FROM THE PRESS BOX: COLLINS DELIVERS LEGENDARY PERFORMANCE IN SPRINGS’ LEGENDARY COMEBACK

Years from now, there will 50,000 people that will say they were at Sam Vitanza Stadium to witness one of the most remarkable comebacks in recent state high school football history when Clear Springs rallied from a 28-0 fourth quarter deficit to stun previously undefeated Dickinson 35-28 on Friday night. One of the key contributors to the epic rally was Chargers senior defensive back Kirk Collins Jr., who had two interceptions and forced a pair of fumbles as Springs forced six turnovers on the night. Collins’ second interception set the stage for Todd Hudson’s 39-yard touchdown run that gave the Chargers the lead for good with 2:23 left, silencing a crowd that had all but assumed the Gators were on their way to an eighth straight win and control of District 24-6A. Longtime high school football followers know the apple doesn’t fall from the tree. Collins’ father was an all-state defensive back for La Marque when the Cougars made their first trip to the state championship game in 1986 before starting at Arkansas. *Down on Highway 6, Santa Fe delivered a shocker of their own when the Indians surprised state-ranked Crosby 27-20, clearing a huge hurdle toward the program’s bid for their first playoff appearance since 2009. The victory capped off an emotional night for the community, as Friday would have been the 18th birthday of Chris Stone, a member of the Santa Fe football team and one of 10 people who lost their lives in the May 18 shooting at Santa Fe High School. After Stone was honored before the game, his teammates did the rest. Senior quarterback Nathan Kruger threw three touchdown passes and defensive lineman Reece Dobson recovered a fumble for a score to help the Indians pull off one of the biggest wins in school history, defeating a team that came into Santa Fe as a four-touchdown favorite. The Indians will look to pull off another stunner when they travel to Port Neches- Groves to meet the co-leaders in District 12-5A-2 this Friday night. *The area no longer has a winless team after La Marque finally picked up its first victory in a 42-0 win over Houston Scarborough at a wet and stormy Dyer Stadium on Friday. The game was called shortly before the start of the second half as lightning and high winds pounded the area. Coach Shone Evans’ first win at the helm of the Cougars snapped a seven-game losing streak, the program’s longest since 1958. Even with the slow start, La Marque remains in position to make its ninth straight trip to the postseason and 27th in the last 29 years. The Cougars need wins in at least two of their last three — beginning with Houston Washington on Friday — to have life after November 9. *Clear Creek, which has won two games this season on last-second field goals, had the tables turned on them when rival Clear Lake pulled out a 17-14 win courtesy of Falcons kicker Nathan Eastin’s 18-yard kick as time expired. Despite the loss, the Wildcats enter this week in the fourth and final playoff spot in District 24-6A with a 2-2 record (4-4 overall). Creek is off this week and will close out the regular season with games against Clear Falls and Clear Springs