Highland Park needed a quarter to warm up, but once the Scots found their spark, Reedy never saw the game tilt back their way. A sluggish opening frame turned into a three-quarter avalanche as Highland Park stormed to a 45 to 10 playoff victory inside the Ford Center at The Star. After producing almost nothing in the first 12 minutes, the Scots erupted for 453 total yards and 45 unanswered points the rest of the night.
Cullum Ignites the Offense
The turning point came when Harrison Cullum started torching the secondary. The senior wideout turned two deep shots into touchdowns of 55 and 40 yards, piling up a season-best 117 yards and giving the Scots a vertical jolt they had been searching for.
Quarterback Buck Randall shook off the slow start as well, carving up the Lions for 311 yards and three scores through the air. When Highland Park shifted to the ground after halftime, Matthew White took center stage, punching in two rushing touchdowns. His 46-yard sprint on the first play of the third quarter opened the floodgates and fueled a 31 to 0 run that ended all doubt.
Reedy Runs Out of Answers
The Lions had a brief glimmer of momentum late in the second quarter after a pick by Grayson Jennings set up an 18-yard touchdown grab by Ben Francis. But without star quarterback Lincoln Harn for a second straight week, Reedy’s offense stalled out. The Lions mustered only 121 total yards and were held to 29 yards after the break as Highland Park’s defense grew stronger with every possession.
Ronan Moreland sealed the defensive statement with a fourth-quarter interception, one of several stops that kept Reedy locked at ten points for the night.
Scots March On
Highland Park pushes its win streak to eleven and moves on to the Region II semifinal, where either Frisco Wakeland or Cedar Park awaits. Reedy closes its season at 8 and 4, once again seeing its playoff run come to an end at the hands of the Scots.
