No. 6 May ousted in first round by No. 8 Irion County in 104-91 shootout

November 11, 2022 at 2:59 am Derrick Stuckly

(From left) Luke McKenzie, Bryson Guerrero and Braden Steele helped the Tigers generated 483 yards in their final game of the season

ROBERT LEE – The Class A Division I No. 6 May Tigers will not be making a third straight appearance in the state championship game, as the No. 8 Irion County Hornets pulled off a 104-91 bi-district round upset Thursday – avenging the outcome of the 2021 playoff battle between the two teams.

District 14-runner-up May (8-2), which had spent a portion of the season ranked No. 1 after opening with eight straight victories, dropped its final two contests of the season. Meanwhile, District 15 champion Irion County (10-0) remained undefeated in 2022.

May finished with 483 yards of total offense – 356 passing and 127 rushing.

Luke McKenzie threw six touchdown passes, completing 15 of 18 attempts for 170 yards. Braden Steele led the way with 186 yards through the air, connecting on a pair of scoring tosses and completing 10 of 18 passes.

Bryson Guerrero sparked the receiving corps with eight catches for 125 yards and three touchdowns, Ben Harrell added five grabs for 69 yards and a pair of scores, Damian Salinas pulled down two receptions for 58 yards with a trip to the end zone, Steele tallied three grabs for 23 yards and crossed the goal line once, and Jackson Easterling pulled down a 4-yard touchdown catch. Landon Cheatham contributed three catches for 36 yards, Kross Kenyon added two grabs for 16 yards, and McKenzie nabbed a 25-yard reception.

On the ground, Steele led the way with 56 yards and a touchdown, Salinas added 49 yards with a score, and Guerrero tacked on a 19-yard scoring jaunt.

Cheatham also returned a kick 80 yards for a May touchdown.

Standouts for the Tiger defense were Steele (15 tackles), Salinas (12 tackles, a fumble caused and a tackle for loss), Harrell (6 tackles, a fumble caused and 2 tackles for loss), Guerrero (6 tackles), McKenzie (3 tackles, and a pass defended), Cheatham (3 tackles), Easterling (3 tackles and a fumble recovery), Kenyon (2 tackles, a fumble recovery, and a blocked kick), and Alexis Mejia (1 tackle).

Next week, Irion County will face either Leverett’s Chapel (9-1) or Leakey (5-5) – who meet at 5 p.m. Friday in Temple – in the Class A Division I Region IV semifinals.