100TH BATTLE OF 287 BETWEEN WAXAHACHIE, NO. 6 ENNIS ENDS IN HISTORIC OVERTIME THRILLER

By Travis M. Smith | KBEC Sports

Legendary head football coach Sam Harrell is no stranger to the storied rivalry between Ennis and Waxahachie. In fact, he’s helped pen quite a few memorable chapters over the first 99 meetings among the schools separated by roughly 17 miles along US Highway 287.

There have been questionable calls at the goal line, blowouts on the road to state titles and district championships decided on the final snap.

Then there was Friday’s defensive showcase in front of a standing-room-only crowd at Stuart B. Lumpkins Stadium in Waxahachie that found yet another way to make history in a rivalry that began in 1908.

Helmets flew. Crowds roared. The bands played. And fight songs hit all-time highs as the two storied programs headed into overtime tied at 14-all.

Harrell promptly made the Ennis plan clear to his Lions: If Waxahachie scored first, Ennis would go for the two-point conversion if they too found the end zone in overtime. He’d been burned by a back-and-forth overtime affair before, most notably against Corsicana in the early 2000s.

“Once overtime got there, I knew we’d go for two,” Harrell said.

It wasn’t a bluff, either.

After Waxahachie quarterback Roderick Hartsfield Jr. connected with Keith Abney II for a 23-yard touchdown, Harrell and the Lions were afforded the opportunity to put the game on the line. The touchdown had given the Indians their first lead of the ballgame, 21-14, and came on the second snap of the lone overtime period.

“When Waxahachie scored, I told our sideline that if we scored, we were going for two,” recalled Harrell of his decision that ultimately sealed the 22-21 Ennis win. “We actually had another play called, but when Waxahachie called timeout, we switched it.”

Ennis quarterback Jackson Gilkey (19-24, 212, 2 TDs) took the snap from the gun, rolled right and found an open TT Cox just across the goal line. Cox caught the pass around his knees and quickly jumped up to celebrate with teammates as they rushed the field from the sideline.

“Jackson did a great job and found TT in there and fired it to him,” Harrel said. “I really didn’t [see it]. There was so much action in there that I thought it got knocked down. I didn’t think [Waxahachie] got it, but I thought they knocked it down.”

The successful two-point conversion capped a night when the Lions outgained the Indians 303 total yards to 234. With both starting running backs out of action due to off-the-field disciplinary issues, the Lions mustered just 91 rushing yards on 30 attempts against a fast, active and swarming Indian front seven.

Waxahachie also forced four fumbles but recovered just two. One of those they did not recover came on the Lions’ second play from scrimmage in overtime.

Running back Jace Berry (9-51) busted through the middle of the Indian defensive line for a 6-yard gain, only to be met by a pair of Waxahachie linebackers and subsequently stripped of the football near the 20-yard line.

The ball rolled end-over-end toward the Indian sideline, ultimately recovered by Cox some 15 yards from where the ball came loose. Had Cox not landed his outstretched hand on the pigskin, there were two Indians just a step and a half away, ready to fall on it and seal the Waxahachie win.

Fate was in favor of the Lions, however.

Berry rushed for 11 yards on the ensuing snap and Gilkey connected with Gracen Harris (12-164, 2TDs) one play later for a 12-yard touchdown. The Lions followed with the successful two-point conversion and celebrated all 17 miles back down U.S. Highway 287.

Ennis now leads the all-time series 50-48-2.