Carrollton – Bryce Hicks scored on a 33-yard pass from MJ Morris with 41 seconds remaining to give Carrollton a 37-32 victory over Westlake in the Class 6A quarterfinals Friday night at Grisham Stadium.
Hicks’ touchdown, his fourth of the night, helped Carrollton avoid a second-half collapse, as the Trojans had seen a 24-point lead turn into a one-point deficit in a span of about 16 minutes.
The victory puts seventh-ranked Carrollton (12-1) in the semifinals for the first time since its 2013 team reached the championship game. The Trojans had been in the quarterfinals the past five years but were eliminated in that round each time. Carrollton will play next week at top-ranked Buford, which defeated No. Lee County 27-0 Friday in a rematch of the 2020 state final. Fifth-ranked Westlake finished the year 10-3.
Carrollton began its game-winning drive on its 30-yard with 4:28 remaining after Westlake had taken its only lead of the night at 32-31 on a 32-yard pass from RJ Johnson to Demarius Hines. The Trojans used seven plays to reach the Westlake 33, where they faced a third-and-6 play. Morris threw short to Hicks, who squeezed his way between defenders and the left sideline to reach the end zone.
Hicks finished with four catches for a team-leading 60 yards and rushed for 141 yards, with touchdown runs of 29, 5 and 45 yards.
“You can’t say enough about Bryce,” Carrollton coach Joey King said. “He ran it, he caught it, he did a little bit of everything. He did a heck of a job at corner, too. He’s a really good football player. I’m proud of him.”
Struggling offensively through two and a half quarters, Westlake made a game of it after Carrollton’s Jacob Russell kicked a 30-yard field goal for a 24-0 lead with 8:04 remaining in the third quarter.
The Lions scored on their next three possessions, all in less than five minutes, and cut the lead to 24-19 with 2:12 left in the quarter. Johnson threw three touchdown passes in that stretch - a 34-yarder to TJ Booker and 65- and 80-yarders to Cayden Lee.
Carrollton responded with a six-play drive that ended with Hicks’ 45-yard touchdown run on the second play of the fourth quarter to push the lead back to 31-19, but Westlake answered again with a 30-yard touchdown run by Zina Mulbah, cutting the deficit to 31-25 with 10:06 left.
Westlake then forced a Carrollton punt and took possession at its 18 with 7:53 left and proceeded to drive 82 yards in nine plays, taking the lead on Hines’ touchdown reception and setting the stage for Carollton’s final drive.
“We played a great first half, and then it slipped away,” King said. “Hats off to their coaches. They coach, too. Those guys do a heck of a job over there. We came back and punched one in and they answered. Right there at the end we had to take one down and score, and then our defense had to hold them. They’ve got some explosive guys all over the field. I love our kids. They never quit, and they fought for each other. They love each other and believe in each other.”
After the slow start, Westlake finished with a 561-426 advantage in total offense. Johnson was 19-of-29 passing for 382 yards and four touchdowns, two of which went to Lee, who had 220 yards receiving on seven catches. Jai’den Thomas ran for 91 yards on 13 carries.
Carrollton’s Morris was 10-of-11 passing for 196 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 69 yards on 18 carries. One of his touchdown passes went to himself, as he caught a ball that was deflected at the line of scrimmage and ran up the middle for a 25-yard touchdown that gave the Trojans a 21-0 lead with 14 seconds to play in the first half. Hicks accounted for the Trojans first two touchdowns on runs of 29 and 5 yards.
Westlake – 0-0-19-13 – 32
Carrollton – 7-14-3-13 – 37
First quarter
C – Bryce Hicks 29 run (Jacob Russell kick), 6:33
Second quarter
C – Hicks 5 run (Russell kick), 10:57
C – MJ Morris 25 pass from Morris (Russell kick), 0:14
Third quarter
C - Russell 30 field goal, 8:03
W - TJ Booker 34 pass from RJ Johnson (kick blocked), 6:48
W - Cayden Lee 65 pass from Johnson (Grant Roundtree kick), 4:17
W - Lee 80 pass from Johnson (run failed), 2:12
Fourth quarter
C - Hicks 45 run (Russell kick), 11:26
W - Zina Mulbah 30 run (run failed), 10:06
W - Demarius Hines 32 pass from Johnson (Roundtree kick), 4:35
C - Hicks 33 pass from Morris (run failed), 0:41
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