Both the Timber Creek Falcons and their starting quarterback Jacob Porter were crowned victorious in their 2021 Homecoming game, with the team toppling West Mesquite High School 40-35 and Porter crowned Homecoming King.
It was a tale of two halves for the Falcons. The first half showed promise, yet left the Falcons in a tight spot going into the locker room.
The Falcons began the game finding a few yards on each drive, yet ultimately ended up punting for the majority of their plays for the first quarter. After the first quarter, the Falcons found themselves down by fourteen points.
The second quarter started strong, with a passing touchdown from Porter to Allbritton but a missed PAT. Unfortunately, West Mesquite would then score twice more. The Falcons would ultimately score one more touchdown (once again, Porter to Allbritton) to close out the first two quarters. After one half of action, the Falcons trailed West Mesquite by a score of 12-28.
As the band played, Sky Dancers kicked, and the hotdog lines got long, the Falcons prepared for what was to be nothing short of a stellar second half.
The Wranglers received the ball to start the half, yet went three and out on their first drive. Timber Creek responded with a resilient touchdown play to Lonnie Johnson, and then a successful “Philly Philly” trick play that gave Jacob Porter the catch for the two-point conversion.
Down 20-28, Timber Creek kicked the ball off to West Mesquite. The “dark side” defense prevailed through on this drive. After the Falcons notched three consecutive sacks, WMHS was forced to punt the ball.
Although the Falcons fumbled on this drive, they almost immediately got the ball back after a great read from the defense resulted in an interception. Then, after a long drive, the Falcons finally punched it in. Adding a two-point conversion, TCHS finally climbed back to a one-possession game and were down 26-28 with 4:10 left in the third quarter.
West Mesquite tried to get a drive going, yet were halted by Josh Compton’s great tackle on 3rd down for a loss of two yards, forcing the Wranglers to punt.
In what was arguably play of the night, Jacob Porter added a touch of magic to the drive. Being pinned back deep inside of Timber’s own endzone, Porter scrambled out of the pocket to take the ball 50+ yards to the other side of the field. The drive was then capitalized with a great throw over the defense, giving the Falcons the touchdown. The two-point conversion was scored, and with only ten minutes left in the ballgame, Timber Creek took their first lead of the entire game at 34-28.
West Mesquite would again go three and out, giving the Falcons the ball back. Not settling with the score, the Falcons drove back and capitalized on another great scramble play by Porter, this one for a touchdown. The two-point conversion was no good, yet the Falcons still held a 40-28 lead.
Though the Wranglers would respond with a touchdown and PAT, their long and timely drive would cost them. Timber lead West Mesquite by a score of 40-35, and TCHS would recover the onside kick. From then on out it was all smiles on the Falcon sideline, as Porter took the knee to run out the clock.
When it was all said and done, the Falcons got their first scratch in the win column, by beating West Mesquite High School by a score of 40-35.
Although there were many incredible solo performances on both sides of the ball, what stood out the most was how this team played as one. From high-energy sidelines to phenomenal blocking on run plays and interception returns, this team stuck together through all four quarters of the game.
“I think it showed our resilience, our way to get physical” said coach Brad Stowe when asked over the team’s performance. “Things can go wrong in a game that are out of our control. The only thing that we can do in response is just to stay focused and do what we do in practice, and I think that showed tonight.”
The Falcons look to carry this momentum into the beginning of district play, starting on October 1st. The Falcons take on Fossil Ridge High School, and TCHS is the away team. The game will be held at the Keller ISD athletic complex with kick-off at 7 p.m.
View photos from the Varsity Football Homecoming crowning and game against West Mesquite High School on Sept. 16, 2021. All photos available for purchase here.
