Whether you may call it cockiness, the Sachse Mustangs call it confidence. A few Sachse football players released a rap song titled “SachseU” last week, which called out some of the teams in their district for not being good enough. But, be careful what you wish for. Although the Mustangs eventually went on to beat their bitter rivals, Rowlett, the Eagles gave Sachse the scare of the season. Sachse improved to 8-0 with the 42-35 win over Rowlett.
At one point in the song, Sachse defensive back Chris Washington said, “ain’t nobody stop our offense from scoring, this year I hope the Rowlett game isn’t boring”
The Rowlett Eagles came into this week's game and after hearing a line like that, it was on like Donkey Kong. Ultimately, the game wasn't boring, but Sachse probably would've preferred it that way.
Sachse got off to a quick start in the game, scoring on the first possession of the game. After getting great field position following a busted punt play and a fumble by Sachse QB Jalen Mayden, Rowlett proceeded to answer with two rushing touchdowns by their quarterback, Preston Weeks.
Sachse answered the two touchdowns with two of their own. One being a 98-yard kickoff return by Matthew Carter. “It felt great. I always knew I’d bust one open this year, but I didn’t expect it to be the Rowlett game, especially at such a crucial point in the game for our team," Carter said. "Now, we just need to keep the momentum going and try and get some more!"
As halftime approached, both teams were in need of a momentum breakaway — fast. Sachse had two back-to-back sacks and forced Rowlett to punt. The Mustangs were able to capitalize on the momentum gained from the defense and squeeze in one more touchdown to give them the lead heading into the locker rooms at halftime.
At the start of the third quarter, Rowlett was looking for some revenge. The Eagles knew they were in the Sachse team’s head, but they wanted to take it over. The Eagles came out of the gate swinging, giving Sachse anything and everything they had. After Rowlett scored twice in the third quarter, things started to look bad for Sachse as Rowlett began to run away with it.
Going into the fourth quarter, Sachse was down by seven and needed something to connect on the offensive side of things. With this being only the second game for Sachse to trail in all season, this was a whole new feeling for the it's players and coaches. The Mustangs had gotten what they'd asked for, finally. In another line in "SachseU", one played had asked for the team's opponents to make it to the fourth quarter. Not only did Rowlett make it to the game's final frame, they took a lead into it.
Sachse came into the fourth quarter knowing it had to make something happen. The Mustangs scored once more at the start of the fourth. The score was now 35-33 after a missed PAT on the previous touchdown. Leaving them no choice but to go for two in attempt to push the game to overtime or potentially win with another possession. They converted and tied the game.
During the fourth, Sachse's defense came up big. Rowlett had three turnovers and one three-and-out, allowing Sachse to come back from a seven point deficit and take a one touchdown lead. Thus, within the last six minutes of the fourth quarter, the score went from 27-35 with Rowlett leading and looking at a win. To 42-35 and Sachse leading, looking to hold Rowlett with two minutes left in the game.
Rowlett, driving the field quickly, was looking to get the tying touchdown and push the game to overtime. Until he made a detrimental mistake. Sachse safety Isaiah Humphries came up with a massive interception with 1:38 left in the game. But Rowlett’s defense stepped up once again and forced a punt. After the punt, Rowlett had great field position, starting on their own 40. But, Rowlett quarterback Preston Weeks threw another pick with 15 seconds remaining. The game was sealed for Sachse, they'd end up hanging on.
The Mustangs thought at one point they were going to lose the game to their rival and end their undefeated season. Many of the Mustangs seniors were crying after the game, showing their love for the game, their humility and their school. Humphries, who had two interceptions in the fourth, said, “games like the Rowlett game are the worst games, but they are also the best games. Yeah, of course you don’t want to be in those situations, but those situations are the ones that show what you are made of. They tell you if you are gonna fold when the pressure hits or if you are gonna man up and get it done when your backs against the wall. Ultimately, we won the game and that’s great, but the best part about it was showing that we didn’t quit and we kept our composure."
But players for Sachse weren't the only ones getting emotional. Rowlett senior Dakota Gilley tallied two touchdowns and over 250 total yards in the game. When asked about his game and what it meant to him being a senior, Gilley said, “it meant a lot. We had something to prove from last year. We all fought hard each and every single play we just fell a little short."
Sachse remains undefeated (8-0) and moves up to fourth in state rankings with the massive win which will likely result in the Mustangs securing another district title.
An emotional Defensive Lineman after the Sachse win.