Timber Creek starts fast, keeps slim playoff hopes alive in rout of Keller Central

Keller Timber Creek and Keller Central met on Thursday night at Keller ISD Stadium with their District 4-6A playoff lives on the line.

Timber Creek stepped on the gas from the start and never let up and the Falcons coasted to a 44-14 victory over the Chargers to keep its playoff hopes alive for at least another week.

Timber Creek (3-5 overall, 2-2 district) still has a tough hill to climb with Southlake Carroll and Haslet Eaton remaining on its schedule with losses already to Keller and Trophy Club Nelson.

The Falcons jumped out to a quick 20-0 lead in a 2:04 span of the first quarter.

After taking the opening kick, the Falcons drove 67 yards in 8 plays capped with 3-yard scoring run by Alec Souimaniphanh with 8:38 left in the first quarter. Two plays from scrimmage and 16 seconds later, Ezekial Asuega picked up a Central fumble and returned it 28 yards for a TD.

Central (2-6, 0-4) suffered its second turnover in four plays when Timber Creek defensive back Chandler Dubs picked off a pass at the Chargers 43. On the ensuing play quarterback Jacob Porter hit wide out Maddox Allbritton with a slip screen that Allbritton took to the house to give the Falcons a 20-0 lead with 6:34 left in the opening quarter.

Jack Finder nailed a 34-yard field goal for the Falcons early in the second quarter to up the lead to 23-0 and late in the first half Timber Creek went on the march again. The Falcons took 10 plays to cover 53 yards with Porter doing the honors with a 2-yard touchdown run for a 30-0 lead with 11 seconds remaining before the break.

The Timber Creek defense was stellar not allowing a Central first down in the first half. Central had minus-19 total yards at the intermission and had minus-14 yards rushing on 22 carries for the game.

The Chargers didn’t pick up its first, first down until the 8:21 mark of the third quarter when wide receiver Zaccheaus Simmons made a nice catch on a pass from quarterback Kelden Ryan. Simmons then outraced the Timber Creek secondary 72 yards for a touchdown to cut the lead to 30-7.

Ryan, a freshman, led Central with 169 yards passing completing 13 of 17. Simmons (5 receptions, 99 yards) and Ryan connected again late in the game on a 5-yard scoring pass.

Porter finished with 155 passing yards on a 14 of 21 night and added a 6-yard scoring pass to Lonnie Johnson late in the third quarter.

Souimaniphanh (23 carries, 130 yards) started and ended the scoring, finishing with a 4 yard TD run with 4:47 left in the game.