New Caney Football Tops Lufkin To Keep Pace In Playoff Race

NEW CANEY, TX — When New Caney needed big plays the most in a key District 8-5A Division I matchup against Lufkin, the Eagles turned to some of their biggest playmakers.

New Caney outscored the Panthers 21-0 in the fourth quarter to grab a 38-27 victory, the program’s first over Lufkin, at Randall Reed Stadium on Friday.

The win moves the Eagles (4-1) to 2-1 in 8-5A Division I and a half-game behind third-place Magnolia in the race behind district frontrunners College Station and Magnolia West. Lufkin (2-4), another team fighting for playoff positioning, drops to 1-3.

“This is a huge win in the district race,” New Caney head coach Travis Reeve said. “We felt like this was going to be a pivotal game about midway through district. We’re awful excited about getting this victory. We’ve got a tremendous amount of respect for Lufkin. Coach [Todd] Quick does a great job.”

New Caney trailed 27-17 late in the third quarter after 13 straight points from the Panthers, but it was all Eagles after that, thanks in large part to quarterback Cornelius Banks, running back Kedrick Reescano and defensive backs Kayden Cooper and Traveon Hampton.

Banks took a quarterback keeper for an 11-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter to pull New Caney within 27-24, and shortly after, Cooper came up with a much-needed defensive play.

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Lufkin running back Kedren Young, who had a banner day rushing for 195 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 28 carries, fumbled on a third-down carry, and Cooper scooped up the loose ball to set up the Eagles at the Lufkin 25-yard line.

Banks connected with a wide-open Arkez Gomez on a wheel route out of the backfield for a 21-yard touchdown, giving New Caney a 31-27 lead with 8:08 left in the game.

After forcing a punt, New Caney went on a long drive that took around five minutes off the game clock and put the game away with an 8-yard touchdown run from Reescano, who finished with 117 yards on 16 carries, with 1:36 left in the game. For good measure, Hampton intercepted Lufkin quarterback TJ Hammond on the next possession.

After a slow start in the passing game, Banks found his footing when the Eagles needed it most, completing his final six passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. All six passes came on the final three drives and included a 14-yard pass on a tight sideline throw to receiver Cameron Thomas to convert on third-and-10 late in the fourth quarter.

Thomas finished with five catches for 64 yards, and Blaine Lucas had two grabs for 66 yards.

Banks completed 10 of 20 passes for 181 yards, rushed for 51 yards on 10 carries and accounted for three touchdowns.

“Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games,” Reeve said. “We had a couple third-down conversions that he put in a tight window and completed when we had to have it the most. He had some big runs. I’ll go to war with that guy every day of the week. He’s a great leader for us.”

Lufkin outgained New Caney 434-369 and appeared to take control with a 13-0 third quarter with a 25-yard touchdown run from Zach Sigler and a 10-yard touchdown run from Young. That’s when a switch seemed to flip for the Eagles as both the offense and defense seemed to feed into each other.

“We knew we had to punch them in the mouth in the fourth quarter,” Cooper said. “Teamwork makes the dream work. That’s all I can say.”

Young raced and rumbled for 154 yards on 18 carries in the first half and got the Panthers on the board first with a 32-yard touchdown run to cap the first drive with 7:45 left in the first quarter.

It only took two plays for New Caney to answer back, and Banks hit Lucas on a crossing route for a 51-yard touchdown to pull even with 7:27 left in the opening period.

A double pitch play gave Lufkin the lead again late in the first quarter as Young took a pitch from Hammond, then pitched it to Sigler on the option for a 5-yard touchdown run.

The Eagles again had a quick answer as Cooper took the ensuing kickoff for a 99-yard touchdown to tie the game with 1:37 left in the first quarter.

“He’s getting better every single week, and he’s totally bought into what we’re trying to do,” Reeve said of Cooper. “He just moved to safety over the summer, and you can tell he’s starting to get comfortable in his role. He’s a dynamic player.”

New Caney produced the only scoring of the second quarter as Israel Oregon connected on a 31-yard field goal to give the Eagles a 17-14 lead with 6:09 left in the half. It was set up by a 29-yard catch on a jump ball by Thomas, who wrestled the ball away from his defender.

Both teams had the ball with good field position late in the half but couldn’t score.