By Dr. David Davis
The game between Pearland and Dickinson was won for the ages, as it took five overtimes for the Oilers to get the 16-14 playoff win over the Gators.
The defenses were the stars of this game, as both teams struggled on the offensive side of the ball.
When the game ended at 14-14 in regulation, the overtime periods began with each team defending their ground through the first four extra periods.
Pearland and Dickinson have a history that dates back to 1954.
Since 2010, the two teams have met seven times, with the Gators holding a 6-2 edge. The Oilers beat the Gators in 2010 and 2011 and came up short in 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, and 2022. Dickinson has an 18-7 overall record against Pearland.
“I am really proud of the effort, resiliency, toughness, and grit our team showed against Dickinson,” Pearland head coach B.J. Gotte said. “We talk to our kids all the time about playing complementary football and helping the other phases of our game out when they struggle.
“Our defense did a fantastic job holding the rope while our offense was battling a very athletic and physical Dickinson defense.”
Pearland’s defense played one of their best games this season against the very potent Dickinson offense. The Oilers held the Gators to only three first downs in the first half.
“It speaks to the grit and resilience and toughness of our kids,” Gotte said. “We worked the entire offseason building the toughness in our kids. They always fight, they never quit. That’s a testament to the buy-in of our program.”
Dickinson jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the second quarter with 6:21 left in the first half. Both teams were scoreless in the first period.
QB Lorenzo Aguirre hit junior tight end Mason Peterson on a 23-yard scoring strike, but the Oilers blocked the PAT for the 6-0 lead that stood at halftime.
Pearland finally got on the scoreboard with 9:25 left in the third quarter when junior running back LaDamion McDowell broke through the Dickinson defense on his way to a 57-yard scoring jaunt. Jackson Stagg booted the PAT to give the Oilers a 7-6 lead.
Dickinson went ahead 14-7 when freshman quarterback Lorenzo Aguirre scored on a 2-yard sneak with 3:07 left.
Pearland took the ensuing possession at their own 25 and quickly moved down the field to complete the 75-yard drive in 1:30, capped off by a 33-yard circus catch by WR Patrick Bridges to tie up the game 14-14.
The Oilers had a chance to win the game on the final regulation play, but Jackson Stagg’s 42-yard field goal was short.
“We talked to our kids all week about playoff football coming down to being the team to make the least number of mistakes and no matter how the momentum swings, you just must keep playing hard,” Gotte said. “Our kids did a great job of sticking to the game plan and always believing they were in the game.”
Neither team could score on four possessions each until Pearland finally broke through when Pearland QB Cole Morkovsky lofted a fade-route pass to Patrick Bridges, who hauled in the toss in the fifth overtime, providing the Oilers with a sensational 16-14 win over Dickinson in a Class 6A Region III Division I playoff game.
The most stunning achievement for Pearland was that it held Dickinson scoreless in each of its five overtime chances.
“Our offense did a great job responding in the second half and finding a way to get points on the board to start the third quarter and again at the end of the fourth quarter to answer when Dickinson took the lead 14-7,” Gotte said.
“We took a big step forward as a program and I am happy our seniors get another week with each other. We will now prepare for a very talented Atascocita team and work to earn another week together.”
The Pearland defense held Dickinson to 163 yards (88 rushing, 77 passing) of total offense.
Morkovsky was 11 of 27 passing for 127 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
McDowell was the workhorse with 36 carries for 114 yards and one score. The speedster now has 31 touchdowns on the season.
Bridges had five catches for 61 yards and one TD, while Luke Allen also had four key grabs for 59 yards.
Defensive stars go to defensive back Ashton Hampton, who single-handedly kept Dickinson off the scoreboard on several occasions as the Oilers prevailed 16-14 in five overtimes. He had an interception and blocked three kicks, including two field goal attempts and an extra point try.
Ethan Tinney also had a monster game with 16 total tackles, including nine solo stops and seven assisted tackles.
Charles Gooden came up big with an interception, three QB pressures, three pass breakups, three solo tackles, and three assisted stops.
High fives go to Jaison Law, Lazarus Range, and Joseph Credit, who registered seven total tackles.
The Oilers will face the Atascocita Eagles in Round Two of the playoffs on Friday, November 17, at 7:00 p.m. at The Rig.
