THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Houston High School Athletics

Houston quarterback Chandler Day made it look easy against Region 8-6A rival Collierville in the TSSAA Class 6A football playoffs Friday night. He made a little history, too. Day threw three touchdown passes as the Mustangs galloped to a convincing 40-7 win and became the program's all-time leader in career TD tosses at 56. Day surpassed the previous record of 55, set by Ethan Burns in 2019, as Houston (10-2) earned a rematch with Germantown (12-0) in next Friday's quarterfinals. Germantown, which defeated Bartlett 35-16 to advance, beat Houston 14-13 on Sept. 1. The Mustangs haven't lost since. "He’s a winner,” Houston coach James Thomas said of Day. “He’s a leader. With him running and throwing it, it’s a tough offense to stop.” Friday's game became a rout before halftime, as Day connected with Owen Waggener on a 20-yard TD pass to the back of the end zone to extend the Mustangs’ lead to 20 points against Collierville (8-4). Here’s why Friday’s dominant win sets the stage for the much-anticipated rematch in the 6A quarterfinals. A TSSAA football playoff rematch It's the second straight season Germantown and Houston will meet in the TSSAA playoffs. The Mustangs lost the last one 24-14 in 2022. Houston hasn’t beat Germantown since winning 35-24 in the regular season last season. This is the game Houston wanted. "I told my guys, ‘You will see them again,’” Thomas recalled telling his team. “When that time comes, you’ve got to take advantage.” An offense that’s humming in the TSSAA playoffs Day has been engineering an offense that has been unstoppable during most of the playoffs and the better part of the regular season. Houston is averaging 40.6 points per game during its nine-game win streak. "We’ve got a lot of playmakers and a veteran offensive line,” Thomas said. Senior running back/slot receiver Damon Sisa entered Friday with 489 yards and six touchdowns in the last three games since coming back from a knee injury. Andre Allen has stepped in as a top receiver target with Derrick Miller no longer with the team. It all adds up for an intriguing rematch after Houston posted more than 40 points for the second straight playoff game. What matchup means for TSSAA playoffs The Houston-Germantown rematch pits a top offense against a top defense. But Houston’s defense shouldn’t be overlooked. The Mustangs did their part to shut down Collierville, who had to start Grant Troutman in place of Missouri football commit and senior quarterback Aidan Glover. Houston forced two sacks and had four interceptions, including two from Ladeadrick James. “I feel like we have an underrated defense," Thomas said, "and they’re hungry.” The offense should be, too, especially after Houston faltered three times in the red zone in the first meeting against Germantown. The Mustangs also had an extra point blocked. "I think it’s going to be one of those games of who has the ball last,” Thomas said.

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Houston High School Athletics

SETTING STAGE FOR HOUSTON-GERMANTOWN TSSAA PLAYOFF REMATCH AFTER CHANDLER DAY'S RECORD NIGHT

WYNSTON WILCOX

Commercial Appeal | 11/11/2023

PHOTO CREDIT: Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal