.png)
GIDDINGS — Staring at a 20-0 deficit on the road heading into halftime, there was zero quit in this Smithville High School varsity football team under head coach Cyril Adkins on Friday. The Tigers mounted a thrilling comeback in the second half to knock off the Buffaloes of Giddings High School 35-34 for a pivotal 4A-2 District 12 victory that halted a five-game losing streak.
Down 20-0, Smithville got on the board in the third quarter thanks to a 16-yard touchdown on the ground from senior running back Noah Baxter to get within 20-7. After Giddings answered to go up 27-7, Baxter got the Tigers right back into it again as he took a direct snap and hustled 65 yards for a touchdown to get Smithville within 27-14.
After another rushing score got Smithville down just 27-20, the Tigers needed to rally yet again after the Buffaloes went up 34-20. Smithville got just that midway through the fourth quarter from junior Ramonz Adams, who returned a kickoff over 85 yards for a touchdown as the Tigers kept chipping away trailing 34-27.
Late in the game as the Smithville offense had the ball, Adams took the snap at quarterback and connected on a 33-yard touchdown pass to senior Chris De La Pena. Adkins and the Tigers decided to gamble and it paid off as the two-point conversion was successful to give Smithville its first lead of the night at 35-34.
Smithville needed just one big stop on defense with the Buffaloes driving into their territory with less than one minute left in the game. Adams came up clutch with an interception, sealing the comeback victory for the Tigers.
Despite a 2-5 overall record, the Tigers are now locked into the playoffs at 1-1 in district play and have the opportunity to move up in the standings even more when Smithville hosts Gonzales High School at 7:30 p.m. this Friday night.
