Muleshoe's Brennen Davis caps wild ASCO all-star football game with interception

Matt Landers spent the last week trying to get to know a bunch of football players he wasn't all too familiar with.

One of the players he couldn't get a good read on was Muleshoe linebacker Brennen Davis.

Physically, Davis is an imposing presence, standing at 6-foot-2 and weighing 200 pounds. But he doesn't say much, so Landers wasn't sure how Davis would respond when he asked the Mule to do a TV interview earlier this week.

Davis assured Landers he would be fine. He may be quiet, but he knows how to handle himself when called upon.

More: Photos: ASCO All-Star Classic high school football game

In the final minute of the ASCO all-star football game Saturday night at PlainsCapital Park-Lowrey Field, Davis proved to Landers one more time that he can come through when he's needed.

Landers' Red Team had overcome a 26-point halftime deficit and found itself with a 43-39 lead late in the game.

The Blue Team, led by the coaching staff from Stratford, whose quarterback Cody Rinne helped lead the Elks to the Class 2A-Division II state title in December, had one more chance to make a comeback.

Facing a fourth down, Rinne dropped back for what wound up as the final throw of his high-school career. Davis read the play from the start, tracked Rinne's throw and came up with the game-sealing interception.

"It felt great," Davis said. "We knew if we got a stop right there, we'd win the game and all we had to do was take a knee. Luckily (the) coaches put me in the right position to make a play."

Despite both Landers' Roosevelt and Davis' Muleshoe being in Class 3A, there wasn't much else the player and coach had in common. The two schools are in different divisions for football — Roosevelt in Division II, Muleshoe Division I — and their teams ran entirely different schemes.

There was a learning curve throughout the week for everybody involved with the game.

"You wanna talk about a great kid right there," Landers said of Davis. "I got to know him this week. He didn't really talk much. Trying to talk to him, he's a very quiet, little bit of a shy guy."

Davis also had to learn about his new one-time teammates.

"A lot of these guys are going to play college," Davis said, "and even if they're not, they're all dogs out here and they're all great players. They're great teammates and they treat you like family."

Even though it was essentially a scrimmage, the players took the game serious. The Red Team took it even more serious as it attempted to make the exhibition entertaining. They accomplished that, getting the crowd from both sides into the action and achieving what Landers would like to believe is the best comeback in ASOC game history.

"It's Texas high school football," Davis said. "Even though it's an all-star game, can't change it."

Many players made many memorable plays to make a memorable game, but Davis' interception will leave a lasting impression.

More: One last run: Area players ready to compete in ASCO All-Star Classic football game

"Couldn't have happened to a better young man," Landers said. "I'll be honest with you about that. What a great man that guy is. Proud of him sealing the deal like that. I told the guys we get a turnover, we win the game. Let's just get a turnover and we did. He came up with a big one right there."

ASCO ALL-STAR FOOTBALL CLASSIC

Saturday at Lowrey Field

Red Team 43, Blue Team 39

Scoring Plays

1st Quarter

6:04 — Blue Team: Cody Rinne 28-yard passing TD to Brady Barnett, PAT missed; 6-0

3:03 — Red Team: Bryan Chavira 15-yard passing TD to Michael Limon, PAT missed: 6-6

2nd Quarter

11:10 — Blue Team: Antonio Malone 8-yard rushing TD, PAT good; 13-6

4:38 — Blue Team: Cody Rinne 16-yard passing TD to Dru Jones, PAT good; 20-6

2:03 — Blue Team: Antonio Malone 2-yard rushing TD, PAT good; 27-6

:20 — Blue Team: Antonio Malone 18-yard rushing TD, PAT missed; 33-6

3rd Quarter

11:06 — Red Team: Jacob Bautista 54-yard rushing TD, 2-pt conversion good (Bryan Chavira to Marc Ramirez); 33-14

8:38 — Blue Team: Bryce Ford 10-yard rushing TD, 2-pt conversion fails; 39-14

:11 — Red Team: Bryan Chavira backwards pass to Luke Houston, who passes to Jacob Bautista for 36-yard TD, PAT good; 39-21

4th Quarter

9:51 — Red Team: Bryan Chavira 41-yard TD pass to Kash Bradley, 2-pt conversion good (Bryan Chavira to Michael Limon); 39-29

5:20 — Red Team: Bryan Chavira 1-yard TD run, PAT good; 39-36

3:13 — Red Team: Bryan Chavira 75-yard TD pass to Marc Ramirez, PAT good; 43-39

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Muleshoe caps wild ASCO all-star football game with interception