6A Division I State Championship: Galena Park North Shore 21, Westlake 14 (OT)

There was a lot of room on North Shore’s bandwagon after the Mustangs got off to a 1-3 start in 2015. Three consecutive losses to begin September resulted in most people across the state writing off North Shore throughout the season and the playoffs. All head coach Jon Kay’s team did was reel off 12 straight wins to claim the program’s second state title in school history. It wasn’t pretty and it took overtime, but North Shore escaped against Westlake, 21-14, in overtime. Both offenses struggled throughout the game, but it was Westlake that broke through first. The Chaparrals took a 7-0 lead in the second quarter when Kylen Granson scored from 16 yards out. Westlake’s defense was stout, but North Shore was able to mount a drive late in the second quarter and tie it at seven before both teams hit the locker room for halftime. Kansas commit Maciah Long rushed in with time ticking away on the clock. Each defense dominated the line of scrimmage. North Shore isn’t a passing team, so it struggled to find a rhythm. Westlake had Texas commit Sam Ehlinger at the helm, but he was pressured throughout the game. Neither offense scored in the second half. North Shore scored the first points in the second half when Andrew Hyacinth picked up a fumble by Ehlinger and ran 95 yards for a go-ahead score. Westlake would answer with a special teams play. North Shore, which struggled to block in the kicking game throughout, had a punt blocked and sophomore Matthew Sims picked it up and raced it back for a Westlake score. With the game tied, Westlake had a chance to end it in regulation after a great drive from Ehlinger, but the field goal kick was blocked. North Shore received the ball first in overtime and Long added another rushing touchdown. Westlake couldn’t answer and dropped to 1-7 in state championship games. Game BallsMaciah Long – It was a struggle for North Shore on offense. Long, who is committed to Kansas, is likely flipping to the defensive side of the ball at the next level. Even if he stays on offense, it won’t be at quarterback. He is a running quarterback first and he made the game-winning score with a quarterback sneak in overtime. It was his second rushing touchdown of the game. K’Lavon Chaisson – The junior defensive lineman couldn’t be blocked. Chaisson is a four-star prospect in just his junior year. The talents that have college recruiters hoping for his services were on display throughout the game. He put pressure on Ehlinger all game and lived in the backfield. He also came up with a few special teams plays. Sam Ehlinger – The Texas commit has had better days. The good news for him and Westlake is that he is just a junior. Ehlinger wasn’t great in the loss, but he wasn’t the reason Westlake lost, either. He was the sum of the offense, as Todd Dodge relied on his legs early in the game before letting his arm loose down the stretch. A missed field goal kick will erase a great fourth-quarter drive from most people’s memory.