'Cardiac' Connally defeats Magnolia West on late pass
QB Robert Patterson finds Cametron Stewart on Hail Mary; Cougars to host Temple
Aaron Schnautz
Down to the final seconds and trailing by five points, Connally needed a miracle to keep its football season alive.
And that's exactly what the Cougars got.
Senior quarterback Robert Patterson completed a 46-yard Hail Mary pass to Cameron Stewart with three seconds to play to give host Connally a 34-33 victory over Magnolia West (7-4) in a Class 5A, Division I bi-district playoff Nov. 11.
"Someone earlier this year called us the Cardiac Cougs, and it's pretty fitting," said Connally coach Jason Cecil, whose team has won three games this season by five or fewer points.
Connally (9-2), making its first postseason appearance since 2012, converted a fourth-and-10 with less than a minute to go to keep the game-winning drive alive. After a false start and a sack, Patterson's third touchdown of the night guaranteed that his team's dream season continues for another week.
"We've been working on that play all week," Cecil said. "We said if we need it, we're going to do it. And we needed it."
Magnolia West ran for 283 yards, led by senior running back Trey McGrew's 217 yards and three touchdowns. McGrew ran out of steam late, though, and the Mustangs settled for two fourth-quarter field goals, leaving the door open for Connally's comeback.
The Cougars will host Temple next week in a second-round matchup Friday at 7:30 p.m.