Yahoo Sports Eagle Mountain football makes playoff appearance in inaugural season, falls to Glen Rose
Eagle Mountain High School football, ahead of its inaugural season, wanted to establish a brand, traditions and culture.
The Knights, without any seniors on the roster, had an uphill battle in a district with state powers Brock and Graham. Although Eagle Mountain had a challenging path, they completed their goal, setting the bar high for future generations.
Despite having one district win, Eagle Mountain had a tiebreaker advantage and secured the fourth playoff spot in District 3-4A D2. The Knights made their first playoff appearance in program history on Thursday, Nov. 14, at Roo Stadium, falling to Glen Rose 48-6 in the bi-district round.
Although the game wasn’t close, the Knights reached a milestone future generations will look back on. Only a select few Texas football teams can say they made the postseason in their first year.
“We just met each other a few weeks ago,” Eagle Mountain head coach Jeremy Mullins said. “I’m proud of our guys. They certainly improved each week and throughout the year.”
Mullins said that throughout the year, the team learned more about the expectations and standards the coaching staff is trying to set. In the 2025 season, the Knights will have two valuable weapons: Experience and continuity.
“You never want a year to end, but I’m excited about just having a full year of off-season with these guys,” Mullins said. “There is so much build in that phase – getting to know one another, bleeding a bit with one another, fighting a bit with one another, and building something together.”
With no seniors on the roster, Eagle Mountain is returning a flurry of sophomores and juniors with varsity playing experience. After a year of building, the Knights will now have a more even playing field.
“Our juniors have done a great job of bonding and molding together,” Mullins said. “We’ve got a long way to go, in terms of what we do on a daily basis, but man, they’ve certainly taken some big strides.”
Glen Rose’s relentless offense
Glen Rose is a Class 4A D2 contender, and the Tigers flexed their offensive prowess in the first half, taking a 35-0 lead behind four touchdowns from senior Brodey Bowman, who also recovered an onside kick. The Tiger offense, led by quarterback Canyon Evans, piled on the points.
“Really excited about the way we started,” Glen Rose head coach Cliff Watkins said. “We got the fast start that we needed. We put them in a hole that they couldn’t get out of. But they fought back and played hard the whole game.”
Evans finished with 413 passing yards and five touchdowns, completing 20 of 28 passes with zero interceptions. All of his touchdown strikes were to Bowman, who finished with 231 total yards.
“To have a guy like that at the tight end spot -- that’s huge,” Watkins said. “He made big plays tonight in one-on-one matchups. ... Tonight was Bowman’s night.”
Eagle Mountain’s Qu’Mario Nichols got the Knights on the board in the third quarter, capitalizing on solid field position due to a botched Glen Rose punt with a three-yard touchdown.
Glen Rose added 13 points, failing to match its first-half production with the Knights stepping up the defensive intensity.
“We just got sloppy in the third quarter,” Watkins said. “Part of that was them. They came out ready to play in the second half. You know, wins are hard, especially in the playoffs. I’m excited for our guys to get a bi-district championship.”
The Tiger offense has scored more than 44 points in nine of 10 games. Since a 71-50 loss to Alvarado when Evans was hurt, Glen Rose has won six in a row and will face either Seminole or Levelland in the area round.
“We’ve progressed a lot on both sides of the ball since then,” Watkins said. “Tonight, we were explosive in the pass game. Hopefully, we can figure out what people want to stop and then take what they give us. Canyon (Evans) can definitely make all the throws.”
