By George Slaughter
The North Shore Mustangs rolled to a 47-22 playoff win over Tompkins in a regional playoff game Thursday at Legacy Stadium.
The loss ends a historic season for the Falcons, who won their first district title in school history. The Falcons finish at 10-1. The Mustangs, meanwhile, improve to 13-0 and will play the winner of Saturday’s Ridge Point-Atascocita game.
The Mustangs got to work early, racing to a 13-0 first quarter lead on a nine-yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Dematrius Davis and an 80-yard touchdown pass from Davis to Shadrach Banks.
Davis, an Auburn commit, went 14-of-18 for 302 yards and three touchdowns. He had 12 carries for 84 yards and four touchdowns.
The Mustangs added to their lead in the second quarter on Davis’s second touchdown pass, which went to senior wide receiver Charles King for 41 yards.
The Falcons got their first score with 6:18 in the first half when senior quarterback Jalen Milroe hit senior running back Marquis Shoulders for an 18-yard touchdown. Milroe, an Alabama commit, finished 10-of-21 for 50 yards.
North Shore responded with Davis’s third touchdown pass, this one for 28 yards to senior wide receiver Shadrach Banks, with 5:13 remaining in the first half.
North Shore extended its lead to 33-7 with a 23-yard run by Davis with 5:21 in the third quarter. The Falcons responded on the ensuing kickoff, when Shoulders returned it for a 76-yard touchdown.
Shoulders later scored on an 85-yard pass from Milroe early in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough to overtake the Mustang lead.
Davis had his final two touchdowns, from three and from seven yards, in the fourth quarter to put the game away for North Shore.
Clear Falls 10, Taylor 9
Clear Falls scored on a late field goal and defeated Taylor, 10-9, in a regional playoff game Thursday at Challenger Stadium.
Taylor finishes its season at 9-3. The Knights improve to 8-3 and will play the winner of the Katy-Shadow Creek game, which is set for Saturday.
Clear Falls scored first on a 24-yard run by sophomore running back Davis Smith, but the Mustangs came back with a 36-yard field goal by senior kicker Renan Baeta.
Taylor took the lead with 11:21 in the second quarter, when junior running back Michael Whitaker scored on an 11-yard run.
However, the extra point failed, and it set the stage for what proved to be the game-winner, a 33-yard field goal by junior kicker Riley Carleton with 5:36 remaining in the game.