Atascocita ends season for Pearland 28-17

    The 2024 football season has come to an end for the Pearland Oilers after they came up on the short end against Atascocita 28-17 in the Region III Class 6A Div. I area round to finish with a 9-3 record.
    This is the third year under head coach B.J. Gotte who has guided the Oilers to three straight playoff appearances under his watch while keeping the streak of 25 consecutive playoff appearances alive for Pearland fans.
    For the second straight year, the Oilers finished 9-3 after being eliminated in the area round by Atascocita but the team has made significant improvements from last year’s 61-35 loss to the Eagles.
    Pearland hasn’t advanced past the second round since 2013 as Clear Springs, Dickinson, and Atascocita have been the teams who have stood in the way of the next round.
    The Oilers have defeated Clear Springs and Dickinson during this time, but Atascocita still holds the edge now with a 4-0 mark after this year’s 28-17 win.
    While some thought the Eagles had their best team in recent years and predicted a big win over the Oilers, Pearland has also made giant strides to improve.
    The first half belonged to the Oilers as they received the opening kickoff and proceeded to go on an 8-play, 75-yard scoring drive capped off by an 8-yard touchdown by running back Tate Chisolm. Zane Adler booted the PAT for a 7-0 lead with 8:10 remaining in the first quarter.
    After both teams traded punts, Atascocita finally put together a 6-play, 49-yard scoring drive that saw QB Cardae Mack score on a 33-yard touchdown run. The PAT was good that tied the game at 7-7 with 1:44 left in the first period.
    Pearland was forced to punt on their next possession to set up the Eagles offense on their own 41.
    It took only two plays for Atascocita to find the pay station again as Mack burned the Oilers defense on a 49-yard run giving the Eagles a 14-7 lead with 9:20 left in the second quarter.
    The Oilers responded with a touchdown following the ensuing kickoff as QB Jake Westmoreland tossed an 8-yard scoring pass to WR Jordan “The Jet” Hernandez to knot up the game at 14-14 following the PAT by Adler with 5:30 remaining in the first half.
    Pearland got the ball back following the ensuing kickoff when LB Charles Gooden III recovered an Atascocita fumble at their 25.
    The Oilers offense stalled at the Eagles’ 3-yard line and Adler entered the game to nail a 20-yard field goal with 2:31 left for a 17-14 lead at intermission.
    The second half belonged to Atascocita as the Pearland offense had a tough time moving the ball and failed to score.
    Atascocita got big plays in the second half when they scored on a 94-yard punt return to take back the lead 21-17 with 5:40 left in the third quarter and then put the nail in the coffin with a 5-yard scoring pass with 2:08 remaining in the game to post the 28-17 final score.
    Pearland finished the game with 228 total yards while Atascocita finished with 291 total yards.
    Westmoreland was 7-of-14 passing for 64 yards and one TD.
    Chisolm had 28 carries for 133 yards and one score.
    Hernandez had four catches for 36 yards and one TD.