The Frisco Lone Star Rangers have done something no Frisco ISD school has done since Frisco Centennial in 2012: advance past the third round of the UIL State Playoffs.
In fact, this is only the second time a Frisco School has made it this deep in the playoffs since 1973. The Rangers pulled off this feat in convincing fashion too, as they crushed their semifinals foe, Marshall.
W Frisco Lone Star (12-1) VS Marshall (11-2)—56-7
Death, taxes and the Lone Star Rangers putting up 40-plus points—all three you can count on, as it’s been quite sometime since Prosper held them to just 24 points in the Bi-district round.
Still, the UIL Regional Semifinals is no laughing matter, so Lone Star Head Coach Jeff Rayburn took no chances getting on the board early, as he called for a reversal that turned QB Jason Shelley into a receiver and WR Jaylen Dixon into a passer.
Just like the game as a whole, this went off without a hitch as Shelley can now say he scored postseason points in every way possible on offense: one receiving, three passing, and two rushing—just for good measure.
After that initial score, the Marshall defense tightened up, but as Lone Star proved with a 21-point second quarter, they can make the necessary adjustments to keep the points train rolling.
Up 7-0, Shelley ran in a score from one-yard out with 8:46 remaining in the first half, then dished to RB Darrin Smith (72 yds, 2 TDs) who pierced the end zone on a four-yard dash. Down 21-0, Marshall answered on what would be their lone scoring drive of the game, a 63-yard scamper by RB Chavis Mills (108 yds, TD). Lone Star WR Coby Shelton (117 yes, TD) closed out the first half of play with a 61-yard pass-and-catch from Shelley, to pad the Rangers lead to 28-7.
The third quarter had Shelley get Jaylen Dixon (80 total yes, TD) in on the scoring action, as well as last week’s standout WR, Jrayton Fuksa (31 yes, TD). In the game’s final quarter, Shelley took it to the house himself one last time, before another four-yard run by Smith closed out the contest for good.
All told, Lone Star amassed 580 total yards of offense, while allowing just 113 total yards of offense by Marshall—almost all of which was accounted for by the aforementioned Chavis Mills.
Lone Star now looks to dip its toes in unchartered waters, as no Frisco ISD team has made it past the Regional Finals.
Up Next (5A Region II Regional Finals): VS Lancaster (10-3) @ 5:30 PM
