Knights' playoff hopes fizzle in 2nd half at Bryan Posted On: Saturday, Oct. 31 2009 05:01 AM By Alex Byington
Killeen Daily Herald

BRYAN – If Harker Heights had any dreams of the playoffs in Mike Mullins' inaugural season, they were put to rest by Bryan's nightmare rushing attack of Nate Jones and quarterback Kesnick Taylor.

With 267 yards on 24 carries and three touchdowns – including two in a pivotal third quarter – Jones combined with Taylor, who added another 106 yards and two more scores on the ground, as the host Vikings parlayed 21 second half points into a 41-27 victory Friday night at Merrill Green Stadium.

For Heights senior defensive end Chris Henry, who suffered through back-to-back one-win seasons the last two years, coming up short with everything on the line was disappointing to say the least.

"Any loss is going to be disappointing, this just happened to be a really big one," Henry said after the game.

Mullins, who has brought a spark back to the once-proud playoff contender in just one season, agreed.

"It is from a standpoint that we were still in (the playoff hunt) and knew that we were 24 minutes away from really putting a hold on what we thought could be possible, but again, injuries and fumbles really caught up with us," Mullins said.

Despite leading 21-20 as both teams traded touchdowns in the first half, the Knights (2-7, 2-4 in District 12-5A) fell victim to five second-half fumbles and the inexperience of sophomore quarterback Greg Haynes, who was called up from the JV with starting quarterback Brandon Bullock nursing a bum ankle all week.

"I was just trying to hang on and I knew it was going to be tough trying play for a playoff spot with a guy that's never played a varsity game," Mullins said. "But I thought he did a good job, of course in the second half turnovers got us."

Billed as a game between the top two tailbacks in District 12-5A, Jones' monster performance helped him leapfrog Knights senior Kerry Sloan, who had 111 yards on 23 carries and accounted for three of Heights' four scores – running for two and throwing for a third.

Trailing 20-14 after junior linebacker Tyler Babb recovered a fumble by Taylor on the second play of Bryan's fourth offensive series, the Knights turned to their senior captain when it mattered most.

Following a 17-yard scramble by Haynes that set up Heights in an eerily familiar fourth-and-4 situation on the Vikings' 30-yard line, Mullins put the ball in Sloan's hands with 2:15 remaining before halftime.

Working completely out of the wildcat formation, Sloan carried five straight times – including an 8-yard carry on fourth-and-four – before faking a run and throwing a 14-yard jump-pass to senior tight end Kendric Smith to give Heights a 21-20 lead 45 seconds before the break.

"We tried some different formations – snapping it to Kerry (Sloan) and we tried to get what we could out of that," Mullins said. "We were just trying to hang on and keep it close."

But Haynes was sacked for a 5-yard loss on the Knights' third play of the second half, forcing them to punt, Bryan needed only five plays before Jones broke loose for a 38-yard touchdown for the final lead change of the night, 27-21 with 6:55 left in the third.

In a pivotal third quarter, Heights was only on the field for four minutes and 35 seconds on back-to-back three-and-outs as Bryan (5-4, 4-2) scored on its first two drives, with Jones reaching the end zone from 38 yards out on the Vikings fifth offensive play and again from 5 yards out to cap a nine-play effort as they didn't attempt a pass the entire second half.

Needing a win to remain afloat in a crowded District 12-5A, the Knights had no answer for Bryan's district-leading rushing offense, which just pounded out 421 rushing yards on 49 of the Vikings' 51 total offensive plays. With his showing Friday night, Jones overtook Sloan as the district's top runner.

"I think the two best 'backs (in the district) to me were their 25 (Jones) and our 23 (Sloan)," Mullins said. "If you were a fan watching it, you probably really enjoyed it."

Heights now turns from playoff hopeful to spoiler when it plays Copperas Cove on Thursday at Leo Buckley Stadium.

"I told them just to stay with us. It's hard, and we have a short week of work and we're going to play hard and get after it," Mullins said.

Contact Alex Byington at alexb@kdhnews.com or at (254) 501-7566.