SAN ANTONIO — With the playoffs already out of reach and facing a 10-3 deficit early in the fourth quarter against MacArthur Friday night, New Braunfels had little to play for.
But that didn’t stop them from pulling off a dramatic comeback.
Junior quarterback John Simmons threw for a touchdown and ran for another late in the fourth quarter to give the Unicorns their first lead – one they would not relinquish as their defense batted down a last-ditch, fourth-down Hail Mary pass to clinch a 15-10 win over the Brahmas at Comalander Stadium.
“You get down early, and you’ve got nothing to play for but pride,” said New Braunfels head coach Chuck Caniford. “We’ve got pride.”
The win gives New Braunfels (6-4, 4-4) a fifth-place finish in the District 26-5A standings, behind playoff teams Madison, Smithson Valley, Roosevelt and Reagan.
MacArthur (5-5, 3-5) has to settle for sixth place with the loss.
But they had a lot of hope early on in Friday’s game.
The Brahmas took an early 7-0 lead with a 12-play, 80-yard drive capped by a Clinton Killough touchdown throw to Tyler Poland. The Brahmas defense stifled the Unicorn offense, which punted four times in the first two quarters and also turned the ball over on downs when a 4-and-1 rush was stuffed for a loss.
MacArthur added a 39-yard field goal to take a 10-0 halftime lead.
The Unicorn offense got things going on their first possession in the third quarter, though, using a 44-yard kick return by Daniel Martinez to move into Brahmas territory and eventually getting an Aaron Heyduk field goal to cut the lead to 10-3.
Meanwhile, the Unicorn defense forced the Brahmas to punt on their first four second-half possessions, including their first possession of the fourth quarter. On the ensuing drive, Unicorn quarterback Simmons threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Matt Schmid, who deftly evaded several tacklers after catching the quick screen pass.
New Braunfels forced another MacArthur punt, and the Unicorn offense capitalized again as Simmons scored on a 31-yard quarterback draw. Simmons had 132 yards passing and 77 rushing on the night.
Then, with about five minutes left on the clock, the Brahmas mounted one final drive into Unicorn territory, but defensive lineman Jason Purtle sacked Brahma quarterback Clinton Killough to force a long 4-and-26 play. On that play, a Hail Mary pass fell unanswered in the end zone, and the Unicorns’ comeback was complete.
“Our defense kept getting us the ball back, and we were able to get our screen game going and our run game going,” Caniford said. “I’m real proud of our team.”
