(Seguin) – Seguin rallied back from a 14-3 halftime deficit to lead No. 7 Dripping Springs on three occasions in the second half, but the Tigers used a touchdown run from Preston Alford and two-point conversion pass from Austin Novosad to Garon Duncan with just 13 seconds remaining to escape with a 32-31 win and claim the outright District 12-5A-Division I championship on Friday at Matador Stadium.
The loss leaves Seguin with a 6-4 overall record, a 5-2 district mark, and the No. 3 playoff seed in the district. The Matadors hit the road to face Manor, the No. 2 seed from District 11, on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Manor ISD Sports Complex.
Dripping Springs used a pair of Alford touchdown runs to build a 14-3 lead in the first half, the second of which punctuated a 15-play, 98 yard drive. Seguin’s only points before halftime came on Troy Falgout’s 24-yard field goal with 2:57 left in the first quarter.
Falgout handled kicking duties Friday night with starter Lenny Reyes unavailable due to injury. In addition to the field goal, Falgout went 4-4 on extra points.
Seguin turned the game’s momentum after halftime with a dominant third quarter. The Matadors took the opening drive of the period 80 yards in six plays, with John Jackson’s 14-yard touchdown run trimming the deficit to 14-10 at the 8:46 mark.
The Seguin defense forced the Tigers to punt with a three-and-out on the ensuing possession, and the offense followed with a seven-play, 71-yard march. Falgout’s touchdown on a quarterback sneak from two yards out put the Mats in front for the first time, 17-14 with 3:49 left in the third quarter.
The defense forced another three-and-out, and Seguin was poised to take a two-score lead until Dripping Springs defensive end Wyatt Leschber recovered a fumble by Jackson to give the Tigers a short field. The Matador defense kept the Tigers out of the end zone on the next drive, but Walker Wright’s 20-yard field goal tied the game up at 17 just four seconds into the fourth quarter.
Seguin wasted no time seizing the momentum back. Falgout hit Matthews with a 38-yard touchdown pass to cap a four-play, 67-yard drive with 10:03 left, and the Mats were back in front 24-17.
Dripping Springs only needed two handoffs to Alford to tie the game on the next possession. The first went from the Tigers’ 41 to the Seguin three for 56 yards, and the second covered the final three yards for a touchdown to knot the count at 24 with 4:50 to play.
Another two-yard quarterback sneak by Falgout with 1:44 left to finish a seven-play, 72-yard drive gave the Matadors their final lead, 31-24.
The Tigers moved the ball 63 yards in eight plays for the game winning touchdown and two-point conversion. Dripping Springs converted a fourth-and-six from the Seguin nine in the waning seconds to set up the final score.
Friday marked the third time in four years that Seguin and Dripping Springs have met late in the season with district title implications in a game decided by a touchdown or less. The Matadors came out on top in 2018 and 2020, but the Tigers emerged with the win this time.
“There’s a lot of respect between both programs,” Seguin head coach Craig Dailey said. “There’s been some history of good games between the two, and this is the first time I’ve been a part of it, but nothing but respect for that staff and their players. It’s a good program, and I think they have the same respect for us. It was a hard fought game that unfortunately someone had to win, and it wasn’t us this time.”
Seguin linebacker Allen Martinez intercepted Novosad in the first half. Matthews, the junior receiver, and Jackson, the sophomore running-back, both topped the 1,000-yard mark for the regular season in their respective categories.
Dripping Springs joins Buda-Johnson as a district opponent that came into Matador Stadium averaging 54 points per game and produced a season-low total by a considerable margin against the Seguin defense, although both teams left win victories.
The disappointment of coming up one play short notwithstanding, Seguin’s effort against Dripping Springs leaves Dailey optimistic heading into the playoffs.
“That fight we played with in the second half, if we bring that next week, I think we’re finally going to win a playoff game,” the coach said. “I’m so proud of our kids for fighting. I know it’s tough that we didn’t come out on top, but that’s a pretty good football team with a quarterback who’s probably one of the top five quarterbacks in the state for his age with the ball in his hand at the end. They made plays on that last drive, and our kids kept fighting. I’m super proud of them.”
Buda-Johnson (9-1, 6-1) secured the No. 2 playoff seed in the district with a 44-27 win over New Braunfels-Canyon on Friday. San Antonio-Veterans Memorial (6-4, 4-3) is the fourth seed.