For a good half-hour.
“The ride home was a lot easier than the ride up,” Houston coach James Thomas said of the three-hour trip. “The ride up felt like it was five hours; the ride back felt like it was two. The bus was loud for about 30 minutes and then everybody fell asleep.
“They were happy about it and then it was like, ‘Alright. Sleep time.’ Any time you can get teenagers quiet, that’s a heck of a job.”
It was the second significant accomplishment of the night. The first, of course, came hours before when Houston downed Brentwood, 28-0, to advance to Saturday’s BlueCross Bowl Class 6A state title game for the first time in school history. The Bruins came into the contest undefeated, as did Germantown in the quarterfinals, a game the Mustangs won, 30-10.
Now, they have one more giant to slay. Saturday’s opponent in the 6 p.m. CST final isn’t undefeated but it’s daunting nevertheless. Murfreesboro Oakland has won the last three championships in the largest of Tennessee’s six public school classifications.
But — like they were on the ride home — Houston’s players are blissfully unbothered about the task at hand. And why not?
Houston held the Bruins to just 67 total yards while posting its third shutout of the year. In their four postseason games, the Mustangs have allowed just 17 points and they’ve not lost since Sept. 1, when a blocked extra point late sent them to a 14-13 defeat against Germantown.
“It’s really exciting,” said senior running back Damon Sisa, who did his part against Brentwood by rushing for 148 yards and scoring three second-half touchdowns. “It’s everything we’ve wished for, everything that we’ve worked for really.”
Added junior Andre Allen, who had caught a touchdown pass in the first half and had a key interception after the break: “Everybody’s watching and we’ve got to put on for them. They’re a part of this. We’re from Memphis and we’ve got to put on for the city.”
The Mustangs are certainly a worthy representative.
They’ll enter Saturday’s game 12-2 after having navigated one of the state’s most challenging schedules, with games against Germantown (twice), Collierville (twice) and Bartlett along with Mississippi powers Tupelo and South Panola.
Last week marked the first time since 2011 — when Whitehaven thumped Mt. Juliet, 44-10 — that the 6A team from Shelby County won a semifinal on the road. Houston has earned its place in the final and it would be unfair to say the Mustangs are playing with house money.
But they are playing loosely and with lots and lots of confidence.
“Every step of the way in these playoffs, we’ve asked them to step to the plate, accept the challenge and seize the opportunity,” Thomas said. “And they’ve done that. Saturday is going to be different but in every environment we’ve gone into, we haven’t blinked. I’d be surprised if we did now.
“We’ve got a hungry group of kids that wants to win. They wanted to take this program to a place it’s never been and we’ve done that already. Yeah, we’re playing the three-time defending state champion but we’re not playing those teams. We’re playing this one.”
This version of Oakland is terrific in its own right. The Patriots are also 12-2, falling to Center Grove (Ind.), 28-10, in Week 2 and to city rival Riverdale, 25-24, in their regular-season finale on Oct. 27.
The Patriots avenged that one — emphatically — in the quarterfinals, winning 56-10. In the semis, they jumped out to a 17-0 lead over Bradley Central, then watched as the Bears tied it before pulling away, 38-17.
Their secret? A potent run game. Mr. Football finalist Duane Morris and Ashton Jones have combined for 3,112 yards and 55 touchdowns between them. It will be a massive challenge for a Houston defense which has been outstanding as of late, and if they can pull it off many will consider it a huge upset.
In a recent article predicting the winner of the game, five journalists from the mid-state area predicted an Oakland victory, with scores ranging from a close 21-14 to a resounding 48-17. None picked Houston.
“We don’t have to beat them 10 times,” Thomas said. “We’ve got to beat them once, over 48 minutes. It’s not hard to play that (underdog) role; we know everyone is going to be picking against us.
“Obviously they have the experience on us and coach (Kevin) Creasy is a genius at what he does with the run game and the offense. It’s a power-run football team.”
Added Allen: “They’ve got two good backs. We’ve got to stop their run game.”
On offense last week, Houston utilized short passes underneath and the running of Sisa to pull away after leading just 6-0 at halftime. Sisa’s speed will always be a problem for opposing teams, junior quarterback Chandler Day is wrapping up his third year as a starter and Allen and the receiver corps have made big plays all season long.
“Really honestly, I feel like I can do anything with my o-line,” Sisa said. “I feel like if my o-line does what it can do, then I’ll get the most yards I can get.”
It’s a confidence that permeates the entire team, from Thomas and the coaching staff all the way down to the last man on the bench. And if Houston is able to pull it o... Click here to read full article
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