AUSTIN – There was a terrific offensive showdown at House Park, where both teams traded haymaker after haymaker and delivered clutch drive after clutch drive. But in this bi-district playoff, the Anderson Trojans (9–1) emerged victorious, edging the Friendswood Mustangs (6–4) in a thrilling 35–34 shootout.

Friendswood’s offense came out red-hot. Quarterback Josh Brister opened the game with two impressive touchdown passes—a 44-yard screen to running back Charlie Moore and a 34-yard strike to wide receiver AJ Parker.

Anderson soon answered. Before halftime, freshman receiver and defensive back Yaheim Riley made a spectacular eight-yard touchdown grab on a fade route from quarterback Cove Darbyshire, giving the Trojans their first big spark of the night.

Fireworks erupted immediately after the break. On the very first play of the second half, running back Caleb Crenshaw exploded for an 80-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 14–14. The run also helped Crenshaw rewrite history, pushing him to 5,430 career rushing yards and surpassing LBJ’s Sedrick Alexander for the all-time Austin-area record.

Friendswood quickly responded when Brister found tight end Ty “Diesel” Rudolph on a flat route for a six-yard touchdown.

The fourth quarter delivered even more chaos. Crenshaw struck again with a 25-yard touchdown reception from Darbyshire. Moments later, he lost a fumble that Friendswood recovered, setting up a highlight-reel 24-yard touchdown catch by senior wideout Jensen Hackney. Crenshaw answered once more—his third touchdown of the night—with a 42-yard scoring reception. Then Riley came up huge on defense with an impressive interception that many believed would seal the win for Anderson.

But Friendswood wasn’t done. With 1:21 left and no timeouts, the Mustangs forced an Anderson punt and put the ball back in Brister’s hands. He delivered one of the best drives of his career, launching a long completion to Hackney down to the Anderson 17-yard line. With the season on the line, Brister hit Gianni Gerami for a two-yard touchdown, bringing Friendswood within one point.

The Mustangs elected to go for two and the win. On the deciding play, Brister fired to AJ Parker in the end zone—only for senior cornerback Grayson Lake to streak in and deflect the pass. Incomplete. Two-point try no good.

Anderson recovered the onside kick and closed out the 35–34 victory. Crenshaw finished as the game’s MVP with three total touchdowns.

In the aftermath, some fans questioned Friendswood’s coaching decisions—particularly the two failed fourth-down attempts and the late decision to go for two instead of forcing overtime.

Regardless, the game showcased two teams pouring heart and soul into every snap. Highlight after highlight, this playoff battle will be remembered for years to come.