Postseason hopes and dreams are still alive and well for the Houston High School football team, as the Tigers posted a 40-32 victory at Ava Friday night in the first round of the Class 2 District 4 Tournament.
Houston trailed 16-14 at halftime, but outscored the host Bears 26-16 after the break.
Senior Jordan Arthur had a big night for the Tigers, scoring 3 rushing touchdowns, throwing a touchdown pass and hauling in a huge interception late in the game (his first of the season).
After Ava got on the board first and then led 8-6 in the second quarter, the Tigers held a brief 14-8 lead late in the period after Arthur scored on a 3-yard run and junior quarterback DJ Riley tacked on a 2-point conversion run with 1:05 left. But the Bears responded by scoring on a 27-yard run by junior running back Jacob Laub and a 2-point run by junior quarterback Aiden Lane.
In the third quarter, the Tigers regained the advantage at 20-16 on a 24-yard run by Arthur (from the wildcat formation), and Ava went back on top 24-20 on a 25-yard scamper by Laub and another 2-point run by Lane.
Then with 8:50 to go in the fourth quarter, Houston took a 26-24 lead on a trick play, with Riley handing off to Arthur and Arthur passing to Riley on the left side for a 24-yard touchdown. After sophomore Dillon Shelton kicked an extra point, the Tigers were up 27-24.
Houston regained possession moments later when senior Bryson Jordan picked up a fumble and ran about 30 yards before being tackled at the Bears’ 2-yard line. The Tigers quickly capitalized with a TD run by Arthur to lead 33-24.
Ava pulled to within a point with a 16-yard TD reception by Laub and a 2-point run by senior Thomas Merritt with just under 6 minutes remaining in the game.
But Houston’s offense mounted a decisive time-consuming drive and scored the final points of the contest on a 10-yard run by Jordan and an extra point by Shelton with 1:40 showing on the clock.
The Bears threatened again, moving the ball to the Tigers’ 27-yard line before Arthur picked off a pass in the end zone. The game ended with Riley taking a knee.
Ava defeated Houston 43-7 earlier this season and had won 9 of the last 10 meetings between the two squads.The Bears came into the contest seeded third in the tournament’s 8-team bracket and the Tigers were No. 6.
Thanks to the historic win, the Tigers (6-4) will travel to Mountain View next Friday (Nov. 8) to face No. 2 Liberty, a 12-8 winner over No. 7 Springfield Catholic in the first round.
