Role reversal: Dobie offensive tackle Treg Spigner (79) clings to the leg of North Shore defensive back Jacoby Walker, preventing a touchdown after Walker intercepted a Longhorn pass midway in the third quarter.
MUSTANGS START FAST, LEAVE HORNS IN WAKE
HOUSTON -- North Shore quarterback Micah Thomas ran for three touchdowns and teammate Jacoby Walker intercepted three Dobie passes as the Mustangs ousted the Longhorns from the Class 5A Division I playoffs with a 34-14 first-round victory Friday night at Galena Park ISD Stadium.
Thomas scored on TD runs of 27 and 9 yards to give his team a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and force Dobie to play catchup, a dilemma for the run-oriented Longhorns.
Dobie quarterback Deandre Bolden cut the Mustangs' lead in half with a 35-yard TD pass to Kyle Lohse late in the first quarter. And Bolden added a second TD strike - a 7-yard toss to Vance Leonard - late in the third quarter.
But Walker picked off three of Bolden's passes, robbing the Longhorns' offense of any chance to keep pace with the speedy Mustangs.
Andrew Robinson, District 22-5A's leading rusher, was held to his lowest total of the season, just 37 yards on 14 carries. Robinson was averaging 158 yards a game through 10 regular-season contests.
As a team, the Longhorns netted only 47 yards on the ground to go with Bolden's 165 yards through the air.
Thomas was merely one-half of a North Shore quarterback combo that bore a resemblance to what the Longhorns once had in Blake Jackson -- before the Dobie senior was sidelined with an ankle injury early in the season.
Tyrone Newsome handled most of the quarterback chores for the Mustands, running for 84 yards and completing 10 of 14 passes for another 125. Thomas had the honor of capping three drives with his quick feet.
The Mustangs extended their 14-7 lead by three when Enrique Perez kicked a 27-yard field goal to end the half. A 20-yard TD run by Thomas in the third quarter and a 21-yard field goal by Perez gave North Shore a 27-7 lead.
The Longhorns fought back stubbornly with a drive capped by Bolden's 7-yard TD pass to Leonard.
But with 8:19 left in the game, North Shore running back Davonte Milton settled the issue with a 69-yard dash to the end zone. Milton led all rushers with 111 yards on 12 carries.
Dobie finished the season at 7-4. North Shore will take an 8-3 record into the second round of the playoffs.
Dobie's Vance Leonard draws cheers as he hits the end zone after catching a 7-yard TD pass from Deandre Bolden late in the third quarter. The Longhorns used the score to pull within 27-14.
Dobie's Fabian Davalos takes down North Shore quarterback Micah Thomas short of a first down in the third quarter. The stop forced the Mustangs to settle for a field goal.
Andrew Robinson tries clearing the right side in his final game for the Longhorns.
Dobie defenders Vaughn Leonard (21), Daryl Edwards (40) and Jessy Cedeno (36) close in on North Shore's Derrick Gillis after a second-quarter reception. Cedeno made the tackle.
North Shore defensive lineman Justin Provost (59) drags down Dobie's Kelton Bailey.
Dobie's Chris Stockman (19) breaks up a pass intended for North Shore's Kevin Alexander (15).
GAME ALBUM
