Highland Park High School’s football team finished its regular season with a 45-20 win over Richardson Pearce on Friday night at Highlander Stadium, clinching a share of the District 7-6A title by tying Lake Highlands (8-2, 7-1) in the final standings.
Highland Park (9-1, 7-1 District 7-6A) started quickly, scoring on its first possession and capitalizing on turnovers with three touchdowns to pull away in the second quarter of a game in which both teams clocked around 450 yards of offense.
Parker Thompson, starting at quarterback for Highland Park in place of an injured Warren Peck, drove the Scots down the field, and running back Wilson Axley capped the drive with a two-yard score to go up 7-0 less than three minutes into the game.
Pearce responded with a touchdown drive to tie the game at seven as quarterback Presley Harper ran into the end zone from 19 yards out. However, Pearce turned the ball over on two of its next three drives and found itself down 35-7 at the half after two touchdown runs from Keller Holmes and a Thompson touchdown pass.
Harper found the end zone again on a one-yard run to begin the second half and cut the deficit to 21, but Holmes responded with another score for Highland Park.
After Highland Park added a field goal early in the fourth quarter, Pearce added a late touchdown pass.
Holmes ran for 31 yards and three touchdowns on nine carries, while Thompson threw for 138 yards and two touchdowns and added 147 yards on the ground.
Harper had 327 passing yards to go with his two touchdown runs and threw one interception in a season-ending performance for Pearce (6-4, 4-4).
Highland Park had already clinched a playoff spot, along with Lake Highlands, Dallas Jesuit, and Richardson Berkner, and won a share of the district title since all four teams won this weekend.
Highland Park will host Arlington (4-5, 3-3, third place in District 8-6A) in the bi-district round of the Class 6A Division II playoff at 7 p.m. on Friday.
