11-29-24 Frisco Reedy
The Scots’ second stop on their 2024 Frisco World Tour will take place the day after Thanksgiving at the Ford Center at the Star in Frisco. The 11-1 Scots will face the 10-2 Frisco Reedy Lions at 7:00 p.m. in the regional semifinal playoff. The winner will advance to the regional finals next week against the winner of Frisco Lone Star and Midlothian.
Last Friday the Scots knocked off Frisco Wakeland, 38-10, while Reedy dispatched Georgetown, 49-45. It’s almost like districts 5-5A and 7-5A have locked everyone else in the region out of the playoffs. If HP beats Reedy and Midlothian beats Lone Star, then the regional champions will come from district 7-5A. Of course, the opposite could happen and both teams would come from district 5-5A. Either way, it showcases how tough and deep these two North Texas districts are.
Speaking of tough districts, how about 3-5A? Out of four teams in their semifinals, Aledo, Denton Ryan and Richland are all still alive. All three 5A teams have been in the state’s top 10 all season. The winner of Highland Park’s region will play the winner of their region in the state semifinals in two weeks.
Against Wakeland last Friday the Scots had another strong defensive game. Led by linebacker Anders Corn (6 tackles, 1 TFL, 3 sacks and 1 FR) he and his compadres held Wakeland to one touchdown and a field goal. They forced two turnovers (a fumble and a Jack Morse pick) and also Martin True blocked a punt. The Scots got points out of all three defensive plays. The HP defense held the Wolverines to 39 yards rushing on 25 carries.
Meanwhile over on offense, quarterback Buck Randall completed 19 of 29 passes for 268 yards and accounted for four touchdowns. Seven Scots caught passes, led by Cannon Bozman and his 143 yards. Running backs James Lancaster, Matthew White and Isaiah Lee combined for 63 rushing yards.
After taking a 14-3 halftime lead the Scots put together a 17-point third quarter to take a 31-10 lead going into the final period. The 38-10 win propels the Scots into the regional semifinals against Reedy.
The Reedy-Georgetown game was amazing. After Georgetown surged to a 38-point lead in the second quarter, Reedy snapped out of it, scored two TDs just before halftime then took over the second half, outscoring Georgetown, 28-0, to win 49-45. Georgetown scored 45 points in the first half and zero points in the second. Reedy picked up more than 500 yards of total offense.
Reedy has a solid quarterback, Jake Ferner, who completed 20 of 32 passes for 291 yards against Georgetown. Receiver Mason Easley caught eight of those passes for 184 yards. Running backs Triston Airy and Cade Hebel combined for 193 yards on the ground.
Defensive end Luca Akirtava is a dominant lineman. He’s 6’3”, 250 lbs. and runs a 4.9. Just your typical 250 lb. sprinter. Other top Reedy defenders to watch are linebacker Jackson Jennings and cornerback Josiah Fuksa.
Remember the Wakeland Wolverines from last week? On Sept. 20 Reedy beat them, 35-0.
The Scots go into Friday’s game with a high-octane offense, a smothering defense and special teams that are superlative. And they also have a sophomore quarterback who has 12 games under his belt and is now playing with the confidence and maturity of a senior.
After last week’s bizarre Reedy-Georgetown 49-45 game, the major question is whether the first half Reedy team or the second half Reedy team will take the field against Highland Park this Friday.
Nobody asked me but I believe the Scots will be prepared for both.