Lake Highlands defeated Plano East 21-14 in their District 7-6A season opener at Tom Kimbrough Stadium in Murphy. The Wildcats took the lead late in the fourth quarter when quarterback John Cothern connected with wide receiver Christopher Thibodeaux Jr. for a 10-yard touchdown with 1:55 remaining. This score broke a tie that had persisted for nearly two quarters of play.
The game began with Plano East striking first. After recovering a fumble on the opening snap, sophomore running back Treyce Seldon ran for a 14-yard touchdown with 8:23 left in the first quarter. Lake Highlands responded quickly, with Cothern finding Thibodeaux for a 31-yard score with 4:50 remaining in the first period.
The Wildcats extended their lead early in the second quarter on a 16-yard pass to Thibodeaux, but East tied the game at 14-14 before halftime. Senior quarterback Josh Gordon threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Kariem Pittman with 5:33 left in the half.
Neither team scored in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, the Plano East defense recorded a key stop midway through the period. Lake Highlands reached the Panthers' 2-yard line, but East stuffed three consecutive running plays.
On fourth down, the Wildcats attempted a pass, which was intercepted in the end zone with 6:04 remaining. Despite this defensive stand, East punted with 4:22 left, allowing Lake Highlands to drive for the winning touchdown.
Cothern finished the game 21-of-39 for 267 yards and three touchdowns, all thrown to Thibodeaux, who caught 11 passes for 177 yards. The Panthers limited Lake Highlands to 22 rushing yards. For East, Gordon completed 26-of-44 passes for 156 yards and a touchdown.
Pittman caught seven passes for 91 yards and a score, while Seldon rushed 16 times for 57 yards and a touchdown. East was penalized eight times for 91 yards and finished with 241 total offensive yards.
