Highland Park’s bid for extremely rare Texas high school football history comes up just short

The entire Highland Park sideline stood in stunned silence. Once Jaden Nixon crossed the goal line, the game was over. The Scots’ season finished. Their hopes of a fourth straight state title — one of the rarest feats in Texas high school football history — dashed. Everywhere you looked, there were hands over mouths and tears rolling down cheeks. “I love Highland Park, I love these kids, and when they’re hurting, I’m hurting,” coach Randy Allen said. “They played their hearts out today, and I guess when you play your heart out and give it all you’ve got, it’s just so hard to let go.” What did the Scots have left to give? Their senior class entered Saturday with an absurd 56-3 mark and four district titles. Highland Park had produced back-to-back SportsDayHS Offensive Players of the Year. And Allen joined a historic club this season, becoming only the third coach in state history to win 400 career games. “It’s hard to end the journey but we got beat by a good football team,” Allen said. “Our team is a great team as well. You just hate to match up in the third round like this and then one of you is eliminated.” For a minute, it looked like the Scots had a miracle left in them. They marched 54 yards in less than two minutes, getting into the Frisco Lone Star red zone with a chance to avenge a loss from Week 3. Instead, a timely sack and two incompletions meant Highland Park would have to settle for a game-tying field goal. And the Scots wouldn’t score again. “They made some plays down at the end that were decisive,” Allen said. "We fought them — we had a great plan and I thought our kids fought hard.” Once Highland Park missed a field goal in the overtime, the momentum swung. Literally. There were no more cowbells, no more hooting and hollering. The Lone Star crowd rose to its feet. The kings were about to be knocked off their throne. Even with all the drama, all the insanity of Friday’s overtime thriller, the Scots held it together. They made it through handshakes just seconds after the Rangers had celebrated in the east end zone. Then, they let loose. Senior defensive end Prince Dorbah walked toward the locker room with a towel over his head and arm around a friend. Classmate Chandler Morris bawled while in the embraced of a teammate. With eye black smudged all over their faces — some from sweat, most from tears — the Scots huddled once more. They stood side by side once more, singing Highland Park’s alma mater. The Scots then walked up the tunnel, still in the same silence from the moment the game ended. It was the end of the line. “We all feel the same way,” Allen said. “A lot of these guys won a state championship and a lot of them won two … It’s just hard to stop the journey now when you want to keep playing.”

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Highland Park High School Athletics

HIGHLAND PARK’S BID FOR EXTREMELY RARE TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL HISTORY COMES UP JUST SHORT

MITCHELL GLADSTONE

The Dallas Morning News | 11/29/2019

PHOTO CREDIT: Smiley N. Pool