Cuero beats Silsbee in 3OT thriller to advance to 4A DII Texas football state semifinals
HOUSTON, Texas — With 8 seconds left on the game clock after a frenetically-paced, back-and-forth fourth quarter, all Cuero's sideline could do was hold its collective breath.
The Gobblers — who had knotted up the score at 41-41 against the Silsbee Tigers late in the fourth quarter during their Region III-4A DII championship game matchup in the Texas high school football playoffs — watched as Silsbee lined up for a potential game-winning 26-yard field goal attempt.
The Gobblers broke through Silsbee's offensive line and got a finger on the ball to deflect the Tigers' kick, which ricocheted off the right side of the field goal post to send the game to overtime.
Moments later after a flurry of OT touchdowns, junior quarterback Mason Notaro rolled out on a play-action pass and connected with junior tight end Nathan Luschen for a game-winning two-point conversion pass.
Luschen's clutch catch capped off an epic comeback for the Gobblers, as Cuero rallied from a 13-point deficit to beat Silsbee 58-56 in triple overtime during an instant classic Friday afternoon at the Houston Texans' NRG Stadium.
The Gobblers claimed the Region III-4A DII championship, their second straight regional title, after taking their first lead of the game during 2OT.
Cuero (13-1) punches its ticket to the UIL's state semifinals in the 4A DII Texas high school football playoffs for the second consecutive season, where the Gobblers will face the winner of Wimberley Texans (13-0) and Lago Vista Vikings (10-3) next week.
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The Gobblers battled back from a 20-7 halftime deficit to knot the game back up at 27-27 against the Tigers by the end of the third quarter.
The Tigers, who were making their first appearance in a regional championship game since 2019, struck first and found the end zone on their opening drive of the game.
On Silsbee's first third-down opportunity of the game, junior wide receiver Ashton Cartwright hauled in a quick pass over the middle from senior quarterback Mason Brisbane.
Cartwright shook off a pair of Gobblers' defenders, took off down the sideline and scored on a 47-yard touchdown catch to put the Tigers ahead just 83 seconds into the first quarter.
Silsbee then capitalized off a quick three-and-out on Cuero's first offensive possession, driving nearly the length of the field before finding the end zone again on a 3-yard touchdown run by senior running back Kevin Martin, as the Tigers took a 13-0 edge at the 6:54 mark of the first quarter.
The Gobblers finally got on the board when Notaro connected with senior running back Tycoon Williams, who eluded a pair of Tigers' defenders and sprinted to the end zone for a 34-yard touchdown catch and run 96 seconds into the second quarter.
Silsbee responded with another long touchdown drive of its own, as senior quarterback Mason Brisbane connected with junior wide receiver Dre'lon Miller for a 27-yard touchdown catch in the back of the end zone to push the Tigers ahead 20-7.
Cuero had a pair of prime scoring opportunities during the waning moments of the first half, but the Gobblers were turned away twice by Silsbee's defense.
Senior defensive back Jonah Brown picked off a Gobblers' pass at the edge of the red zone and the Tigers forced a turnover on downs near midfield on the ensuing Cuero drive.
The Gobblers, however, got started quickly after a long kickoff return set them up with excellent field position to start the third quarter.
A few plays later, Notaro tucked it and bolted down the sideline on an 18-yard touchdown run to put Cuero back into the end zone just 33 seconds into the second half.
The Gobblers forced Silsbee into a three-and-out during its first drive of the third quarter to set up the first of four touchdown runs for Williams after halftime.
Williams broke loose and rumbled into the end zone on a 52-yard rushing touchdown to tie the game up at 20-20 with 9 minutes left during the third quarter.
The Tigers reclaimed the lead on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Brisbane to junior wide receiver Trey Kibbles in the flats, but the Gobblers landed an immediate counter punch as Williams scored again on a 6-yard touchdown run to knot the game up at 27-27 heading into the fourth quarter.
Silsbee moved back in front 34-27 on the first drive of the fourth quarter, as Brisbane rolled out of the pocket and found Cartwright for a 7-yard touchdown pass with 9 minutes remaining.
The Gobblers then scored twice during the final 5 minutes of regulation to tie the game at 34-34, and then again at 41-41 during the waning moments of the fourth quarter.
Notaro powered into the end zone on his second rushing touchdown on a 4-yard scoring run with 4:46 left to play. Following a 9-yard touchdown grab by Miller to push Silsbee back in front, Notaro struck again on another 4-yard touchdown run to make it a tied game with 99 seconds left during the fourth quarter.
After the Gobblers' field goal block to send the game to overtime, the Tigers struck first in OT.
Silsbee scored the first touchdown of overtime on a 22-yard touchdown pass from Brisbane to Martin on a third-and-7 opportunity for the Tigers, who jumped ahead 48-41.
Williams answered back for Cuero with a monumental pair of back-to-back touchdown runs, his fourth and fifth touchdowns of the game.
The Gobblers' senior back plunged into the end zone on a 2-yard scoring run that sent the contest to double overtime.
Then on the first snap of 2OT, Williams found space along the sideline and sprinted into the end zone for a 25-yard touchdown run, which gave Cuero its first lead of the game.
A successful two-point conversion pass put the Gobblers ahead 56-48, but the Tigers weren't done with the offensive fireworks.
On a dramatic fourth-and-long scenario with the game on the line, Brisbane connected with Martin on a pass toward the sideline. Martin pitched the ball behind him to Miller, who juked several Gobblers defenders en route to a wild 28-yard touchdown catch and run to keep Silsbee in the game.
The Tigers connected on a successful two-point conversion try on a double-reverse pass to make it 56-56 and send the game to triple overtime, during which teams are given alternating two-point conversion chances at their opponents' 3-yard line.
The Gobblers stopped Silsbee first to begin 3OT, setting up Notaro and Luschen for the decisive, game-winning score.
Notaro threw for 247 yards, ran for another 75 yards and accounted for four touchdowns: a passing touchdown and three rushing TDs.
Williams tallied five touchdowns for Cuero, scoring on a touchdown catch and four rushing touchdowns that either tied the game or gave the Gobblers the lead after halftime. He finished 158 yards on the ground plus 70 receiving yards to go along with his five TDs.
Silsbee's Miller led all receivers with three touchdown grabs, while Cartwright and Martin each added two touchdown catches for the Tigers. Brisbane threw for seven touchdowns and 285 yards on 18-of-26 passing.
The loss ends Silsbee's season at 13-1 overall and snaps a 13-game winning streak for the Tigers after reaching the regional championship round of the postseason for the first time since 2019.
The Gobblers, meanwhile, improved to 13-1 with their fourth-round victory and extended their now 10-game winning streak to seal their second consecutive regional title after beating Geronimo Navarro 35-28 in the Region IV-4A DII championship game last year.
Cuero (13-1) advances to the state semifinals of the UIL's Class 4A Division II Texas high school football playoffs, where the Gobblers will face the winner of the Region IV-4A DII championship game between the Wimberley Texans (13-0) and Lago Vista Vikings (10-3) at a to-be-determined time, date and location next week.
Check out SBLive's exclusive photo gallery from the game:
PHOTO GALLERY — CUERO 58, SILSBEE 56 (3OT)
All photos by Tom Dendy
