Sharks in the Water
Shadow Creek Punches ticket to State Championship Game
Dec 20, 2018, 9:16 pm
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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Oswald Peraza hit a two-run single in the ninth inning to help the Los Angeles Angels snap a three-game losing skid by beating the Houston Astros 4-1 on Saturday night.
Peraza entered the game as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning and hit a bases-loaded fly ball to deep right field that eluded the outstretched glove of Cam Smith. It was the fourth straight hit off Astros closer Bryan Abreu (3-4), who had not allowed a run in his previous 12 appearances.
The Angels third run of the ninth inning scored when Mike Trout walked with the bases loaded.
Kyle Hendricks allowed one run while scattering seven hits over six innings. He held the Astros to 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position, the one hit coming on Jesús Sánchez’s third-inning infield single that scored Jeremy Peña.
Reid Detmers worked around a leadoff walk to keep the Astros scoreless in the seventh, and José Fermin (3-2) retired the side in order in the eighth before Kenley Jansen worked a scoreless ninth to earn his 24th save.
Houston’s Spencer Arrighetti struck out a season-high eight batters over 6 1/3 innings. The only hit he allowed was Zach Neto’s third-inning solo home run.
Yordan Alvarez had two hits for the Astros, who remained three games ahead of Seattle for first place in the AL West.
Key moment
Peraza’s two-run single to deep right field that broke a 1-1 tie in the ninth.
Key Stat
Opponents were 5 for 44 against Abreu in August before he allowed four straight hits in the ninth.
Up next
Astros RHP Hunter Brown (10-6, 2.37 ERA) faces RHP José Soriano (9-9, 3.85) when the series continues Sunday.