Senior scores five touchdowns as Grandview outduels Pottsboro; Zebras go back-to-back
Tremayne Gullatte missed last year’s Class 3A Division I state title game with a knee injury.
It was apparent he was meant for the big stage.
The senior running back scored five touchdowns and it took a goal-line stand to give Grandview its second straight 3A D1 football championship, 42-35 over Pottsboro on Thursday at AT&T Stadium.
Junior Dane Jentsch was voted Offensive MVP; however, he gave the award to his brother in the backfield.
“Five touchdowns in your first state title game, that sold me. He deserved it,” said Jentsch, who accounted for 370 yards and one rushing score.
Added Grandview coach Ryan Ebner, “Dane gave his MVP to Tremayne before they even left the field.
Leading 35-28 in the fourth quarter, the Zebras (14-1) orchestrated an 11-play, 84-yard drive that ate up nearly six minutes off the clock. Facing a second-and-8 play at the Pottsboro 20, Gullatte took a handoff from Jentsch and ran to pay dirt for his fifth TD rush, tying a Class 3A UIL state title game record.
Grandview led 42-28 with 3:34 left.
“It’s a blessing,” said Gullatte, who rushed for 95 yards on 19 carries. “Not being able to contribute last year hurt me.”
But Pottsboro (15-1) didn’t go away.
The Cardinals scored 62 seconds later on a 19-yard run from quarterback Braden Plyler.
But Jentsch picked up a first down on the ensuing drive and with Pottsboro out of timeouts, the Zebras were able to run out the clock.
Jentsch was voted defensive and offensive MVP for the second straight year. He registered 3 1/2 tackles and intercepted a pass with the Zebras up 14 late in the third quarter.
“I have to give credit where credit is due, “Jentsch said. “We couldn’t do it without our JV team giving us a good look in practice, we couldn’t do it without our coaches giving us a great game plan and we couldn’t do it without all these seniors.”
Pottsboro, which was making its first trip to state, grabbed a 7-0 lead on a Cy Shope 1-yard TD run with 4:20 left in the opening quarter, but the Zebras scored 21 unanswered points.
And it was all from Gullatte.
Gullatte scored on runs from 4, 1 and 7 yards and Grandview led 21-7 with 10 minutes left in the second.
Plyler threw a 15-yard scoring pass to Jasek Hooker to cut it to 21-14 midway through the period, but Grandview responded with a 5-yard TD run from Jentsch at the three-minute mark.
The Cardinals were able to make it 28-21 at intermission after Plyler hit Zac Talley for a 29-yard score with under a minute.
Gullatte scored from the 6 in the third. It was the only score of the quarter because Grandview made a goal-line stand that proved to be the difference.
Pottsboro had first-and-goal at the 3 and got to the 1 after a 2-yard rush from Plyler. But Plyler was stopped on second and third down. Grandview made the fourth-down stop, but the Zebras were called for off sides.
With the ball a half yard away, Grandview made the fourth-down stop again. Austin Boyd, who had 105 yards receiving on offense, got through the line for the pressure and Jentsch tackled Plyler for a 2-yard loss.
“We love to have a do-over,” Pottsboro coach Matt Poe said. “We couldn’t get half a yard, but credit to Grandview for stopping us. We couldn’t get it in.”
Said Ebner of the stop, “It’s something we kind of work on during the year. Be aggressive and only one way to go, forward. I feel like it’s all attack mode and they did a great job, and I’m extremely proud of the effort in that moment.”
Pottsboro scored early in the fourth on a 53-yard pass from Plyler to Titus Lyons.
Plyler threw for 254 yards and three TDs, and added 56 yards on the ground. Shope had a team-high 79 yards rushing and Lyons chipped in 133 yards on eight catches.
“It’s an awesome experience and I’m proud of these young men,” Poe said. “They played with great heart. That’s how we got here, and they never quit and kept fighting. It’s an experience of a lifetime for all of us.”
This story was originally published December 19, 2019 at 8:08 PM.
