Champions know, "It's not how you start, but how you finish."

Things didn't go well for the Chargers in the first half. Plainview controlled the line of scrimmage and converted a high percentage of third down opportunities as they build a 14-0 lead. The Charger offense struggled to find a rhythm and were held scoreless in the first half – something no opponent has done since the 2019 State semifinal vs Lincoln Christian.

Somehow, the Charger found renewed energy and determination before emerging from the locker room to make a serious comeback bid.

Graham Murphy ignited the defense as he lit up the Indians running back for a loss on first down. Then, defensive linemen Rhett Davis and David Griffin stuffed another run attempt to force a Plainview third and long from deep in their own territory. Linebacker Carter Knowles sniffed out the pass play and made a leaping interception to give the Chargers a short field.

After a short Barrett Travis run, junior gunslinger Conner Quintero whipped a pass out to Boston Fuller who nearly scored before being pushed out at the 3 yard line. Travis punched in the first score of the game on the next play, cutting the lead to 14-7 and seizing the momentum.

With the aggressive Charger defense blitzing relentlessly, the Indians were able to connect on a deep pass near the red zone. Facing a fourth and short a few plays later, the Plainview quarterback dropped back to throw, but was was crunched between a blitzing Knowles and Cal Welker.

The teams traded possession the rest of the third quarter, and the Indians closed out the period with the ball on the Charger 3-yard line. They scored on the first play of the fourth quarter to take a 21-7 lead.

The Indians squibbed the kickoff directly to Kline Reuter, who dashed forward before being taken down near midfield. After a pair of successful power runs by Travis, and a short pass completion from Teagan Lawson to Porter England, the Chargers faced a third down and seven from the Indians' 37 yardline. Lawson dropped back, stepped up into the pocket, and connected with Knowles on an out. The lanky receiver pivoted back to the middle and found daylight as he carried defenders near the red zone. Consecutive rushes by Travis, following great lead blocking from the linemen and fullback Rhett Davis, pushed the ball close to the goal line.

Walker Wedel came in to spell an exhausted Travis, After two strong runs up the middle, Wedel pushed over the goal line for an answer score. The Hall trailed 21-14 with about 8 minutes remaining on the clock.

Freshmen gunners Tripp Thomas and Jackson Echalk combined to take down the Plainview returner at the 16 yard line. Sensing the second shift in momentum, the Charger defense rose to the occasion. Crawford Browne stuffed a first down run, Cal Welker batted down a pass attempt at the line, and Graham Murphy sniffed out a screen to stop the Indians and force a punt with about 6 minutes left in the game.

The Charger offense stuck to what was working and fed the Travis train. Following fantastic pull and lead blocking, the senior found the holes and edges to move the chains into Plainview territory. After a short pass from Lawson to Jerrod Williams, Jr., and another 10-yard run by Travis, the Chargers were threatening at the 32-yard line. Wedel entered the game to give Travis a chance to catch his breath again, and the sophomore tailback powered his first carry for 8 yards – and a facemask penalty moved the ball forward into the red zone with about 3 minutes to play.

It only took two power runs for a refreshed Travis to find pay dirt and even up the score at 21 with 2:47 to play.

After Plainview picked up a first down, the Charger defense stiffened and Jackson Lewellyn made a big sack to force a third and long. The Indians went for it all, but overthrew the route by about 10 yards and punted back to The Hall with about 40 seconds on the clock. Two Travis runs later, head coach Brett Bogert '05 called timeout with 1 second on the clock facing a third down from the Heritage 35-yard line.

On the final play of regulation, Lawson connected on a deep in-route to Williams, who tossed a pitch to a trailing Travis, but the exchange failed and Plainview fell on the loose ball to send it to overtime.

In overtime, the Charger defense stuffed Plainview on their first three rushing attempts to force a 4th and goal from the 13 yard line. The Indians rolled out and tried to throw into the end zone, but Knowles broke up the pass to spoil the home team's first overtime chance. 

Needing only to put points on the board, the Chargers played conservatively. Travis carried for five yards on a first down sweep. Then made a cutback behind a strong push from his line to get to the one yard line. After a timeout, Travis scored on an inside dive to cap off a thrilling comeback victory.

After a celebration penalty, Beau Butler booted in the point-after kick for a 28-21 win. The Chargers were required to attempt the extra point because point differential could come into play if two teams are tied in the District race. Plainvew beat Pauls Valley, the Chargers next opponent, by one point earlier this season. If Heritage Hall beats the Panthers next week, the Chargers will all but lock up the District title with only winless Purcell and Star-Spencer left on the schedule. However, if Pauls Valley scores an upset, several teams will remain alive in the District race and point differential could become the tiebreaker in certain scenarios.

Quintero led a modest, but efficient passing attack, completing 6 of 13 attempts for 50 yards. Lawson connected on 4 of his 6 attempts for 42 yards, but threw one interception. Williams and Fuller were their top targets, each catching 3 passes for 26 yards. Travis was once again lethal on the ground, especially in the second half, amassing 140 yards on 25 carries, three of which were touchdown runs. 

Leading the way for the resistance, Murphy (10 tackles, 2 loss) and Wedel (9 tackles, 1 loss) fired up the defense. Four Chargers recorded sacks – Knowles, Travis, Rhett Davis, and Ayers Kurtz. Knowles had the only takeaway on the night with an interception.

Pauls Valley is 5-2 overall and 3-2 in District play after crushing Anadarko 49-21 this week. Their two losses were 35-34 to Plainview and 41-34 in overtime against North Rock Creek. The Chargers have owned the Panthers in the head-to-head series (4-0), winning match-ups the last three seasons by 35, 36, and 39 point margins. Like the Plainview game, the Chargers will travel back to Pauls Valley in consecutive years to try to knock the Panthers out of title contention.

Written by Luke Steelman '93
Photos by Tina Walker