Friendswood advances to playoffs to break two-year absence
November 13, 2024
The Mustangs last appearance in the playoffs was during the 2021 season when they finished 5-6 after they fell to Angleton 34-18 in the bi-district round. The Mustangs missed the post-season in 2022 and 2023, but they fought their way this season to extend their year.
“It’s been complimentary football, and we’ve taken advantage of opportunities like short fields and creating field position through special teams, and we’ve ran the ball well and had explosive plays; then, defensively, we’ve gotten off the field or created turnovers,” Friendswood head football coach Jordan Johnson said about the team’s improvements in the second half of the season.
“We’ve been challenging our guys to be the most physical team on the field, and they’ve been playing really physical in all three phases of the game,” Johnson added. “They’ve been playing with a lot of urgency, and I feel like it’s just fed into the energy that we have right now.”
The Mustangs came galloping out of the gate against Kempner as they scored twice in the first 1:18 minutes of the first quarter.
A quick opening possession for the Mustangs ended with a 29-yard touchdown pass from Mikey Butler (14-for-25, 201 yards) to Jaxson Lee (six receptions, 124 yards), and immediately after Jordyn Crites recovered a fumble on Kempner’s first play from scrimmage, Butler hit Garrett Muecke (five receptions, 67 yards) with a 10-yard TD pass.
Friendswood scored again when Muecke made a sensational 22-yard touchdown grab from Butler to bump the score to 21-0 to complete a 12-play, 64-yard scoring drive.
A 32-yard pick-6 by Nicholas Ruffeno was followed by a blocked extra point kick, but the ball was recovered in the end zone by Mustangs lineman Tyler Threadgill for the two-point conversion and a 29-0 score at the 4:22 mark of the first quarter.
Kempner finally managed to score a touchdown to make the score 29-7, but the Mustangs responded with two more scored before intermission to make the halftime score 42-7.
Friendswood answered with a 12-play, 80-yard drive capped by a Tripp Bateman (17 carries, 72 yards) 10-yard TD run for a 36-7 lead at the 9:11 mark of the second quarter.
The Mustangs tacked on another TD with 1:21 left in the second quarter on a 37-yard aerial strike from Butler to Lee for a commanding 43-7 margin at the halftime break.
Friendswood scored their final touchdown on a Josh Brister to Lee 31-yard scoring pass for a 49-7 advantage.
The Cougars scored a couple of TDs late in the game when the Mustangs were in total command to make the final 49-21.
Friendswood’s defense forced five turnovers — getting two interceptions by Jalen Ausbie and one interception from Mason Sindelar in addition to the aforementioned Ruffeno pick-6 and Crites fumble recovery — and held the Cougars to 45 rushing yards
The Mustangs (5-5 overall, 4-3 in District 11-5A-I), who last week clinched their district’s No. 4 playoff seed, take on District 12-5A-I champion A&M Consolidated (10-0, 8-0) — ranked No. 2 in the state in Class 5A-I — in their bi-district playoff game 7 p.m. Friday at Tigerland Stadium in College Station.
“We have to play our best football and be the best versions of ourselves in every phase,” Johnson said. “We’ve got to play physical, we’ve got to be sharp. I don’t think you go into a game and aim to tell your guys that they have to be perfect because I don’t want them playing tight, but we’re going to go play hard, execute on a high level and continue to try to play complimentary football and see where it takes us from there.”
