THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Houston High School Athletics

CHATTANOOGA – The moment that kept firing in the memory of a handful of Houston's players was the day after the Mustangs dropped their second straight game — a Week 3 contest against rival Germantown. Players were questioning themselves. Coaches were scrambling trying to figure out a way they could salvage a season that started 1-2. Whatever answers they sought worked to perfection. Houston didn't lose again, capping an impressive season by beating the giants of Class 6A football in Oakland, and by a convincing margin, 24-9, to capture its first BlueCross Bowl 6A championship Saturday at Finley Stadium. "I had to just cry for a bit," said game MVP and Houston senior running back Damon Sisa. "I was kind of reflecting on it all because this was my last game. To go out a state champion means a lot. We did something special." It was also Houston's first state championship appearance. The Mustangs (13-2) joined Riverside (2A) and Division II-A's Middle Tennessee Christian as first-time state champs. Houston had to knock off two unbeaten teams (Germantown and Brentwood) to get to Chattanooga. "I had to get me a ring," senior linebacker Jose Joiner said while chuckling before fighting back tears. "This is my last year, so I had to get me a ring. I'm just glad I did it with my brothers. Our season started off shaky, but we buckled down and fought through adversity to get here. We here and we did it." Sisa ran 30 times for 179 yards and a touchdown but Houston's defense may have saved its best performance for its last, holding the three-time defending state champs in check. The Mustangs slowed down Oakland's Daune Morris, who ran for 94 yards and a touchdown. Morris had ripped off over 1,100 combined rushing yards in four straight playoff games. "My emotions are running really high," junior linebacker Owen Waggener said. "This is a feeling I've never felt before. We've never been in this spot before so my heart is beating really hard. But nobody gave us a chance to win. Once we beat Germantown (quarterfinals) we knew we were destined for glory." Houston coach James Thomas capped his sixth season as head coach, and 19 years with the program, with the win he's long sought, and beat a team he wanted to face when the playoffs began. "We never wanted to play anyone else but Oakland because if you want to be the best, you've got to beat the best," Thomas said. "Oakland's been the best. But we were the best (Saturday)." The celebration began after defensive tackle Tony Williams snatched the ball out of the air just as Oakland quarterback Kyler Creasy was sacked with just over a minute left. Williams, who also had a fumble recovery earlier in the game, ran down Oakland's sideline for a touchdown, setting off a wave of emotion from Houston's bench. "We started 1-2," said Houston quarterback Chandler Day, who finished 3-for-15 passing for 25 yards and an interception in a heavy downpour. "That's what keeps coming to mind ... where we were, to where we are now. It's the perfect ending."

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Houston High School Athletics

'I HAD TO JUST CRY FOR A BIT:' HOUSTON'S HARD-EARNED FIRST TSSAA FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP BRINGS ALL THE EMOTIONS

GEORGE ROBINSON

Commercial Appeal | 12/5/2023