PLAYOFF ROUNDUP: No. 3 Balmorhea takes down No. 7 Garden City
Amy McDaniel
Lane Carrasco had three interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, as Balmorhea beat Garden City 52-28 in a Class 1A Division I bidistrict playoff game Thursday in Rankin.
Carrasco's pick-six on his third interception of the night slammed the door on hopes for a Garden City comeback as the No. 3-ranked Bears advanced to the area round, where they will play Borden County.
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Carrasco's interception at the end of the first half preserved Balmorhea's 24-16 lead.
No. 7 Garden City was driving to try to tie the game on the first possession of the second half and were as close as six yards before Carrasco got his second interception.
Balmorhea drove the length of the field and took a 32-16 lead with 5:49 to play in the third quarter.
Garden City pulled within 32-22 by the end of the third quarter, but the Bears took a 40-22 lead with 8:29 to play.
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Carrasco's third interception and score gave Balmorhea a 48-22 lead with 8:06 to play.
Balmorhea kicked a 23-yard field goal to take a 52-22 lead.
It was the second meeting this year between the Bears and Bearkats. Balmorhea beat Garden City 68-22 during the regular season.
Last year, Garden City beat Balmorhea 48-14 in the regional final.
Balmorhea improved to 10-1. Garden City ended its season at 8-3.
Garden City's JohnMichael Alegria added a rushing TD in the final seconds of the game.
Mason 41, Thrall 20
No. 9 Mason took down Thrall in a 2A DI bidistrict game in Marble Falls.
The Punchers (9-2) advance to the area round where they will play Weimar (10-1).
Mason led 24-6 at halftime, but Thrall got as close as 31-20 late in the third quarter.
The Punchers were led by Klay Klaerner, who ran for 125 yards and a TD on 22 carries. He had an interception on defense.
Matt Kerr added 77 rushing yards and three TDs on 13 carries. Jase Eckert had 85 rushing yards on 14 carries.
Slone Stultz had two sacks to anchor Mason's defense, which allowed only 108 yards. Whitt Bierschwale added an interception.
Blake Lewis returned a kickoff 65 yards for a TD to highlight Mason's special teams, along with two field goals (covering 27 and 33 yards) and five extra points by Kyle Montoya.
The Punchers' special teams also allowed a kickoff return for a TD, however.
San Saba 57, Riesel 20
No. 3 San Saba beat Riesel in a 2A DI bidistrict game in McGregor.
The Armadillos (11-0) advance to the area round where they will face the Wolfe City/Collinsville winner.
Albany 56, Miles 7
The No. 8 Lions were too much for the Bulldogs on Thursday in a 2A DII bidistrict game at Gordon Wood Stadium in Brownwood.
Albany took a 20-0 first-quarter lead and led 41-7 at halftime.
The Lions (8-3) advance to play the winner of the game between Windthorst and Shamrock.
The Bulldogs ended their season at 7-4.
Lindsay 26, Winters 7
Lindsay defeated Winters in a 2A DI bidistrict game in Archer City.
Winters ended its season at 5-6.
Holland 73, Junction 14
Holland beat Junction in a 2A DI bidistrict game in Johnson City.
Junction ended its season at 4-7.
May 56, Robert Lee 8
The No. 8 Tigers mercy-ruled the Steers on Thursday in Santa Anna in a 1A DI bidistrict matchup.
Casey Skipworth's 12-yard interception return for a touchdown pulled Robert Lee within 14-8 with 6:13 to play in the first quarter.
But May scored the next six touchdowns to win at halftime.
May improved to 10-1 and will play the winner between Nueces Canyon and Zephyr in the area round.
Robert Lee ended its season at 6-5.
Abernathy 75, Reagan County 0
Abernathy defeated Reagan County in a 3A DII bidistrict game in Big Spring.
Reagan County ended its season 0-11.
Amy McDaniel is a multimedia sports journalist. Send news tips to amy.mcdaniel@gosanangelo.com. Consider supporting West Texas journalism with a subscription to GoSanAngelo.com.