Leander Rouse rallies to beat Brenham, repeat as District 13-5A DII champs
LEANDER, Texas — Leander Rouse’s final and most consequential home game of the season had not gone according to plan for the Raiders.
After fighting tooth and nail to chip away at an early Brenham lead, Rouse’s offense trotted onto the field late in the fourth quarter searching for a breakthrough big play to swing momentum back in its favor.
But on the opening play of the drive, junior quarterback Mason Shorb snapped it out of the shotgun and turned to his right before firing to junior wide receiver Troy Oliver in the flats behind the line of scrimmage.
Oliver rushed toward the sideline before he heaved a deep pass over the top of the defense to senior wideout Jalen Becerra, who sprinted untouched to the end zone on an 81-yard passing touchdown to seize a 28-24 edge over the Cubs.
"Touchdown. That was it," Shorb said. "We called that play from the sideline. We got the defensive stop and when we went out there, before I snapped the ball I said, 'Touchdown.' We were practicing it and executed it. Jalen sold the block, took off and it was a wrap."
The trick-play score gave the Raiders their first lead with 4:10 left to play and highlighted a dominant 31-7 second-half run that powered Leander Rouse to a 31-24 comeback win over Brenham in the de facto District 13-5A DII championship game Friday night at A.C. Bible Memorial Stadium.
“We knew what we wanted, and that was that gold ball and to be back-to-back (district) champs," Shorb said. "We got in the huddle and told everybody, 'Let's play our best game.' We got our receivers the ball and we were catching better, the offensive line was making beautiful blocks and the defensive was playing a heck of a game and stopping them. The student section and the crowd brought us some great energy, and it was just all Rouse from there."
“It was big. The first half was kind of a struggle for our offense, but I knew that our offense would get rolling and our defense came to play today," junior defensive end and tight end Ben Armstrong said. "We came to play and had a big game. I'm just so happy for all my teammates and our seniors — they deserve this so much — and all my coaches. I love my coaches."
PHOTOS: Leander Rouse rallies to beat Brenham, repeat as District 13-5A DII champs
Rouse trailed 10-0 by halftime and had fallen in a 17-0 hole to the Cubs midway through the third quarter.
Brenham’s defense wreaked havoc during a first half in which the unit tallied five sacks and didn’t give up a first down until the first snap of the second quarter.
But despite Brenham’s early edge, the Raiders rallied behind the strength of their quick-hitting offense and dominant defensive front.
“We're brothers. We came together and we were like, 'Hey, we've got to get this done,'" Armstrong said. "We knew what was on the line and I think coming together and playing as a team was what it was all about."
“I mean after that first full-shot pass to Jalen on the sideline, he took it up and the energy just shot up and everyone was ready to go," Shorb said. "We knew we could get back in this thing, like last year (against Brenham), and we wanted to take it home."
Shorb and Rouse’s vaunted aerial attack started humming shortly after Trenton Gilbert’s 4-yard rushing touchdown put Brenham up 17-0 with 7:47 left during the third quarter.
The Raiders, however, responded with back-to-back scoring drives beginning with a bomb of a touchdown pass to Becerra from near midfield on the ensuing drive. Rouse found the end zone again on a QB sneak by Shorb on 3rd and goal from the goal line with 88 seconds remaining in the third.
The Cubs capitalized with one more second-half score after stopping a potential third consecutive Rouse scoring drive on 4th and short when Brenham senior quarterback Steven Stackhouse connected with senior receiver Eric Hemphill for his second passing touchdown with 7:45 to go in regulation.
Shorb and the Raiders, however, punched back with the two longest touchdown passes of the game.
Rouse’s signal caller found Oliver, who shook off two tacklers before racing down the sideline untouched for a 68-yard touchdown pass with 6:42 left to play. Shorb’s second touchdown throw set up the team’s next score on the trick-play screen pass, which gave the Raiders a lead that they never relinquished.
"Our offense can play, but I think it was good to come from behind, especially since we haven't experienced that a lot. It showed the heart that we have," Armstrong said.
The Raiders comeback bid would have fallen short if not for the team’s spectacular second-half defensive performance, though.
Rouse started to turn the tide defensively during the waning moments of the first half when senior safety Luke Mietus pulled down a tipped-pass interception in the back of the end zone to rob Brenham of a touchdown with 44 seconds until halftime.
The Raiders continued to claw their way back into the game on the defensive side of the ball with numerous stops on short third- and fourth-down conversion attempts and disrupted the Cubs’ rhythm through the air with several sacks that electrified the crowd during crunch time.
Brenham had two opportunities to respond after Rouse’s Oliver-to-Becerra touchdown pass.
The Cubs squandered their first chance by coughing up a fumble on the second play of the drive which gave the Raiders terrific field position with time winding down.
Brenham kept the Raiders out of the end zone, but back-to-back flags on fourth down for offsides and roughing the holder penalties on a missed field-goal attempt that breathed new life into Rouse’s late drive.
The Raiders ultimately added a short field goal to move ahead 31-24 with 97 seconds left during the fourth quarter. The Cubs drove down to the Rouse 29-yard line before their Hail Mary heave to the end zone fell incomplete on fourth and long with 2 seconds remaining.
“I saw a lot of heart from those guys from Zach Lacombe, Jacob DeLeon and Jake Smith to everyone on the D-line," Shorb said of Rouse's defense. "The D-line was getting maximum pressure and the DBs were playing a heck of a game. They had heart and they wanted to win, and that's what got us the win right there."
The loss snapped a seven game winning streak for Brenham and dropped the Cubs to 8-2 overall and 6-1 against District 13-5A DII opposition.
The Cubs will take the district’s second seed into the postseason, where Brenham will face the Marble Falls Mustangs (7-3, 4-2) in the bi-district round of the Class 5A Division II playoffs at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Cub Stadium in Brenham.
"Brenham is a great team," Armstrong said. "That was some great competition and I think one of the better teams that we'll see as we move throughout the playoffs."
The victory, meanwhile, extended Rouse’s active winning streak to seven games and helped the team improve to 8-2 overall and 7-0 in district play. It also helped the Raiders lock up back-to-back District 13-5A DII championships and the district’s top seed heading into the postseason.
Leander Rouse will host its bi-district round matchup against the Austin Travis Rebels (3-5, 3-3) in the 5A DII playoffs at 7 p.m. Friday at A.C. Bible Memorial Stadium in Leander.
“Tomorrow we'll go into film study and get everyone healthy," Shorb said. "We just have to stay calm, stay humble and know we've got a run ahead of us."
