THE FLYOVER! | Troup escapes WR with five-OT win; Arp routs Winona without completing a pass, as Smith runs wild; LC slips at Saint Jo

There were some key district games for the ETBlitz.com-area high school football teams Friday night – not many bigger, though, than Troup at West Rusk, matching two programs that we cover against each other in a battle for second place in District 11-3A, Division II.

West Rusk led the game by two touchdowns, 14-0, at the half, only to see Troup come back and tie it. The game went to overtime tied at 21, and didn’t finish until Bryce Wallum finally scored a two-point conversion in Overtime No. 5, a 25-23 win for the Troup Tigers.

Also on Friday night, Arp went to Winona and came home with a 54-28 win; Atlanta ambushed Tatum, 42-7; Liberty-Eylau flexed its muscles in White Oak, leaving with a 78-20 win to set up a huge game next Friday against Jefferson; and Leverett’s Chapel had a rough night in a district game in six-man football, falling at Saint Jo, 89-38.

We’ll have more on the L-E / White Oak game as soon as possible.

Let’s do The Flyover.

Troup 25, West Rusk 23 (five overtimes): Jase Reasoner scored a 14-yard touchdown late in the first half, and the West Rusk Raiders went up 14-0 on Emi Rodriguez’s extra point. West Rusk went to the half with the two-touchdown lead, but coach Sam Wells’ Troup Tigers would punch back.

The Tigers would score two times in the third quarter, the second one a 1-yard run by Wallum, and tie the game at 14.

West Rusk would re-claim the lead early in the fourth quarter, a 70-yard touchdown pass from Troy Hunley to Judson Dodson – Dodson went in for the score, but Wallum would tie the game again for Troup at 21 on a 46-yard run.

Troup blocked a West Rusk field goal attempt with four seconds left to send the game to overtime – where it would stay for a while.

It would remain tied after three overtimes, when both would score a two-point conversion, and then on into overtime number five.

Wallum scored to give the Tigers a 25-23 lead, and then the Troup defense stopped West Rusk on its two-point try, completing the comeback.

Troup moves to 6-3 overall with the win, but more importantly, the Tigers are 4-1 in District 11-3A, their only loss to New Diana, and is currently second in the district standings. The Tigers are off next week, with the only game left in the regular season a home game against 1-6 Buffalo on Nov. 8.

West Rusk, winners of their district for four of the last five seasons, won’t be able to do that this year – there’s just not enough time left in the season. They’re 3-5 overall, but they are 2-2 in district play, in fourth place in the district. And that would send West Rusk back to the playoffs.

They could go in third, though, if things break right, but Arp – another ETBlitz-area team – will have a say in that.

West Rusk has got two games left: at Buffalo on Nov. 1, and at home against Arp in the regular season finale for both on Nov. 8. Arp also has two left: at home against New Diana this coming Friday, and at West Rusk.

Arp could seal third place with an upset over New Diana on Friday and then a win at West Rusk – otherwise, that West Rusk-Arp game could be to decide third and fourth place.

Arp 54, Winona 28: Speaking of Arp, coach Wes Schminkey and the Tigers scored over 50 points in a game – and only threw one pass.

The Tigers’ Thomas McKelvey was 0-of-1 in the game at Winona Friday night, the only pass thrown by Arp. But Josh Smith ran for 288 yards and five touchdowns, and McKelvey added 114 and two more touchdowns, as Arp cruised to a big 11-3A, DII win and didn’t have to throw.

Arp also had two carries each by Demarcus Wade and Hudson Orpineda, and finished with 426 yards rushing in the game.

Defensively, the Tigers had four tackles for loss, and Jaxon Schminkey led the defensive effort with nine total tackles.

Arp had six sacks in the game: Casch Cameron had two, and Schminkey, Wyatt Calley, Emmanuel Ponce and Zyon Washington each had one.

Saint Jo 89, Leverett’s Chapel 38: The Saint Jo Panthers are 8-0 now and ranked in the Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Class 1A, Division I poll for a reason: they’re pretty good.

The Panthers got a very-good performance by quarterback Devin Stewart Friday: 10-of-12 for 232 yards, and five touchdowns with no interceptions. Lee Yeley had six catches for 149 yards and caught four of those TD passes.

Saint Jo had 194 rushing yards, with Stewart rushing for 80 yards and two touchdowns, and Wyatt Lucas, 85 yards and two scores.

Leverett’s Chapel is 4-4 on the season, but 1-2 in District 10-1A, Division I, with two games left, both at home: King’s Academy this Friday, and against Campbell on Thursday night, Nov. 7.