In the first half against Lanier, McCollum got away from playing its signature style of football.
With the Cowboys' leading by just one point at the half, coach David Wilkinson's message was simple: "Get back to the basics."
A rejuvenated Cowboys' defense shut out the Voks in the second half, and their offense took off under senior quarterback Luke Tejeda as McCollum surged to a 57-21 win over Lanier on Friday at SAISD Sports Complex.
The victory clinched the Cowboys' first playoff berth since 2015.
Tejeda completed 16 of 19 passes for 263 yards and two touchdowns and led McCollum (5-2, 5-0) to scores on its first five possessions of the second half.
"He is poised. He is so smart," Wilkinson said of Tejeda. "He makes great decisions, doesn't get rattled and is just a great quarterback, man. We are lucky to have him. He has developed so much over two years. He's put in the work.
"He has never missed a workout. He's never missed a throwing session. He's so coachable, and it showed right here."
Lanier quarterback Erick Esparza wasted no time putting his team up early, darting for a 69-yard touchdown on the Voks' second play from scrimmage.
McCollum responded with an efficient 7-play drive that was capped off by a 6-yard rushing touchdown from Jordan Casares.
Esparza pulled Lanier ahead on its ensuing possession, scoring a 3-yard touchdown off a designed QB power play that he bounced outside and walked in untouched. A successful 2-point attempt gave Lanier a 15-7 lead with 1:05 remaining in the first quarter.
The Cowboys marched into the Voks' red zone thanks to a 27-yard rush from senior Justin Barrientos. Two plays later, Tejeda connected with junior Gideon Magallanez on a quick slant for a 9-yard score.
After a Voks' punt - the first of the game for either side - Tejeda drove McCollum 89 yards in 11 plays to take its first lead. Casares took the handoff from the Lanier 3-yard line and cruised in for his second score of the night. Riding the hot hand, the Cowboys called Casares' number on the 2-point attempt to go ahead 22-15 with 3:30 left in the half.
"I love my running backs," Tejeda said. "I know every time I give them the ball, they can just go make a play."
On their next possession, the Voks exerted their will on the Cowboys' defense, rushing 10 straight times deep into McCollum territory. Esparza punched in a 2-yard touchdown with 10 seconds remaining in the half, but a missed extra point preserved a 1-point lead for McCollum at halftime.
A big kickoff return coming out of halftime set up a 1-play scoring drive for the Cowboys. From the Lanier 12-yard line, Barrientos took a handoff up the center of Voks' defense, evaded a tackler and scored. On the first play of the Cowboys' next drive, Tejeda hit sophomore Jaedon Casares in stride for a 52-yard score.
Jordan Casares and Barrientos broke the game open with a pair of 1-yard scores on the next two McCollum possessions. And just for good measure, Cowboys' junior Joe Rodriguez rumbled into the end zone from 11 yards out for McCollum's final score of the game with 11:19 remaining in the game.
Wilkinson says he and the Cowboys will celebrate clinching a playoff berth for just one night.
"If you want to make a run, you've got to be in the best seed possible," Wilkinson said. "When you win a district ball game, the next one gets bigger. So we're going to enjoy it tonight, but it's time to get back to work."
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