The 2009 high school football season came to a close Nov. 21 for the final two local teams still playing.

Both the Waller Bulldogs and the Concordia Lutheran Crusaders lost their second round playoff games, capping an end to a remarkable second half run for both teams.

Dayton 41, Waller 3

After winning their first round game over Lockhart, the Waller Bulldogs were rewarded with a second round match-up against the 19-4A champion Dayton Broncos, a team that went 8-2 in the regular season.

Conversely, the Bulldogs snuck into the playoffs with a sub-.500 overall record.

The disparity showed from the opening quarter, as the Broncos took a big early lead after a pair of Payton Ploch touchdown runs. The Bulldogs could only muster a 37-yard Christian Castro field goal, and trailed 14-3 after the first quarter. The 11-point deficit was as close as the Bulldogs would get.

The Broncos piled on in the second quarter, when receiver Gamal Fowler caught a 28-yard touchdown pass from Andres Herrera to put Dayton up 21-3. Juan Carranco added a long 43-yard field goal to increase the lead to 24-3.

With the game all but over in the fourth, the Broncos played add-on, scoring once on a Xavier Frank 5-yard run, and again on a 23-yard scamper by Fowler.

The Bulldogs could neither stop the Bronco ground attack, nor muster much offense of their own. Dayton outgained the Bulldogs in total yards 417 to 90.

Frank ran for a game high 202 yards on 15 carries.

The Bulldogs conclude their 2009 season 5-7 overall.

Dallas Christian 31, Concordia Lutheran 14

After starting their season 0-6, the Crusaders went on a miraculous second half run and qualified for the TAPPS 4-II playoffs. They kept the momentum going in a first round playoff win over San Antonio TMI and went on to face the defending state champion Dallas Christian Chargers in Waco.

After a quarter and a half, it appeared it was anybody’s game. But the Chargers took control in the second quarter, scoring first on a Ryan Downs 21-yard scoring strike to Brad Smithey and again in the second on a Stephen Campbell 34-yard field goal.

Still only down 10 points, the Crusaders were by no means out of it. Both defenses kept their opposition scoreless for most of the third quarter, but the Chargers broke through late when Brandan Durham scored a kick in the gut to Concordia with a 57-yard touchdown run with less than four minutes left.

With Concordia down 17-0 going into the fourth, it would take a spectacular rally to pull of the come-from-behind victory, and the offense nearly pulled it off, finally getting on the board with a pair of Chance Gray touchdown runs.

But the Chargers offense was too much, scoring twice in the fourth to seal the victory.

Gray led the Crusader offense with 110 yards on 10 carries and a pair of touchdowns.

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