The Galveston County Daily News

GALVESTON — Down by double digits in the third quarter Friday, it appeared as though the Dickinson Gators’ playoff hopes were about to be put to bed.

Then the Gator running attack awoke from its slumber.

Dickinson scored four touchdowns and rushed for 269 yards in the second half as it roared back for a 35-28 upset win over Ball High. The win puts Dickinson in control of its own destiny for a spot in the playoffs.

After gaining just 128 yards (32 on the ground) in the first half, Dickinson head coach Warren Trahan said he challenged his team to keep its playoff hopes alive.

“I told the seniors at halftime if they wanted just play one more game in their careers, they should play like they did in the first half,” Trahan said. “It was time for them to take control or get to play one last game just for giggles.”

Dickinson (6-3 overall, 4-2 district) certainly took control of the game after falling behind 21-7 in the third quarter, thanks to a three-headed running attack of Corey Thomas, Tyrell Preston and quarterback Clay Honeycutt.

Thomas rushed for 155 of his 171 yards in the second half. Honeycutt capped off a pair of drives led by Thomas with short touchdown runs to tie the game at 21 near the end of the third quarter.

“It was a must-win situation, so we knew we had to step it up,” Thomas said. “That was all determination and effort in the second half.”

Then in the fourth quarter, Preston joined in the fun. The sophomore broke free on a run, juked a defender at midfield and raced 61 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.

It was Preston’s first touchdown of his high school career.

“It felt real good,” Preston said with a big smile. “All I was thinking about was getting into the end zone on that play. Once I made a move on that guy, I knew I was going to score.”

The Gators scored their fourth unanswered touchdown with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Honeycutt to Tovonte Collins with 4:23 remaining in the game.

Ball (5-4, 4-2) wouldn’t go down quietly though. On the very next play, Dominique Brown scored on an 80-yard touchdown run, cutting the deficit back to seven.

However, the Tor defense couldn’t come up with a final stop, as Thomas converted a fourth-and-2 for the Gators with less than a minute remaining to seal the win.

Preston added 95 yards and Honeycutt had 36 rushing for the Gators. Honeycutt only attempted two passes in the second half, as the ground game proved too tough to stop. He finished with 108 yards through the air.

“We didn’t do anything differently defensively in the second half,” Ball coach David Suggs said. “We just didn’t play like we are capable of in the second half.”

Ball looked to be in the drivers’ seat for most of the first half. Quarterback Rodney Artmore scored twice before halftime — on a 10-yard run and a 25-yard pass to Billy Williams. Artmore also had a 1-yard run in the third quarter to give the Tors the 21-7 lead.

The passing game ultimately did the Tors in. Artmore didn’t complete a pass in his final eight attempts, throwing three interceptions. Jashaud Sims had two of those picks, while Shawn Foster had the other.

Dickinson’s lone first half touchdown came on 14-yard touchdown pass from Honeycutt to Jermaine Jenkins.

Ball now has gone from first place to the playoff bubble. The Tors need to win at Brazoswood on Friday or have Clear Creek lose to clinch a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2006.

Meanwhile, Dickinson needs to win its home finale against Clear Springs on Thursday or have Ball or Creek lose to clinch its third consecutive postseason berth.