Haltom and Bowie went down to the wire. Did the Buffs continue their magical season?
It wasn’t the prettiest game by Haltom in its playoff opener on Friday night.
But facing its biggest test of the season, the Buffalos erased their largest deficit of the year and scored with three minutes left to beat Arlington Bowie, 47-41, to win the 6A Division II bi-district championship at Birdville Fine Arts/Athletic Complex.
The Buffalos missed their chance to take a fourth-quarter lead when a 48-yard field goal sailed right, but with Bowie up 41-39, the Volunteers fumbled it three plays later and Johnny Smith-Rider recovered it at the 4-yard line. Rider also had an interception.
Haltom’s all-state quarterback Michael Black called his number just a play later to give the Buffs the 47-41 lead with 3:02 to play.
Bowie (6-5) got down to the Haltom 31, but its fourth-down pass was deflected by two Haltom defenders near the goal line.
Haltom (11-0) won its first playoff game since 1997, and will take on Midland Lee, which beat EP Americas 70-12, in the area round at 2 p.m. on Nov. 24 at Abilene Christian.
Having trailed just two games previously this season, Haltom had its first double-digit deficit when Bowie scored on its first four drives of the game.
Malcolm Mays’ 12-yard pass to Arizona State commit Ty DeArman with 7:58 left in the opening quarter and led 8-0 after the 2-point conversion.
Haltom’s Julian Johnson answered by taking the ensuing kickoff 79 yards for the score 12 seconds later.
Mays scored on Bowie’s next possession — a 13-yard run, but the Vols failed at the conversion to lead 14-7 midway through the quarter.
Haltom’s Andres Alaniz drilled a 24-yard field goal, but Bowie scored late in the first with a 23-yard TD run by Emmanuel Muhammad for a 21-10 lead.
The Buffs punted and missed a 25-yard field goal and Bowie took advantage with a 78-yard TD pass from Mays to Zeek Freeman to push Bowie in front 28-10 with 7:35 left in the half.
But Haltom woke up as Black picked up 36 yards on the ensuing drive and six plays later kept it for a 3-yard TD. The Buffs cut it to 28-18 after Black’s 2-point run midway through the second.
The Volunteers were driving again with nine plays, but the Buffs forced a punt and Bowie’s snap went over the punter’s head. Gavon Lange recovered at the Bowie 23 and five plays later Kenneth Cormier scored from the 1 to make it 28-25 at halftime.
Haltom took its first lead 32-28 early in the third off Black’s 20-yard TD pass to Jace Washington, who finished with a game-high 121 yards receiving on six catches.
The lead didn’t last long as Bowie got back in front five minutes later when Marsaillus Sims scored on a 35-yard TD run. He finished with a season-high 183 yards on 30 carries.
The Vols got it back when Jarin Johnson recovered a fumble on Haltom’s ensuing drive and Bowie led 41-32 with 11 minutes left when Mays scored from the 1.
Cormier’s 1-yard TD run capped off a 14-play drive to get Haltom within 41-39 with 7:42 left.
Black threw for 243 yards and ran for 61 while accounting for five TDs. Cormier added 61 yards rushing and Johnson had 60 yards on five catches.
Bowie, which made the playoffs 12 of the past 13 years, gained 537 yards including 348 on the ground. Mays threw for 189 yards and two TDs and rushed for 85 yards and two TDs. DeArman had 55 yards on five catches.
This story was originally published November 16, 2018 at 11:26 PM.