5 Big Takeaways: Pearland Dawson stays perfect with 31-28 overtime win over Shadow Creek

ALVIN – Being perfect is something Pearland Dawson has done one before in the short history of the program.

The 2020 Eagles entered Friday trying to keep the hopes of joining the 2012 Dawson team – which went undefeated in the regular season and finished 12-1 overall – as the only other team to finish the regular season unblemished.

Facing defending Class 5A Division I State Champion Shadow Creek at their house – Freedom Field – would be the last thing standing in the way.

A pair of rushing scores from Torrance Burgess and a stingy defense anchored by Cameron Whitfield, David Fisher and Jonah Ledet and the leg of Carter Brown powered the Eagles to a 31-28 overtime victory, pushing their overall record to 9-0 and clinching the District 23-6A Championship outright.

"It hasn't really hit me yet," Dawson head coach Mike Allison said. "I'm very proud of the coaching staff and the time they have put in to prepare these guys to be successful. I'm extremely proud of the kids and the work they have put in. The credit is on them. I just try to manage and keep everybody going in the same direction. There's not a better place to be."

The last two seasons under

Allison, the Eagles are an impressive 19-2 and have now won back-to-back district crowns. Pearland Dawson and Shadow Creek (4-3, 4-1) will now wait two weeks to see who they will play in the 2020 playoffs.

Here are the 5 Big Takeaways from the game!

1)      What can Brown do for you? 

No we are not talking about UPS. But we are talking about someone who does deliver. Pearland Dawson's All-State kicker Carter Brown was 4-of-4 on extra points heading into overtime. His leg would be called on again. In the first overtime after a turnover forced by the defense, Brown trotted out and nailed a 23-yard game-winning field goal.

"It was amazing, I couldn't have done it without the defense getting a stop and the offense getting me where I could kick that field goal. I couldn't have done without my team. I'm just grateful to have all these coaches and supporters and family on this team."

The kick sealed the second-ever undefeated regular season and second-straight district title for Pearland Dawson.

"Carter is a phenomenal kicker," Allison said. "He works very hard at his craft. He has done and will continue to do great things. I am very at ease when he goes out there to kick a field goal even in that situation. From the snapper Carter Ostrom to David Jefferson and to Carter Brown kicking it, those guys have been doing it for a while now together. They get extra work in outside of school. They are very proud of what they do and take pride in what they do."

Stingy Defense

The Pearland Dawson defense is a stingy one. Cameron Whitfield anchors the outside edge and can be a problem. Carter Ostrom will chase someone down and then in the secondary David Fisher and Jonah Ledet can cause problems. It's experienced and good.

"We are [stingy]," Allison said. "With and an offense like Shadow Creek has it's tough because they're going to get theirs because they are phenomenal athletes and have good schemes. I'm proud because that defense, who has played well all year, we have a lot of experience with those guys and they don't give up. They continue to believe in each other and play as a unit. Hopefully we can keep it going as long as we can."

The defense held Shadow Creek to just seven points in the first half. Then when they needed a stop in overtime they got it. An interception by Fisher in overtime in the endzone helped lead to the eventual game-winning field goal by Brown. The defense contained Drones well not letting him run all over the place. Up front they have a good amount of push as well.

Runnin’ Eagles

The combination of Torrance Burgess and Jaden Stewart in the backfield is a solid one for Pearland Dawson. Both bring a bruising running style with speed. In the first half, Burgess showed off his ability to stretch the field but have enough speed to still gain yards even after going towards the sideline. In the first half, Burgess scored on a five-yard and seven-yard touchdown, which gave them a 21-7 halftime lead. This duo is key as the Eagles still break in young quarterback Collin Johnson at QB, who is just a sophomore. Stewart is also a very, very strong runner as there were times he bowled over a defender in front of him.

Tricky ... Tricky 

You know it's a big game when a coach digs into his bag of tricks early in a game. In the first quarter, Collin Johnson tossed it out to Ryan Guillo on what looked like a screen pass. Then, all of a sudden Guillo stopped and then heaved it to a wide open David Jefferson who took it to the house from 53 yards out. It caught everyone off guard. A nice tricky play to catch the defense off guard. It also shows that Allison and company aren't afraid to push the chips to the center of the table, which is what they will need to do in the 2020 playoffs.

Drones Shows Grit

Kyron Drones did not have a good first half at all. He couldn't move the offense and they couldn't score but the one time, down 21-7 at the half. But despite turnovers in the second half, Drones was still able to bring his team back to an eventual 28-28 tie with just 1:28 left in the game. In a pinch he distributed the ball well and got it to his receivers. Drones showed how he can fight back despite some adversity. Shadow Creek will need that fight in the playoffs when those start in three weeks.