Haltom beats Paschal to keep football playoff hopes alive in convincing district win

Haltom came into Friday’s game at Farrington Field off a win, aiming to also beat Fort Worth Paschal to keep its postseason hopes alive.

The playoffs are still in reach as the Buffalos beat the Panthers, 51-20.

“I’m very proud of our guys tonight, we had a goal of getting to the playoffs and we are 3-1 in district now,” Haltom coach Jason Tucker said.

The first score of the game was a run play by Haltom’s Devan Powell on the goal line with 6:51 left in the first quarter. Haltom (3-4 overall, 3-1 in District 3-6A D1) followed that up with another run play for a touchdown from the 20-yard line to A.J. Reynolds making it 14-0 with 3:30 left in the first quarter.

One of the biggest plays of the night for Paschal (2-5, 0-3) came when defensive back Aiden DeLaCruz made a red zone interception for the Panthers.

A second-half highlight was when Jaylon Mason made a 25-yard catch over the cornerback’s head, making the score 38-7 with 5:20 left in the third quarter.

“They played a really good second half and it was good to see the offense, defense and special teams all make plays in the second half, Tucker said.

“I think our offense possibly performed the best it has all year and we kept punching back after a bad drive,” added Haltom offensive lineman Major Barkley.

It was the ability to keep punching back that led to the Buffalo win.

“It sets us up good for next week and if we win next week, we will probably get a playoff spot,” Tucker said.