East Chambers Rallies to Knock Off Troup, 24-17, in Double Overtime

LUFKIN -- The Troup Tigers looked to be in total command of their Class 2A Division II Region III bi-district playoff against East Chambers on Thursday night.

Then it all faded away.

East Chambers scored 17 unanswered points and came up with a fourth-down stand in double overtime to oust Troup from the postseason, 24-17, at John Outlaw Memorial Field at Abe Martin Stadium.

The Buccaneers (9-2) advance to area round of the playoffs where they will meet District 11-2A champion Franklin next week. Troup, meanwhile, concluded its first season under legendary coach Dennis Alexander at 9-2.

After a scoreless first overtime session, East Chambers grabbed its first lead of the night on its second play of double OT. Quarterback Brandon Johnson fired a pass across the middle of the field to a wide-open Nick King, who scored from 26 yards out.

Troup had a chance to tie but on fourth-and-1 at the 16, Tigers fullback Michael Davis was stopped inches short of the first down, sending the East Chambers sideline into a wild celebration.

The Tigers led 17-7 after scoring on their first drive of the third quarter, a 6-yard run by sophomore quarterback Blake Lynch on third-and-goal.

East Chambers answered right back on the ensuing drive, going 75 yards in 11 plays, cutting the Troup lead to 17-14 on a Johnson 1-yard sneak with 1:34 remaining in the third quarter.

The Buccaneers evened the game on their next possession, getting a 20-yard field goal from Victor Lopez with 7:04 remaining.

It looked as if Troup would be gifted a win late in the fourth quarter when East Chambers running back Glenn Roberts fumbled it to Richard Lacy and the Troup defense at the East Chambers 24 with 1:42 to go.

But on second down, receiver Brandon Hearon attempted a pass to the end zone, but he was intercepted by Adam Trent inside the 5. Trent returned the pick 50 yards to the Troup 47, giving the Buccaneers the shot at a last-second win.

However, on third down, Johnson was intercepted for the third time on the night with 12 seconds to go, which effectively sent the game into overtime.

Johnson finished the game 16 of 26 passing for 165 yards and the one touchdown for East Chambers.

Troup, which rushed for 221 yards on the night, was led by Lynch's 75 yards and 70 yards from senior running back Seth Gibson.

Both of Troup's first-half scores were set up by interceptions, beginning with the game's initial series.

After a 15-yard penalty on East Chambers for a chop block gave the Buccaneers at second-25 at their own 35, Lacy stepped in front of a Johnson pass, picked it off and returned it to the East Chambers' 40.

East Chambers was penalized for a late hit on Lynch, giving Troup a first down at the 12. An offsides penalty pushed it to the 7, and Gibson followed with a first-down rush to the 1. Two plays later, Lynch ran it in for a 7-0 lead with 6:08 to go in the opening quarter.

On the Buccaneers' first possession of the second quarter, Johnson connected with Dominique Marshall for a 19 yards to the Troup 6 on third down. Roberts tied the game, 7-7, two plays later with a 2-yard run with 6:04 remaining in the half.

East Chambers looked to take lead later in the quarter when it recovered a Lynch fumble at the Buccaneers' 48. But on second-and-4 from the Troup 35, Johnson was intercepted by Bradley Stewart, giving the Tigers the ball back at their own 42 with 1:08 until halftime.

Lynch fired a strike to Quintin Green for 23 yards and followed that up with two rushes for 13 yards, setting up Gabriel Leon's 29-yard field goal, which gave Troup a 10-7 lead at the half.

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Class 2A Division I Region III Bi-District Playoff
At Abe Martin Stadium, Lufkin
East Chambers 24, Troup 17, 2OT
Troup                     7    3    7    0    0    0    --    17
East Chambers       0    7    7    3    0    7    --    24
First Quarter
TRO--Blake Lynch 1 run (Gabriel Leon kick), 6:08.
Second Quarter
EC--Glenn Roberts 2 run (Victor Lopez kick), 6:04.
TRO--FG Leon 29, :02.
Third Quarter
TRO--Lynch 6 run (Leon kick), 6:43.
EC--Brandon Johnson 1 run (Lopez kick), 1:34.
Fourth Quarter
EC--FG Lopez 20, 7:04.
Second Overtime
EC--Nick King 26 pass from Johnson (Lopez kick)

                                TRO             EC
First Downs                  15              17
Rushes-Yards         48-221       35-107
Passing Yards               31            165
Comp.-Att.-Int.          3-7-2      16-26-3
Punts-Avg.               4-33.5       2-32.0
Fumbles-Lost                2-1            4-1
Penalties-Yards          10-71          6-52

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Troup, Blake Lynch 19-75, Seth Gibson 15-70, Marcus Kincade 9-55, Michael Davis 5-21. East Chambers, Glenn Roberts 17-54, Jase Vanya 8-35, Jarrod Guillory 1-11, Brandon Johnson 8-8, Coby Collins 1-(-1).
PASSING--Troup, Lynch 3-6-1--31, Brandon Hearon 0-1-1--0. East Chambers, Johnson 16-26-3--165.
RECEIVING--Troup, Quintin Green 1-23, Hitachi Lydia 1-5, Gibson 1-3. East Chambers, Nick King 3-42. Dominique Marshall 3-28, Lane Simon 3-26, Roberts 2-26, Cody Martin 1-18, Brennan Beckett 1-7.