Sharks in the Water

Shadow Creek Punches ticket to State Championship Game

Originally Appeared on VYPE

HOUSTON – Don't ever count them out.

Time and time again during this playoff run Shadow Creek has gotten down – trailing Porter 23-7 at the half and Foster 21-14 heading to the fourth quarter – and each of those instances it came back and won.

To keep its historic inaugural football season alive, Shadow Creek would need that kind of late-game heroics again.

Trailing 17-14, the Sharks used a 27-point fourth quarter, including a 100-yard missed field goal kick return by Ronald Nunnery Jr. and Shadow Creek defeated San Antonio Wagner 41-24 in the Class 5A Division I State Semifinal at NRG Stadium on Saturday.

"I just think that's kind of been our makeup," Shadow Creek coach Brad Butler said. "I hate that we have to get our back against the wall sometimes. Our attention to detail early wasn't great tonight on offense. Defense hung in there and played their tails off.

"When it got to crunch time we were able to make plays."Shadow Creek improves to 15-0 and will face back-to-back defending state champion Highland Park in the Class 5A Division I State Championship game on Saturday, December 22, with kickoff slated for 11 a.m. at AT&T Stadium.

"I knew we were going to be competitive," Butler said about the season. "It's really hats-off to our kids for buying into our coaching staff and our coaches have done a tremendous amount of work behind the scenes to help make this possible. We're just extremely excited right now."

The Sharks will try and become the first team since the 1982 Beaumont West Brook Bruins to win a state championship in their first varsity season. If the Sharks win they will be the first team since 1968 Lubbock Estacado to win a title in its first season and do so undefeated.

"It's the best feeling every," Shadow Creek quarterback Jamarian George said about making it to the state title game. "We've been hoping for this our whole lives. Best feeling ever."


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The Coogs play Miami on Friday night. Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images.

Number one seed University of Houston is favored by 7.5 points over No. 5 Miami, and No. 2 University of Texas is favored by 4 over No. 3 Xavier Friday night in the Midwest Regional semifinals in Kansas City.

Talk about opening acts. If both UH and UT win, they’ll meet Sunday in a good ol’ WWE-style Texas death match for a berth in the Final Four at NRG Stadium in Houston. Thank you, Mr. Schedule Maker.

How much do you think Cougar fans would love for UH to get their hands on the Longhorns with so much at stake?

For one example, let’s go back to the future, Oct. 21, 2023, when Big 12 rivals UH and UT meet in football at TDECU Stadium on the Houston campus. The game already is a lock sellout with tickets in the upper deck commanding $141 per ticket on the secondary market. It will be UH’s first year in the big boy Big 12 and UT’s last go-around before heading to the SEC.

One last opportunity for lasting bragging rights.

That’s for a UH football game. At home. Where the Cougars typically have trouble packing half the house. For example, the Cougars will be hosting the Sam Houston Bearkats at TDECU Stadium a month earlier. Tickets for that game, the same exact seat going for $141 against UT, can be had right now … $17.

Yeah, there’s something special about UH getting the opportunity to face UT. In anything. Anywhere. And it’s been a long time since the two teams, once co-members of the Southwest Conference together, have met on the basketball court. A full decade, in fact. The last time they played was March 20, 2013 with the Cougars prevailing 73-72 in something called the College Basketball Invitational. The UH coach was James Dickey. UT was coached by Rick Barnes. Joe Young led the Cougars with 18 points. The Horns’ leading scorer was Julien Lewis with 28. UH finished that season with a 20-13 record. UT limped home at 16-18.

That was then, this is now. The UH-Miami game will air at 6:10 p.m. Friday on CBS with UH grad Jim Nantz calling the play-by-play. The game will alsO stream on Hulu +++. ESPN’s BPI (basketball power index) gives the Cougars a 90 percent chance of winning. We’ll take it.

The UT-Xavier game will follow at 8:45 p.m. on CBS. The Horns have a 70 percent chance of beating the Musketeers. If both chalks come through, they’ll meet Sunday afternoon with the game on CBS.

The Cougars have made six Final Four appearances: 1967, 1968, 1982, 1983, 1984, 2021. The Horns have made three Final Fours, the last time two decades ago.

Here’s the only sure bet if UH and UT meet Sunday - get to your sports bar early if you want a seat. This could be memorable.

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