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Allen uses huge second quarter to cruise to 56-21 dismantling of The Woodlands

WACO — Allen needed only four plays to score three touchdowns during a three-minute stretch of the second quarter Saturday.

That’s the way it went throughout Allen’s 56-21 dismantling of The Woodlands in a Class 5A Division I Region II semifinal at Floyd Casey Stadium.

Quarterback Kyler Murray had already amassed 272 yards and five touchdowns at halftime, and No. 1 Allen (13-0) went into the break with a 42-0 lead.

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“We knew we could throw the ball on them,” Murray said. “Our offense is really explosive, so we just came out here and stuck to the game plan.”

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Allen, the defending 5A state champion, will face fellow unbeaten Spring Westfield (13-0) in the Region II final at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex in Austin.

The Allen offensive line gave Murray plenty of time to work with, and the junior was as sharp as ever. He completed 16 of 21 passes for 335 yards and five touchdowns.

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Murray played only one series in the second half before giving way to the second team.

“It all starts up front,” Allen coach Tom Westerberg said. “You’ve got to have the protection to sit back there like [Murray] did and find the receivers. We threw and caught the ball real well.”

Allen failed to score on its opening series for the first time in more than two months, but it scored on six of the next seven.

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Murray connected with Jalen Guyton for a 71-yard touchdown that gave Allen a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter.

A defensive stand and a blocked punt later, Murray hit Josh Pettijohn for a 13-yard score to cap a second straight one-play drive.

Murray threw another perfect deep ball on the first play of Allen’s next offensive series, but it was dropped near the end zone. Murray took the next snap and ran 49 yards for a touchdown, giving Allen a 35-0 lead.

The Woodlands (10-3) scored three times in the second half against Allen’s second-team defense.

Allen is averaging a 40-point margin of victory in its three playoff wins, but Westerberg isn’t concerned about his team becoming complacent.

“They’ll all be good from here on out,” he said of Allen’s future opponents. “There won’t be any complacency, I can promise you that.”

The Allen defense was at least as strong as the offense through the first half. The Woodlands punted five times, turned the ball over on downs three times and lost two fumbles.

Both turnovers were converted into Allen touchdowns.

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The Woodlands gained 158 yards in the first half and failed to score on two possessions inside the Allen 25.

Follow David Just on Twitter at @DavidJustDMN.