Second-half surge sends Dawson past Sam Rayburn 31-6

October 23, 2025

HEADING TOWARD THE PAY STATION
Dawson junior wide receiver Corey Brown breaks loose on a screen pass for a 45-yard touchdown vs Sam Rayburn.
The win seals a welcome return to the playoffs for Dawson after narrowly missing out last season on a miracle finish by Dobie.
The Eagles will travel to Alvin to face the Yellowjackets at Alvin Memorial Stadium on Friday, October 24, then finish up their regular season at home vs Manvel on Halloween before enjoying a bye in the final week of the regular season.
[Photo by Lloyd Hendricks]

Sometimes the way a game begins is not the way it ends up as Dawson experienced in the district contest with Sam Rayburn.

In the first two offensive possessions by Dawson, the Eagles drove the ball twice deep in Rayburn territory, once on the two-yard line and the second time on the seven-yard line. Both times the Texans recovered the ball.

"We made a few mistakes but were able to overcome the struggles by continuing to believe in each other," said Dawson head coach Mike Allison.

Despite the early turnovers, the Eagles managed to lead 10-0 at halftime after a scoreless first quarter by both teams.

With 8:54 left in the second quarter, Dawson kicker Noah Abela drilled a 36-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.

The Eagles added one more score before intermission when QB Luke Brown scored on a 15-yard keeper to increase the lead to 10-0 after the PAT hit the mark by Abela with 2:19 left in the second quarter.

The second half didn't start any better for Dawson as they fumbled the ball on the first play following the ensuing kickoff and Rayburn scooped up the ball at the Eagle 48 and took it to the pay station to cut the lead to 10-6 with 10:56 left in the third quarter.

That would be as close as Rayburn would get as the Eagles scored 21 unanswered points in the third quarter.

Luke Brown hit WR Corey Brown on a 45-yard scoring strike; RB Evan Delucia scores on a 21-yard run; and Luke Brown found pay dirt on a 10-yard keeper to post the 31-6 final score.

Dawson outgained the visitors 361 total yards to 190 total yards.

Luke Brown hit 9-of-12 passing for 164 yards and one TD while rushing for 60 yards on nine carries and two scores.

DeLucia had two carries for 54 yards and one TD and RB Gregory Earl had six totes for 84 yards.

WR Calvin Wesley had five catches for 82 yards, Corey Brown had two grabs for 56 yards and one score, and Josiah McFarland had two grabs for 26 yards.

"This year’s team has grown a lot since the summer," said coach Allison. "We had multiple kids that were getting their first varsity game experience Week One of the season. They have improved each week, and we hope to continue that trend. We must continue to do all we can to win games."