Stepp's Top 10 Texas High School Football Games of 2019: No. 2 Rockwall 60, Allen 59

Rockwall (Photo by John Hamilton)

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November 22, 2019

Rockwall 60, Allen 59: Allen had earned seven straight regional titles and hadn’t lost in a playoff game before the state semifinals since the days before Kyler Murray took his first snap for the Eagles.

Rockwall, aided by a virtuoso performance from five-star WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, dethroned Allen in an absolute thriller, 60-59. The Ohio State signee caught 15 passes for 252 yards and five touchdowns and also ran for a touchdown in the win, overshadowing a heroic effort from Allen QB Raylen Sharpe.

The SMU commit threw for 459 yards and five touchdowns, while also rushing for 112 yards and a score.

Rockwall raced out to a 28-14 lead in the first quarter as Smith-Njigba was on a torrid pace catching four touchdown passes from sophomore QB Braedyn Locke to stake Rockwall to the early lead.

Allen would cut the lead to 28-21 before the end of the first quarter as Darrion Sherfield caught a 67-yard touchdown pass from Sharpe, and the game from that point settled down (a bit). Rockwall would extend the lead to 38-24 in the second quarter on Smith-Njigba’s fifth touchdown reception, but from that point on Allen’s defense made some adjustments with brining pressure and forced Rockwall to get rid of the ball quickly, which at least slowed the ‘Jackets down a bit the rest of the way.

Sharpe threw two more long touchdown passes before halftime to Blaine Green and Sheffield to tie the game at 38.

Rockwall would seize control of the game in the first 10 minutes of the third quarter going up 52-38 as Zach Henry and Smith-Njigba scored on touchdown runs. But then Allen would rattle off 21-straight points to race ahead 59-52 with 7:41 left in the game. Momentum shifted for Allen, who, on the first play after Rockwall went up 14, cut the lead back to seven on Justin Johnson’s 75-yard touchdown catch from Sharpe. Then Allen’s defense forced a Rockwall fumble and two plays later Sharpe scored on a seven-yard run to tie the game at 52.

After getting a stop, Allen would take the lead back at 59-52 as Justin Hall scored from two yards out. Rockwall would have one more answer on the ensuing drive going the length of the field to score with 1:23 left as Kade Klinkovsky caught a two-yard touchdown pass from Locke to make it 59-58, setting up Coach Rodney Webb’s pivotal decision to go for two and the win.

With Smith-Njigba sidelined with cramps, Webb dialed up a reverse pass, aka “Philly Special,” but the execution was poor as the snap was bobbled by Locke, who then handed to WR Caden Marshall. Marshall eluded an Allen defender and lofted a wobbly pass to the end zone that WR JJ Williams made a fantastic adjustment on to get the ball in traffic and give Rockwall the one-point lead.

Allen only needed a field goal to win and the Eagles marched into Rockwall territory, but on 4th and seven from the Rockwall 40, Allen QB Sharpe was knocked out of bounds after just a five yard run and Rockwall would take one knee and advance past Allen en route to what would be a state semifinal run for the Yellow Jackets.

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