ROCKWALL — Brett Rattan’s 31-yard field goal propelled Mesquite Poteet to a 52-49 victory against Wylie East in a Class 4A Division II semifinal Friday at Rockwall’s Wilkerson-Sanders Stadium.
Wylie East trailed for most of the game but rallied behind running back Jabari Anderson, who tied the score at 49 late in the fourth quarter with his fourth touchdown run.
Poteet answered on its next series with a 10-play drive capped by Rattan’s kick.
“I had so much going through my mind but I had to block it out,” Rattan said. “I just stayed focused and kicked it as good as I could.”
East had 39 seconds and no timeouts left to try and tie or win the game. Quarterback Garrett McCain connected with Marcell Ateman on fourth down for a 61-yard gain, but Wylie East was penalized for having an illegal player downfield. The play was brought back, and McCain’s next pass fell incomplete as Poteet players rushed the field.
Poteet (11-2) advances to face the winner between Lancaster and Prosper in the Region II final at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Allen’s Eagle Stadium.
The high-scoring shootout was nothing out of the ordinary for Wylie East (9-4), which had averaged 66.5 points and 669 yards in its playoff wins. It beat Whitehouse 63-56 in the area round.
Poteet surged to a 35-14 lead in the first half after scoring on each of its first five possessions. Rodney Douglas racked up 90 rushing yards and a touchdown, and he caught three passes for 111 yards and two more scores.
Poteet quarterback Tanner Ramsey threw for 204 yards and four touchdowns.
The second half was controlled by Wylie East’s Anderson. The senior ran for 314 yards, with three of his four scores coming in the second half.
“After they tied it up, I knew we’d lost the momentum,” Poteet coach Randy Jackson said. “The kids had to reach back down, and Rattan making that kick was huge.”
Poteet’s defense, despite dealing with an injury to star linebacker Malik Jefferson and the ejection of linebacker JD Hodkinson, contained Wylie East’s standout receiving corps.
Ateman, an Oklahoma State pledge, caught two passes for 21 yards and a touchdown. Quan Jones, who is committed to Baylor, caught two passes for seven yards.
Follow David Just on Twitter at @DavidJustDMN.