North Shore blocks extra point in final minute to cap rally over Summer Creek

North Shore coach Willie Gaston was already thinking about the two-minute drill.

But just a few seconds later, his intensity and sharp focus on the game plan turned into jubilation.

The Mustangs blocked what would have been the game-tying extra point and recovered the ensuing onside kick to hold on for an exhilarating 28-27 victory against Summer Creek on Friday night at Turner Stadium.

North Shore, the state’s No. 2-ranked team, trailed 21-7 in the third quarter before senior quarterback Ja’Voris Taylor delivered two touchdown passes and the team’s monstrous offensive line paved the way for a third. Kaden Brandley scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 5-yard run up the middle with just 1:20 on the clock, and Amari Louisville tacked on the two-point conversion run for the much-needed cushion.

Summer Creek cornerback Caleb White – who opened the scoring with a 107-yard return of a missed field goal in the first quarter and also had an interception – returned the ensuing kickoff 64 yards to the North Shore 11. Braylin Causey scored on the next play to put the Bulldogs in position to tie the game and possibly play for overtime, but the Mustangs delivered one more critical play, batting the Bulldogs’ hopes for victory out of the dark October sky.

Friday’s state and area scores

North Shore, the defending Class 6A Division I state champion, extended its winning streak to 13 games and avenged its 27-0 loss to Summer Creek (4-3, 3-1) in last year’s regular-season finale. More importantly, the Mustangs (7-0, 4-0) remained unbeaten in pursuit of the District 17-6A title and the district’s No. 1 seed for the postseason.

“It’s just a testament to who we are as a team,” said Gaston, whose program improved to 9-1 all time against Summer Creek. “We’re a physical team. So proud of the way these kids fought through the adversity and overcame so many critical errors, some made by us. I don’t want to speak on that, but I’m just super proud of these guys. I thought they competed all the way to the end. I told them this game was not going to be won in the first quarter. You’ve got to play four quarters of football, and they did that.”

Trailing 21-20 with time running out, North Shore turned to its four-minute offense. The intent was to march the length of the field – 82 yards, to be exact – and score, but the Mustangs also didn’t want to leave too much time for Summer Creek to answer. That meant a heavy dose of the ground game, with Taylor and the running backs leading the charge.

“Our mindset was just to grind the clock out,” Gaston said. “We knew we could run the ball and get 4 to 5 yards a pop and live with it. I thought we did a damn good job of executing that.”

Offensive line play has always been a top priority for North Shore, and the Mustangs have a talented unit this year, with three-star recruits Brandon Hebert, Abdus Kone and Chase Brown anchoring it. The program’s success in the trenches is a product of strong development, tough coaching and a certain “Eastside” edge that has become a trademark.

North Shore certainly had its hands full with a talented Summer Creek defensive front Friday night, but with the game hanging in the balance, the Mustangs delivered. Hebert, a Princeton commit, helped clear a path for Brandley on his way to the end zone for what would end up being the game-winning touchdown.

“As a team, we decided we were going to win this game,” Hebert said. “Every drive, we were going to go 100%.”

Gaston – who, as a former quarterback, has a special appreciation for the hogs up front – commended offensive line coach Kyle Herridge and his “passionate” approach to teaching the position for the team’s success in that area.

“I can tell you this – you can’t win without an O-line,” Gaston said. “That goes for any game at any level. Watching those guys come off the ball and get 4 to 5 yards a pop, it’s a credit to those guys, and it’s a credit to Coach Herridge.”

Hebert, the team’s 6-foot-7, 290-pound left tackle, was indoctrinated into the North Shore way last season after transferring from Port Arthur Memorial. Once a kid who had to present identification at Little League games to prove his age, he became a key contributor for the Mustangs as they tangled with Duncanville in a 10-7 state title game victory last December in Arlington.

“Brandon is just a great kid,” Gaston said. “I can’t speak highly enough about him. He’s so academic and intelligent. He’s way smarter than me. He’s committed to Princeton, and he had a lot of big offers, so that says a lot about him. It says a lot about his character and who he is as a person.”

With a lofty 4.8 GPA and more than 20 college offers, Hebert chose the Ivy League route, with plans to study mechanical engineering. He’s come a long way from being a little kid with dyslexia, a learning disability that affects reading, including the ability to spell and recognize words accurately and fluently.

“There’s always a stereotype where they say football players aren’t smart,” Hebert said. “But I had to decide that I was going to do what I wanted to do and not let anybody’s label tell me what I am capable of.”

Now, as North Shore pursues yet another state championship, Hebert is an invaluable cog in the offensive line wheel that is helping the Mustangs move in the right direction. The win over Summer Creek was a representation of that.

“We take it one game at a time,” Hebert said. “We’re not really focused on the future – just the next play, the next play, the next play.”

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This article originally published at North Shore blocks extra point in final minute to cap rally over Summer Creek.