Texas High School Tried Not To Run Up The Score, Won 91-15 Anyway

The Connally Cougars bludgeoned the Cedar Creek Eagles 91-15 under last Friday night's lights, pulling up just 12 points shy of a 43-year-old Texas state scoring record. That binge put Connally, a high school north of Austin, in infamous company. The other team to reach 91 points lately was Refugio, a school that has become notorious for running up the score on opponents. Outside the Lines, and the impression imparted was that its coach was an inadvertent, terminal dick whose Pac-Manian curse in life is to pursue touchdowns that, even in bushels, will never, ever satisfy him.

But the Austin American-Statesman's Danny Davis is convinced Connally's coach tried not to grind Cedar Creek, a new school southeast of Austin, into the dust.

Connally racked up 552 yards of offense over just 46 plays on Friday, and the Cougars only attempted five passes. [Coach Howard] McMahan said that he pulled his starters after the first series of the second half and [Laquinn] Sorrells, who had one carry over Connally’s first four games, was the team’s third-string running back [yet rushed for 277 yards and six touchdowns]. In the second half, which was played with a running clock, the Cougars weren’t allowed to snap the football until five seconds were left on the play clock.

K-MAC Sports webcast the slaughter, so I was able to listen to the game’s second half. By my count, Connally ran 14 plays in the third and fourth quarters. Aside from two muffed snaps, the Cougars ran the football on the other 12 plays, and McMahan said the team called for the same “inside zone” run on each snap.

The Cougars still scored touchdowns on each of their four second-half possessions.

This came against a Cedar Creek team that apparently suited up just 30 players and which has now lost 13 of the 15 games it has ever played, with 10 of those in 60-plus-point blowouts.

Further evidence Connally isn't some juggernaut feasting on the bones of weaker boys: Connally somehow is only 2-3 on the season.

Prepped and Ready: Connally's 91-point night [statesman.com]

Photo credit of a search for "blowout" on the Associated Press database that didn't feature either of these schools' football teams: AP