Pleasant Grove pulls away late, snaps West Orange-Stark’s 40-game win streak

First-time UIL title contender Texarkana Pleasant Grove snapped West Orange-Stark’s win streak at 40 games — and ended the Mustangs bid for a third straight Class 4A Division II championship — with a 41-21 victory Friday at AT&T Stadium.

The Mustangs, who were playing in their eighth state championship game, had not lost since the 2014 title game.

Stark (13-1) had cut the deficit to 28-21 with 4:35 remaining, but the Hawks (16-0) burned all but 15 seconds off the clock with an eight-play drive. The Pleasant Grove defense then returned two late interceptions for touchdowns.

Pleasant Grove dazzled the crowd of 20,851 by scoring on the first play of the game, when sophomore quarterback Ben Harmon hooked up on a 75-yard scoring pass with T.J. Cole.

After the Mustangs answered with a 47-yard drive to cut the lead to 7-6, the Hawks cashed in with another Harmon-to-Cole scoring pass of 34 yards at the end of a 10-play drive.

Just before the half, Cole scored again on a six-yard run at the end of a 52-yard drive to make it 21-6. Cole’s three TDs earned him Offensive MVP honors.

Stark had a chance in the third quarter to cut the lead, but an 11-play drive stalled deep in Pleasant Grove territory. The Hawks then stretched the lead to 28-6 with 10:06 remaining with a methodical 70-yard drive.

This story was originally published December 22, 2017 at 7:39 PM with the headline "Pleasant Grove pulls away late, snaps West Orange-Stark’s 40-game win streak."