9-5-25 Lovejoy
The Scots will saddle up on Friday and take the Preston Trail north to Lucas, Texas, to tangle with the Lovejoy Leopards. Like last week, the game will feature two ranked teams which should result in an exciting game.
Last Friday the Scots were stunned as the season began with Rockwall Heath’s Carter Zahm returning the opening kickoff 99 yards for a fist-in-the-mouth touchdown. Then the Hawks blocked a Scots field goal and turned that into a touchdown drive that put the Hawks ahead, 14-0, four minutes into the game.
Then the Scots woke up.
The HP defense held Heath to three points the rest of the half while the HP offense lit up the sky with five touchdowns. HP quarterback Buck Randall hit Case Messer with a 27-yard scoring strike, followed by three Cannon Bozman touchdowns from 9, 37 and 47 yards out. Including Randall’s one-yard plunge, HP built up a 35-17 lead and several Scots fans started thinking about where to meet for dinner.
The Scots’ sudden turnaround was good until it was not. They relaxed at the half and let their guard down.
Highland Park traditionally will win the halftime adjustments but it was the Hawks who came roaring out in the third quarter, seizing the momentum with 21 points and tightening the score to 42-38 at the end of the quarter. Most importantly, the Hawks had the momentum heading into the final period. While most of the damage was done by the arm of Heath QB Prosper Neal, The Hawks’ two fourth quarter scores came on runs of 20 and 26 yards. Randall scored from the one to tighten the score to 52-49. The Scots were valiant in the end but the clock slammed the door on their plans to win the game.
The best parts of the game for the Scots were Randall’s 399 passing yards and Bozman’s 209 receiving yards, both superlative efforts. Randall put up Matthew Stafford numbers and Bozman looked like both of the Dickenson twins from the 2005 state championship team.
Other than losing the game, the worst outcome for the Scots was the loss of sophomore tackle Colton Williams to a severe knee injury. He’s still got a great future but it has been postponed for a while.
Last week’s trivia question centered on Colton’s father, Kyle Williams, who played for Randy Allen at HP, then went on the star at USC and the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL. He was one of only four offensive linemen in the history of college football to block for three Heisman Trophy winners. Who were they? The answer: USC QB Carson Palmer in 2002, USC QB Matt Leinart in 2004 and USC running back Reggie Bush in 2005.
The Scots’ major challenge this Friday is to slow down Lovejoy quarterback James Janecek, who is lethal on the ground and lethal passing. Pick your poison. Last week he averaged 11.9 yards per run (on 11 carries) and 13.3 yards per completion on 12 of 23 passing.
The Leopards beat the Lubbock Cooper Pirates, 35-31, last week, so they are on a early-season winning streak.
This game features two ranked teams and two legendary coaches but the outcome will be determined by HP slowing Janecek and the Leopards slowing the explosive Randall & Bozman Show.