Win can’t save Wakeland from season’s end

FRISCO--With less than a minute to go, McKinney North senior Jon Alexander returned a kickoff 85 yards to the end zone. The Bulldogs followed up with their first successful extra point of the night, making the final score 42-25, Frisco Wakeland. The massive gain had done nothing to affect the outcome, but it was a nice finishing touch to North’s season.

“That was a good ending to it,” said Mike Fecci, North head coach, “and it kind of exemplified what we’ve been through this year: a lot of ups and a lot of downs, but we kept on fighting and kept on plugging. It didn’t work out for us on the scoreboard, but I’m really happy for this group of kids and how they played football tonight.”

The same lack of effect can be said for the Wolverines victory. They played solid, won the game they needed to in order to have a chance at the playoffs, but still missed out after McKinney defeated Frisco Liberty by a great enough margin to end their season.

“It’s kind of an empty feeling,” said Marty Secord, Wakeland head coach. “Certainly we didn’t take care of business last week, but we did tonight; did what we had to do, and I’m just proud of our seniors especially and the leadership they provided during the game. We just had to play this game and let the chips fall where they did. They didn’t fall in our favor tonight.”

The night started with North and Wakeland scoring on their opening drives, and offensive playmaking continued throughout. The Wolverines went on tacking numbers to the board, scoring on their second drive in a methodical 11-play package that saw junior running back David Robason plowing through North defenders. Junior quarterback Tyler Kirkindoll finished up by crossing into the end zone on a 14-yard carry, setting Wakeland on its way to a 28-6 halftime advantage.

Strong as Robason’s power running game was, he couldn’t take tough man honors away from North senior quarterback Brenton Griffin. Taking the high school turf for the final time, he competed despite a shoulder injury that caused him pain on every down.

“He separated his shoulder last week,” Fecci said. “He came to the sidelines and got it put back in place and tried to throw and it came out again. Then they put it back in again. He tried to go back in, but I said, ‘No. That’s it.’ He didn’t practice much this week. He went to the doctor and the doctor cleared him, if he could tolerate the pain, which is extremely excruciating to throw the football when your shoulder’s been separated.

“You wouldn’t have known it tonight, but every time he threw that football it was extremely painful to him. Then he separated it again (tonight), and you can’t keep him out. Brenton is what this program is all about. He’s got guts and he’s got heart, and I can’t say enough about that kid.”

Griffin’s ground attack suffered, never rising above negative yards, but he managed to throw for over 200 yards and two touchdowns. The Bulldogs offense came alive as the second half began, scoring on the third quarter opening kickoff courtesy of a trio of receptions by junior Victor Rivera. A completion of eight yards led to one of 36 yards and ultimately, a 15-yard touchdown catch. A failed 2-point conversion set the score at 28-12, still a comfortable margin for Wakeland, and continued North’s extra point hex, which wouldn’t lift until 21 seconds remained.

But the situation tightened up later in the quarter, as a 69-yard touchdown connection between Griffin and senior Josh Allen, which saw Allen cut across the middle for the catch and tear downfield a step ahead of any defender, put the Bulldogs in the end zone in one play. Down 28-18, North seemed to be closing. Then the Wolverines proved why they were so recently a playoff contender. The Bulldogs may have ended the game with a show stopping return, but Wakeland showed them how it was done by following their rapid touchdown with a 90-yard kickoff return from senior Alex Bateman.

The Wolverines weren’t about to let this contest slip away from them, and went back to limiting North’s travel across the field. With three minutes left in the fourth quarter, North turned over the ball on fourth down, putting Wakeland on the Bulldogs’ 18-yard line. Chewing up clock time, the Wolverines finally scored on an 11-yard reception by senior defensive end Carter Ferguson, who caught the ball, fell back and was greeted by a team full of ecstatic players upon rising.

North would take the final score; Wakeland the win.

“[The seniors] left us a great legacy,” Secord said. “A 7-3 season, we were able to beat McKinney, which is a great program, and a lot of accomplishments throughout the year. We’re a 4-year-old school. That’s not very old. The kids did some great things, and hopefully we’ve got some building blocks in place where we can continue to move the program forward.”

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