Tenaha Holds Iola Scoreless + Advances To Game Of The Year Against Bremond

BRYAN -- The matchup followers of Class 2A Division II have wanted all season became official Friday evening.

Tenaha blanked Iola, 44-0, at Merrill Green Stadium in Bryan and punched its ticket into the Region III championship game. The Tigers will face Bremond, which has not lost a game since Tenaha bounced it out of the postseason in 2013.

Friday's shutout was Tenaha's third straight. It has not allowed an opponent a single point in the postseason.

Iola (8-5) couldn't find answers offensively, but it tried to make up for it after allowing a 10-yard touchdown reception from quarterback C.J. Horn to Jay Lloyd. It took the Tigers (13-0) until the 2:47 mark of the second quarter to begin pulling away despite a lot of offensive activity.

At that point, after punting on consecutive drives for the first time this season, Trai Gardner ran in a score from midfield on a sweep. Ontario Thompson then recorded a 33-yard scoop-and-score before the half ended for a 20-0 advantage.

Gardner scored twice more in the second half, Ladarrius Garrett got in for a touchdown and Abel Rodriguez connected for a field goal.