Ole Miss and Oklahoma commits lead Allen to blowout victory over Mesquite Horn

Andrew Henry finished Friday’s game in crutches, but for the time that The Episcopal of Dallas transfer was on the field, he used his legs to power his way to two touchdowns on just four carries, leading Class 6A-Division I defending state champion Allen to a 40-0 shutout of Mesquite Horn in the 19th annual Tom Landry Classic.

Mesquite Horn came out the aggressor. Allen was forced to punt on its initial offensive series while the Jaguars offense drove into Eagle territory on their first possession. But, penalties killed Horn drives on this sultry August night. The Jaguars were flagged nine times for 61 yards.

Defensive Most Valuable Player Emmanuel Nwokorie and the Allen defense kept Horn quarterback Jermaine Givens and company in check to the tune of 103 total yards of offense.

“He’s a very fast quarterback,” Nwokorie said of Givens. “Basically, it’s just about making the tackle.”

Offensive Most Valuable Player Grant Tisdale pushed the Eagles offense up and down the field at will, passing for 122 yards and three touchdowns, while scampering for 76 yards more on the ground.

Henry was just as valuable for the defending champs in his Allen debut.

A scoreless game through most of the first quarter, Henry broke two ankle tackles, powering his way to a 39-yard touchdown and a 7-0 Eagle lead with 20 ticks left on the clock. His second touchdown run of the first half was a 21-yard run that was aided by a great lead block from Darrion Sherfield. Henry was injured on a pass play in the third quarter and had to be helped off the field.

Gambill said that he is uncertain of the nature of Henry’s injury but has raved about the lower-body strength of his new running back since he stepped foot on campus.

“The thing that I like about him is that he can jump cut so fast,” Gambill said. “His cuts are quick. He’s got great vision. More importantly, it’s how he protects the football.”

Tisdale, an Ole Miss commit, and Theo Wease, an Oklahoma commit, teamed up for two touchdowns in the second quarter, the first on a 14-yard fade pass which Wease jumped in the corner of the end zone to grab, as Allen extended its lead to 26-0 at halftime.

“We were just trying to adjust to what they were doing,” Tisdale said. “We came out a little flat. That’s the only downside of what we did today. But, we finished strong.”

Game was over when: Henry rushed in for a 21-yard touchdown moments after Allen had forced Horn to punt from its own end zone, for a 20-0 lead with 7:07 remaining in the first half.

Play of the game: Wease out-jumped a Horn defender in the back of the end zone and came down inbounds with the ball for a touchdown early in the second quarter.

Offensive player of the game: Tisdale jump-started the Eagle offense after a slow start.

Defensive player of the game: While there are many players to choose from, Nwokorie gets the nod, as he helped to lead the Allen defense pitch a shutout.

Unsung hero of the game: The honor go to Sherfield who made a clean block to spring Henry for a touchdown run and a 20-0 Allen lead.

Moment of the game: Allen’s special teams pinned Horn back at its own 2-yard line after a second-quarter kickoff was mishandled by a Jaguars returner.

Stat of the Game: Allen amassed 220 yards of offense in the first half to Horn’s 77 yards.

They said it: “As the game carried on, our team was in exceptional, exceptional shape. I think we kind of wore them down.” – Allen coach Terry Gambill.

Big picture outlook: Allen has a plethora of playmakers on both sides of the ball as the Eagles attempt to defend their Class 6A state title. While Mesquite Horn has a good one-two punch on offense in Jermaine Givens and running back Esaias Taylor and defensively with Larry Donnell and Reagan Nickerson, the Jaguars need to cut down on the number of penalties.

What’s next? Allen hosts Utah East (Salt Lake City, Utah), 7 p.m., Sept. 7. Mesquite Horn faces another defending state champion next week in 5A-Divison I’s Highland Park, 7:30 p.m. in Highland Park.

This story was originally published August 31, 2018 at 11:06 PM.