Sam Houston’s football season of high expectations came to a tearful end Friday night at South San Stadium, the dreams of a long playoff run dashed by a handful of costly mistakes.
The Hurricanes will hurt for a while after Devine hung on for a 27-19 victory in their first-round encounter in the Class 3A Division II playoffs. But, in time, Sam Houston will look back on its season with pride and relish the memories.
“There were one or two plays that made the difference, and we didn’t hit our passes,” Sam Houston coach Gary Green said. “This group had the potential to go a long way. They fought their butts off.”
The seniors on this year’s team were freshmen when Green, a 1973 Sam Houston graduate, returned to his alma mater to take over the football program.
“These are my babies,” said Green, 56. “These are the players who started off at Sam Houston with me. They’ll always be special to me. My goal for these kids was to make them better people. I think we’ve done a good job of doing that. It hurts to fall short. I understand their pain because I’ve got the same pain.”
The Hurricanes, who went 3-7 in their first season under Green in 2008, finished 8-3 for the third year in a row
“We played our hearts out,” Sam Houston two-way senior end Javonte Magee said. “The outcome just didn’t come our way.”
Senior Leo Thomas, a wide receiver/safety who has committed to Arizona, was overcome with emotion after the game. Weeping openly, Thomas hugged teammates and coaches before trudging back to the Sam Houston locker room.
“I’m going to miss these guys forever,” Thomas said. “I loved playing with them. I’ve been with them since my freshman year. I grew up with them, saw them grow up.”
Sadler ran for 211 yards on 50 carries
Devine (11-0) will play Liberty Hill (7-4) in the second round of the playoffs next week.
“Hats off to Devine,” Sam Houston senior tackle Ralphael Green said. “They played a good game.”
Running back JeQuan McBride stunned Devine with a 76-yard touchdown run on the Hurricanes’ first offensive play, but Joseph Sadler scored his first of three TDs on a 7-yard run and kicked the extra point to tie the game with 3:06 left in the opening quarter.
Sadler, a senior running back, finished with 211 yards on a whopping 50 carries. McBride ran for 154 yards on 20 carries and scored two TDs.
Magee complimented Sadler, who has rushed for 3,096 yards and 49 TDs this season. Sadler is averaging an astounding 11.22 yards per carry.
“He’s got my respect,” Magee said. “He’s good. He earns all his yards.”
Sadler scored on a 25-yard run with 9:32 remaining in the second period to give the Warhorses a 14-7 halftime lead. Jordan Fraga’s 22-yard TD run and Sadler’s conversion kick extended Devine’s lead to 21-7 with 3:43 left in the third quarter.
Hurricanes didn’t go quietly
Sam Houston was down but not out. McBride scored on a 4-yard run with three seconds to go in the period, capping a nine-play, 61-yard drive that came on the possession following Fraga’s TD. Quarterback Jhurell Jackson set up McBride’s TD with a 23-yard option keeper on second-and-nine at the Warhorses’ 27.
Jackson’s extra-point kick was blocked, leaving Devine on top 21-13.
The Warhorses responded with a 17-play, 80-yard drive that ended with Sadler scoring from the 2 on fourth-and-goal with 4:04 remaining. Sam Houston coaches argued that Sadler was stopped short of the goal line but the officials, who didn’t signal a TD initially, ruled Sadler scored as players got up from the pile.
Sadler’s kick was wide right, leaving the score 27-13.
But just when it seemed the Hurricanes were done, Jackson hooked up with Gary Reed IV for a 79-yard TD pass on Sam Houston’s first play after Sadler’s last score. Jackson’s conversion was blocked again, but the Hurricanes stayed within striking distance at 27-19.
Sam Houston started its final possession at its 31 and drove to the Devine 32 before time expired.
“It hit us hard because we weren’t expecting it,” Green said of the loss. “These kids have already come through so much adversity in their daily lives. My main objective is to make them better men and have a stronger resolve to be successful in life. I feel very certain that they’re much more equipped after going through this than never participating at all.”
