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Offensive onslaught: St. Paul takes shootout against LCA
BY Chris O’Dell, codell@starlocalnews.com
WACO – Frisco Legacy Christian Academy came into Friday's TAPPS Division III State Championship game with one of the best running backs in the area.
However, senior Ovie Urevbu was outshined when it mattered most, with Shiner St. Paul senior Adam Hollenbach running for 308 yards and eight touchdowns to give his team a 56-43 victory at Floyd Casey Stadium.
"We knew [St. Paul] could run the football," said Andrew Embry, LCA head coach. "We just needed to get a few stops."
That inability eventually dug the Eagles into a hole that would become the theme of the night.
After an opening quarter that saw both teams score seven points, the Cardinals began the second frame with back-to-back touchdowns from Hollenbach to go ahead 21-7.
Urevbu responded with a 31-yard scamper to the end zone on LCA's ensuing drive to put the Eagles back within a touchdown. The seven-point deficit would be the closest LCA would get from tying the game back up though.
"The kids fought hard," Embry said. "We just dug ourselves into a hole we couldn't dig our way out of."
The two teams traded touchdowns on ensuing drives, with Hollenbach scoring on a 5-yard run before LCA senior quarterback Adam Beck found senior receiver Hunter Wood for a 70-yard strike to respond.
Hollenbach then punched it in from 9 yards away with just 13 seconds left in the opening half to give the Cardinals a 35-21 advantage heading into the locker room.
The Eagles then made matters worse to begin the third quarter by going three-and-out on the team's opening drive of the half before having a punt attempt blocked to give St. Paul a shortened field.
The Cardinals capitalized on the field position by marching 18 yards and going ahead 42-21 on a 12-yard run from Hollenbach.
Trying to respond with a quick touchdown to get back into the game, Beck had a pass intercepted by freshman Marco Ynclan that allowed St. Paul to add another Hollenbach score, with a 23-yard run making it a 49-21 contest.
"Getting down as far as we did really hurt us," Embry said.
Following a turnover on downs during LCA's next drive, it looked as if St. Paul might run away with the title.
However, the Eagles forced a three-and-out to get the ball back and scored their first points of the second half when Beck sprinted 29 yards to make it 49-29 with 3:02 left in the third.
A successful onside kick then put the Eagles back in business after Urevbu punched it in from a yard away to make it a 49-36 contest with 1:50 remaining in the third.
"We responded really well to that adversity," Embry said. "We got that touchdown and onside kick to put us right back in it."
The Cardinals then orchestrated a game-clinching drive that took nearly five minutes off the clock and ended with a 5-yard touchdown from Hollenbach, his eighth of the night, to take a 56-36 lead with just 8:40 remaining in regulation.
"[Hollenbach] is a good running back," Embry said. "He also has some great guys in front of him."
Urevbu then added his third score of the night on an 18-yard run, giving the senior 105 yards on 13 carries. The score would be the final for either team, with St. Paul taking a 56-43 win and earning the state title in the process.
Beck completed 12-of-15 pass attempts for 274 yards, two touchdowns and one interception while Wood grabbed eight receptions for 199 yards and two scores.
The loss ends LCA's season with an 11-3 mark after entering the postseason as a two seed.
"We had an excellent season," Embry said. "We had to beat some great teams to get to this point."
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