Plains football nabs final playoff berth with last-minute win over Smyer

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

DISTRICT 4-2A DIVISION II

PLAINS 37, SMYER 36

PLAINS — Adrian Contreras caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Vargas with 33 seconds remaining to lift the Cowboys to a one-point victory. The score capped Plains' comeback after trailing 36-25 with 7:01 to go.

It was a back-and-forth affair, as the teams traded scoring runs of 19 and 30 points. The Cowboys built a 25-6 late in the first half before Smyer responded with 30 unanswered. Plains scored two TDs in the final 5:17 of the game to end the Thursday afternoon contest at Cowboy Stadium. The regular season finale was rescheduled to accommodate Plains' cross country team, which went on to win the state championship Friday.

What this game means: The Cowboys (4-6 overall, 2-3 district) clinched the district's final playoff berth, eliminating Smyer in the process. Plains has reached the playoffs in three consecutive years and matched last season's win total. The Cowboys have made the postseason in four of five years under coach Mike Martinez.

Thursday's highlights: Contreras, lined up in the slot, got away from a linebacker on an out route to snag the deciding TD on third-and-goal. The senior traveled to Round Rock shortly after the game for the state cross country meet, where he finished 34th.

The game-winning drive was set up by a punt deflection by Alan Gallegos that caused a 15-yard kick. Gallegos also made a tackle on the final kickoff to stop a long return at the Smyer 44-yard line.

Thursday's stars: Contreras finished with eight catches for 150 yards and two TDs, including a 65-yarder. He also ran for a score. Vargas was 25-of-38 passing for five TDs and an interception, adding 85 yards on the ground. Smyer's Shawn Barrett caught four passes for 140 yards and three TDs. He had a 96-yard scoring grab after Peyton Casillas found Barrett on a broken play.

Plains coach Mike Martinez: "I've been proud of a lot of teams, but we've never really been down two scores with five minutes to go and playoffs on the line. We were today, and they answered the call. They answered the bell. We weren't playing good, and something lit up in them. They just took over and they did what they were supposed to do the whole game."

Up next: Plains will face the District 3-2A D-II champion, which will be decided Friday night between Sudan and Ralls. In consecutive weeks, the Cowboys lost 35-14 to Ralls and 56-12 to Sudan in late September.

DISTRICT 4-2A DIVISION II

Plains 37, Smyer 36

Smyer 6 8 16 6 — 36

Plains 6 19 0 12 — 37

SCORING SUMMARY

First quarter

PLA — Adrian Contreras 3 run (run failed), 3:49

SMY — Preston Moore 30 run (run failed), 2:25

Second quarter

PLA — Riley Guetersloh 19 pass from Tyler Vargas (pass failed), 11:52

PLA — Guetersloh 19 pass from Vargas (pass failed), 5:49

PLA — Contreras 65 pass from Vargas (Kevin Gonzalez kick), 3:12

SMY — Shawn Barrett 7 pass from Peyton Casillas (Moore run), 1:55

Third quarter

SMY — Cody Armes 27 pass from Casillas (Christian Charles run), 9:23

SMY — Barrett 96 pass from Casillas (Ben Steele run), 3:54

Fourth quarter

SMY — Barrett 11 pass from Casillas (run failed), 7:01

PLA — Gavin Broome 9 pass from Vargas (pass failed), 5:17

PLA — Contreras 7 pass from Vargas (pass failed), 0:33

TEAM STATISTICS

First downs: (S) 13; (P) 23

Rushes-Yards: (S) 27-123; (P) 32-151

Passing: (S) 222; (P) 334

Comp-Att-Int: (S) 9-23-2; (P) 25-39-1

Punts-Avg: (S) 5-23; (P) 2-31.5

Fumbles-Lost: (S) 0-0; (P) 3-1

Penalties-Yards: (S) 7-59; (P) 8-71

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING: Smyer, Preston Moore 9-69, Christian Charles 5-26, Shawn Barrett 7-14, Peyton Casillas 4-11, Ben Steele 2-3. Plains, Tyler Vargas 14-85, Kyeson Cox 11-81, Baltazar Castillo 2-2, Adrian Contreras 3-1, Team 2-(-18).

PASSING: Smyer, Casillas 9-23-2—222. Plains, Vargas 25-38-1—334.

RECEIVING: Smyer, Barrett 4-140, Landon Polk 2-32, Cody Armes 1-27, Moore 1-13, Drew Overstreet 1-10. Plains, Contreras 8-150, Fermin Luna 5-63, Cox 5-32, Riley Guetersloh 4-63, Gavin Broome 3-26.

RECORDS: Smyer 2-8, 1-4; Plains 4-6, 2-3.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Plains football nabs final playoff berth with last-minute win over Smyer