Ennis escapes Centennial in area-round playoffs thanks to short pass, late penalty

Facing fourth and goal at the Ennis 5, Centennial running back Jaylon Jackson’s pass to a wide-open Monte Johnson fell short with 1:15 to play.

The Spartans appeared to have a chance with less than a minute left when they stopped the Lions at their own 10 and seemed to have forced a punt. But a dead-ball unsportsmanlike conduct penalty gave the Lions a first down as Ennis escaped with a 17-13 win in a Class 5A Region II Division II area-round playoff game at Lion Memorial Stadium.

Ennis (11-1) will take on Frisco (11-1) in a regional quarterfinal game at 1 p.m. Friday at Mesquite Memorial Stadium.

The final drive for Centennial (10-2) was set up by a Matiroyn Easley interception at the Ennis 36 with 5:21 to play. The Spartans used their running game to move the ball the Lions’ 10. But three consecutive runs up the middle found Centennial 5 yards from the end zone.

After an Ennis timeout, Centennial lined up in a diamond formation, and Jackson took the direct snap. He faked a run and attempted a jump pass over the line, but the pass was too short for Johnson.

The offenses dominated the first half, with Ennis tallying 205 yards on 37 plays and Centennial totaling 173 on 16 plays. But in the second half, the defenses rose to the occasion as just three total points were scored.

Twelve seconds into the fourth quarter, Ennis’ Angel Aguilar booted a 28-yard field goal that put the Lions up 17-13 and forced Centennial to go for a touchdown instead of a possible game-tying field.

Trailing 14-13 in the waning seconds of the first half, Centennial had a chance to take the lead, but Josh Garcia’s 27-yard field goal was wide.

Centennial needed just two plays to take the lead when Chris Mosely took a pitch and scored on a 54-yard TD. But the point-after kick attempt failed, leaving Centennial up 6-0 at the 8:33 mark of the first quarter.

Ennis countered with an 11-play, 67-yard drive that Collin Drake capped with a 2-yard run to put the Lions up 7-6 with 4:05 to play in the first quarter.

The Spartans took three plays to score and take a 13-7 lead with 3:35 to play in the first quarter. This time, Phillip Hamilton scored on a 7-yard run. Jackson set up that score with a 48-yard run.

Ennis turned in a 17-play scoring drive that chewed up 79 yards. Drake finished off the drive with a 1-yard run for a 14-13 lead with 7:57 left before halftime.

This story was originally published November 22, 2019 at 10:44 PM.