Opportunities. The best teams make everything of every opportunity given to them.
The No. 1 Pleasant Grove Hawks did just that in their area round game against Salado on Nov. 23 in Frisco’s Ford Center, winning 42-14.
Leading 14-7 midway through the second quarter, Latrell Jenkins intercepted a pass by Ben Harmon, but the play was nullified as Jenkins was hit with a pass interference call, giving the Hawks a first down near midfield. Five plays later, Nick Martin ran in a 14 yard touchdown to put the Hawks up 21-7 with 4:48 left in the half.
Salado took the ensuing kick-off and drove to the Hawks’ 21 yard line, but KJ Hicks stepped in front of a Hutton Haire pass to give Pleasant Grove the ball at their own 1-yard line with 1:53 left in the half.
On the next play, Hicks burst through the Salado defense for a 46-yard run. With 16 ticks left in the first half, Bruce Garrett scored on a 9-yard run. Anthony Mejia’s kick made it 28-7 at the half.
The Hawks scored on their first play from scrimmage of the second half, on a 78-yard pass from Harmon to Hicks, to go up 35-7 with 8:36 in the third.
Salado drove on the next series to the Hawk 34, when Hutton Haire dropped back to pass, avoided being sacked and scrambled for a first down, but the play was called back for a block below the waist, one of only two calls against Salado. The Eagles ended up punting for a touchback.
Seven plays later Harmon hit a wide open Sergio Rodriguez for a 30-yard strike to go up 42-7 with 10:19 left to play.
The Eagles were able to get on the board with 13 seconds left to play on a 1-yard dive by Hunter Turk, his last carry as a Salado Eagle,
The Hawk defense boasts four players recruited by Division 1 universities and shut down the Salado slot T offense, holding Salado to 193 yards on the ground. Haire completed four of his seven passing attempts, all of them to Wrook Brown, for 57 yards, including a long pass of 33 yards.
Turk led Salado with 86 yards on 22 carries, while Brown had 52 yards on 14 carries and Vincent Reid had 37 yards on nine rushes.
Pleasant Grove had 341 yards on the ground, led by Hicks, who had 112 yards on seven carries and a TD and Garrett, who had 103 yards on 15 carries, two TDs.
Salado ends its season with an 8-4 record, 3-2 and third place in District 8-4A, Div. 2.