POSTING SIGNATURE WIN

Advancing to Class 1A, DII state quarterfinals, Iredell Dragons bring down powerhouse Strawn, 91-90, in wild shootout; face Oakwood in Region III final Friday in McGregor

Finally getting the signature win they’ve been looking to achieve during the previous two seasons, the Class 1A, Division II’s seventh-ranked Iredell Dragons proved they belong among the best six-man programs in the state.

Junior Jordan Gutierrez ran for six touchdowns, junior Cole Heutzenroder tossed five scoring strikes and ran for another while junior Caleb Garland caught four touchdown passes as the seventh-ranked Iredell Dragons slipped past the eighth-ranked and perennial powerhouse Strawn Greyhounds, 91-90, in a wild, high-scoring Area playoff shootout last Friday night at the historic Hico Tiger Stadium.

“We told the guys this week that it would come down to the last play, and that’s what it was,” Iredell head coach Luis Guereca said. “We knew it was going to be difficult. But overall, it was just a team effort. Literally, everyone put something into tonight to get us the win.”

As the Dragons soared to 442 yards of total offense, Gutierrez finished with a team-high 154 yards rushing, while Heutzenroder completed five of five passes for 120 yards and adding another 82 yards rushing. With Iredell featuring a balanced attack, Garland hauled in a team-high five catches for 104 yards.

“In the past against the big programs, we have just not shown up,” Guereca said. “Last year against Oglesby, it was about as bad as it can get. But I just knew it was time. We’re going to enjoy this, but then it’s back to work. What we want and the goals we set, it’s not over yet. I know the guys are going to be excited about next week.”

With the win, the Dragons (10-2) advance to the Class 1A, DII, Region III Final and State Quarterfinals to face the Oakwood Panthers (7-5) at 6 p.m. Friday at McGregor High School’s Bulldog Stadium. The winner will earn the right to face the Region IV victor between second-ranked Richland Springs (12-0) and third-ranked Oglesby (10-2), who will battle at 4 p.m. Friday at Belton ISD’s Tiger Field.

With a dominating 74-36 victory over the Three Way Braves (9-2) in a Bi-District matchup Nov. 15 in Abbott, Oakwood advanced to the Class A, Division II, Region III Area round, where the Panthers disposed of the Gold-Burg Bears (7-5), 63-24, last Friday night at Ferris High School’s Yellow Jacket Stadium.

Against Three Way, sophomore quarterback Dayden Velasquez completed seven of 11 passes for 123 yards and four touchdowns, connecting with junior Nick Strickland four times for 107 yards and two scoring strikes, while senior Gavin Wilbanks rushed for 164 yards and three scores.

“Against Oakwood, we will be facing a really athletic team that is aggressive and runs several formations that make you prepare more than usual,” Guereca said. “On our end, we just have to clean up a few things on the defensive side and make sure we keep them honest on the passing game and our rushing attack.

“With a great win over Strawn, it’ll be important get grounded and focus in the task in hand this week.”

Despite trailing Strawn, 30-16, with 4:47 left in the second quarter, the Dragons (10-2) responded to take a 40-38 advantage into halftime before a wild, second half shootout.

The Greyhounds (9-3) opened the second quarter with 22 unanswered points, and Strawn’s momentum appeared to be reaching a fever pitch as junior quarterback Kaison Nunez weaved his way through the Dragons defense for a 35-yard touchdown run. But it came to an abrupt halt when Iredell junior Xavier Martinez blocked the two -point conversion attempt.

Facing a crucial moment in the first half, the Dragons responded with back-to-back Gutierrez touchdown runs on both sides of a clutch defensive stop to recapture a two-point lead. Defensively, senior Zach Mitchell led Iredell with 16 tackles along with a 29-yard touchdown reception, followed by Gutierrez with 12 tackles, Heutzenroder with 11 takedowns, and Garland with 10.

“That was huge, just huge,” Guereca said. “We always talk about defense winning championships. The biggest deal was that we got down early, but the kids responded. I can’t express how proud I am. In the past, we’ve gotten down and it’s been over. But this time, the kids said no and pulled it out.”

Strawn promptly responded to move back ahead with 31 seconds left in the half, but Iredell rallied once again as freshman Corter Sweat connected with Garland on a 48-yard scoring strike to give the Dragons a lead they would never relinquish.

“Ultimately, we knew they wanted to stop the run,” Guereca said. “Fortunately, we were able to make several touchdown passes. The work we put into passing and catching paid off. We had all these offensive plays planned if this or that happened, but we never went out of the blocks. It just came back to those simple plays, and our kids made plays. I can’t praise them enough.”

After Iredell uncorked an interception on their first possession of the third quarter, the Greyhounds failed to capitalize, turning the ball over on downs deep in their own territory. The Dragons quickly cashed in on the opportunity as Heutzenroder connected with Garland on a six-yard scoring strike.

After Iredell built a 48-38 lead with 6:30 left in the third quarter, the offensive fireworks began with both teams scoring every time they touched the ball. Two key moments in the second half came on special team plays, and they proved to be the difference in the game.

After Strawn answered when junior quarterback Kaison Nunez connected with junior Michael Barcenas on a 25-yard scoring strike, Dragon freshman Corter Sweat blocked the two-point conversion kick. Iredell quickly responded with Gutierrez scoring on a 14-yard run. But after a bad snap on the two-point conversion attempt, junior Adan Aguilar-Diaz picked up the loose ball and tossed it to his brother sophomore Aaron Aguilar-Diaz for a one-point conversion pass, which proved to be the winning margin.

But the game was far from over. After exchanging scores through the rest of the third quarter and well in to the fourth, the Dragons found themselves clinging to a three-point lead with 3:50 remaining in the game. Facing a fourth down situation, Heutzenroder connected with Garland for a 12-yard touchdown pass to make it a two-score game once again with only 1:06 left on the clock.

Although Strawn quickly marched down the field to score on a Nunez’s six-yard pass to junior Jackson Brister, the ensuing onside kick with 31 seconds remaining bounced harmlessly out of bounds.

“That onside kick was huge, and it went our way,” Guereca said. “The last few years have not been what we expected or wanted, and it’s kind of a sore subject for us. But we like to look back and understand that we are a different team now. Expectations are high, and that’s what we want. We are ready for the challenge.”