In the end, No. 1 Ryan (14-0) advances to the State Championship for the second straight year, thanks to a 49-35 win over Summit, which sees its Cinderella run from the 4th seed in 4-5A come to a close.
Ryan jumped out to a 14-0 lead early in the first quarter but never seemed like it wanted to really put its collective foot on the collective throats of Summit. Summit, which had been relishing in the underdog role through its playoff run, just inched closer and closer as the game wore on.
After punting the ball away to Summit, Ryan's defense forced a three-and-out on Summit's next drive and then blocked the punt. Hal Presley picked up the ball and tried heaving it downfield for the conversion, but the pass was incomplete and Ryan took over from the Summit 12.
Then...
Ryan boosts its lead back up to 8 and then on Summit's next drive, this...
Ryan tacked on another score with a 19-yard run by Keori Hicks and the 1-point lead ballooned up to 22.
Now Ryan turns its attention to Cedar Park, which flipped a halftime deficit to 61-28 win over Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial. Ryan and Cedar Park play at 7 p.m. next Friday at AT&T Stadium.
Jeremy Payne, left, and Julian Payne look on during a game this season.Courtesy of the Payne family
