Haltom’s dream season comes to an end as Tascosa uses ground game to control Buffalos

For the second time in three weeks, Amarillo Tascosa ran into an undefeated team from Tarrant County in the Class 6A Division II playoffs.

And for the second time in three weeks, that team ended up going home and Tascosa ended up playing again.

Haltom took an undefeated record into Saturday’s Class 6A Division II state quarterfinal game against Tascosa at Jones AT&T Stadium. But the Panhandle school again was a giant killer, using a heavily ground-oriented attack to wear down the Buffalos and claim a 48-27 victory that ended Haltom’s season with a 13-1 record.

This is the second time in the postseason that Tascosa (11-3) has beaten a team that looked to be a favorite if somebody merely looked at the records. Haltom was previously unbeaten, but that was a status which didn’t help Arlington High much when Tascosa won the area round.

Tascosa will face Longview in the state semifinal next Saturday at 8 p.m. at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

Haltom coach Jason Tucker didn’t dismiss his team’s loss as a fluke.

“We knew it could be one of those games that could go back and forth and if the turnovers had stayed the same it might have gone down that way,” Tucker said. “You have to give (Tascosa) some credit. We’re always telling everybody that everybody who’s still playing right now has to be pretty good.”

The first half was what anybody who loves offense would have enjoyed. Both teams approached 300 yards but Tascosa led 27-20.

Haltom led only once, when quarterback Michael Black scored on a 2-yard run early in the second quarter to give the Buffalos a 20-14 lead. But Tascosa answered with a nine-play, 65-yard drive, concluding with a 1-yard D’Andre Campbell run that made it 21-20 and the Rebels never trailed again.

That began a string of 27 unanswered points by Tascosa that didn’t stop until early in the fourth quarter when the Rebels built their lead to 41-20. King Doerue, who has committed to Purdue, scored the final three touchdowns, including an 83-yard touchdown reception from Joseph Plunk and a 78-yard run early in the fourth quarter to clinch it.

“We’re playing well and over the last few years we’ve made a name for ourselves outside of the Panhandle,” Tascosa coach Ken Plunk said. “We’re going to enjoy this tonight then get ready for the state semifinal.”

Black led the Buffalos with 107 yards rushing and two touchdowns. He also threw for 186 yards and a touchdown, but also threw two fourth quarter interceptions.

Tascosa had three runners go over 100 yards. Doerue had 131 yards and three touchdowns on just seven carries, Campbell ran for 119 yards and two scores and Joseph Plunk ran for 110 yards.

This story was originally published December 8, 2018 at 8:49 PM.