Allen Holds Off Dickinson 29-19 in High-Stakes Showdown

A pre-tournament favorite doesn't always leave with the result it expects. Dickinson came in with that kind of billing but ran into an Allen team that played its best football when it mattered most, walking away with a 29-19 victory.

Gators quarterback Lorenzo Aguirre gave Dickinson every chance to win. He connected with Jayce Washington on a diving catch near the goal line to set up an early score, then found Roddy Griffen shortly after to pull within one at 7-6. Dickinson took the lead on the next possession when Aguirre hit Cedrick Brown, who stretched the ball across the goal line — but the Gators still trailed at halftime.

Dickinson reclaimed the lead in the second half on one of the better throws of the game — Aguirre pump-faked a defender out of position, then dropped a strike down the seam to Rashad Lee to put the Gators up 19-15. It looked like the momentum had shifted for good.

Allen had other ideas. Ty Snell found Andre Jackson out of the backfield as part of a late-game surge that gave the Eagles the lead for good. Allen outscored Dickinson down the stretch to seal the 29-19 final.