Crowley gets four TD passes from Kevin Miller and late defensive stop to edge Saginaw Boswell
The Crowley Eagles got four touchdown passes from quarterback Kevin Miller, along with a crucial defensive stand in the final seconds to come away with a 41-35 victory against Saginaw Boswell Friday night.
With the victory, the Eagles (7-3 overall) clinched the second seed in District 3-5A Division I with a 6-2 league record. Boswell (6-4, 6-2) will go into the postseason as the third seed.
Crowley will host Grapevine, the 4-5A Division I third-place team in bidistrict. Boswell travel to face 4-5A runner-up Birdville. Both games will be next weekend.
With Boswell having one last chance and the ball at their own 41 with no timeouts following a Crowley punt, the Eagles’ Mykol Clark sacked Pioneers quarterback Brayden Thomas for a 7-yard loss. Then, Clark pressured Thomas, who scrambled for 2 yards. The game was sealed when Crowley’s Reid Steele registered a 14-yard sack as time expired.
Miller had touchdown passes of 6 and 25 yards to Raylyn Gavan, along with scoring passes of 13 and 58 yards to MJ Tillman. His second TD to Tillman proved to be the winning score.
On Boswell’s next-to-last possession, the Pioneers had to settle for a 21-yard field goal by Oscar Ronquillo, who earlier had kicks of 31 and 44 yards. It pulled Boswell to within the final margin of six points.
Derrick Berry had two of Boswell’s touchdowns, each from a yard out.
Each team had defensive scores. Boswell’s John Diaz had two interceptions, returning one 39 yards for a TD, and the other 55 yards to the Crowley 6 to set up Berry’s first TD. Crowley’s Bryson Bonds recovered a fumbled punt in the end zone for a touchdown.
Crowley running back Dominique Johnson had a 69-yard touchdown run and finished with a game-high 122 yards rushing on 15 carries, putting him over 1,000 yards on the season.
Game was over when: Crowley’s Reid Steele sacked Boswell quarterback Brayden Thomas on the final play of the game.
Play of the game: Crowley quarterback Kevin Miller connected with MJ Miller for a 58-yard touchdown pass to put the Eagles ahead 41-32 with 7:50 to play. It came four plays after Boswell had pulled within 34-32.
Offensive player of the game: Despite the two interceptions by Boswell’s John Diaz, Miller finished 22-for-34 for 281 yards and four touchdowns passing.
Defensive player of the game: In a yeoman effort, Diaz had two interceptions returned for a total of 94 yards and a touchdown, and he came within inches of a couple more. He has eight interceptions this season.
Unsung hero of the game: Crowley’s Mykol Clark, who stopped any hope of a Boswell rally in the closing seconds with a sack and a clutch tackle under pressure.
What’s next: Crowley hosts Grapevine in bidistrict, TBA. Boswell travels to face Birdville in bidistrict, TBA.
This story was originally published November 9, 2018 at 10:32 PM.