at Baylor University’s McLane Stadium in a Class 4A D1 regional final.

Moments earlier, the Eagles looked dead in the water. Brownwood’s (12-2) Ike Hall looked like he would be the game’s hero after he had just scored the go-ahead touchdown. The quarterback kept around left end and went in untouched from 5 yards out for his fourth scorewith 1:26 left.

To make matters worse for Decatur, the ensuing kickoff was muffed and recovered but at the Eagle 13-yard line with only 1:21 left.

However, just as Hall had methodically drove his team down the field for what appeared to be the winning touchdown, Ross did likewise with the Eagles (10-4). The junior cooly completed seven of nine passes for 84 yards in engineering the drive. On the game-winner, he rolled out right and threw to his top running back who also moved with him, catching it near the front pylon.

For Ross, it made amends for an identical play in a one-point loss to Stephenville, 56-55, in the third week of the season. Decatur, who started the season out 1-4, also lost to Anna, 37-30.

Stephenville and Anna were playing against each other in the other Class 4A D1 Region I matchup the same evening at Birdville Fine Arts/Athletic Complex in North Richland Hills for the right to meet the winner of Decatur-Brownwood in the state semi-final. Anna won, 41-21.

“We ran that same play and we messed it up,” said Ross.

This time, it worked and it set up a date with Anna for the Eagles’ second straight trip to the semifinal. Last year, the Eagles fell to China Spring.

“I knew we could drive down there at the end,” Ross said. “We’ve been in spots like that before.”

It seemed appropriate that the pass went to Palmer, normally a running back and the game’s other hero. Palmer, a TCU commit, rushed 24 times for 161 yards and two touchdowns. Palmer also returned a kickoff 94 yards for another score.

The improbable 87-yard winning drive was done in 10 plays. Instrumental were completions 17 and 16 yards to Luke White and Landon Fells, respectively, back-to-back on the two plays prior to the touchdown. Fells made a diving catch at the 1 with eight seconds left and Decatur called a timeout.

Palmer gave credit to his coaches.

“We’ve got a great coaching staff, great head coach as you can see, and great offensive coordinator on top of the building,” said the senior. “They were trusting all of their players to get the ball downfield. I just felt like they had faith in us, and we had to play for them. So that’s just how it was.”

Coach Steve Huff returned the compliment.

“This is a great group of kids,” he said. “We work hard. We challenge them all of the time about playing for the last second. We’ve been in some really tough games this year. We’ve traveled down these roads this year, so I had confidence the kids would go ahead and play it out. And they made some big plays.”

Moments earlier, Hall’s 5-yard touchdown run ended a seven-play, 70-yard drive to put Brownwood up 35-31. It was in answer to a 34-yard field goal by Greg McDonnell with 4:08 left that had broken a tie and given Decatur the lead, 31-28.

The see-saw matchup began at the outset though Decatur at one point in the first half led 21-7. Brownwood came back to take the lead, 28-21, late in the third quarter with three straight touchdowns.

At halftime, Decatur led 21-14. The Eagles scored on their first three possessions. After forcing a punt, they drove 78 yards in 11 plays for the game’s first touchdown midway in the first quarter. They mixed passes, five, and runs, six. Eventually, Palmer scored from the 3-yard line.

Brownwood replied with a touchdown drive of its’ own to knot it at 7 near the end of the first quarter. Quarterback Ike Hall faked a handoff inside then swept around right end and down the sideline for a 44-yard touchdown. It ended an 83-yard, eight-play drive.

On the ensuing kickoff, the ball was fumbled and recovered by Brownwood’s Raven Prado at the Decatur 18-yard line. But unlike last week, when they feasted on four turnovers for three touchdowns and a field goal for a 37-17 win over Springtown, the Lions were unable to capitalize. A 32-yard field goal attempt was bobbled and a desperation pass by kicker Junior Martinez was intercepted by Nathan McCrory.

This time, it was Decatur who was able to take advantage of the turnover. The Eagles drove 70 yards in four plays for a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter. Palmer, in shotgun formation, took a direct snap from center and broke through the center of the line for a 61-yard touchdown.

The Eagles pushed it to 21-7 when Ross kept for a yard midway in the second quarter.

But the Lions replied only about a minute and a half later when Aaron Edwards hauled in a pass from Hall at about the 5-yard line and took it in to complete a 49-yard scoring play.

Brownwood tied it at 21 midway in the third quarter with a 3-yard run by Hall. It came after the Lion defense stopped Decatur on fourth-and-four at the Brownwood 32-yard line. The Lions then proceeded to convert some fourth down plays of their own, fourth-and-one and fourth-and-four. The touchdown was set up by a 38-yard pass from Hall to Carson Noe on the previous play.

Hall accounted for all five of the Lions’ touchdowns. He rushed 19 times for 160 yards and four scores. The senior was 12-26-0 passing for 181 yards and Brownwood’s other touchdown. Noe, the recipient of that score, caught six for 97 yards.

Brownwood then took the lead for the first time, 28-21, when Hall again kept 36 yards for a score.

That lead, however, lasted only 15 seconds when Palmer returned the subsequent kickoff 94 yards to again tie it at 28 and build suspense entering the fourth quarter.

Ross was 16-26-0 for 202 yards and a touchdown, the game winner. White caught four for 91 yards while Fells caught seven for 76 yards.