An overtime loss in the state playoffs last year wasn’t haunting Cinco Ranch football coach Don Clayton Friday night against Mayde Creek.

Rather it was a 14-13 loss to the Rams two years ago, in which the Cougars missed an extra point.

Once a last-minute defensive stand ensured overtime, Cinco Ranch wasted no time hitting the jugular.

Adam Hirtz’s 25-yard touchdown on the first play of overtime bested Roberto Alfaro’s 44-yard field goal, giving the Cougars a 21-17 victory in a District 18-5A game at Rhodes Stadium.

Sprung by a series of excellent blocks, Hirtz sprinted to the left sideline and snuck in to perfectly execute a play Cinco Ranch (4-3, 3-1) had come close to breaking several times in the game.

“It was an (isolation) block and I ran right through the middle,” Hirtz said. “Our line did a perfect job and the receivers stayed on their blocks. The receivers got those last couple yards for me.”

Cinco Ranch led 14-0 at halftime, then withstood Mayde Creek’s complete reversal of fortunes.

Cougars nose tackle Fred Coker blocked a punt in the end zone and recovered it for a touchdown midway through the first quarter, and quarterback Zach Myers found T.J. Cardone from 26 yards with 2:07 left in the first half.

Cinco Ranch blocked two punts.

Mayde Creek (4-3, 3-1) used a time-consuming drive out of halftime to pull within 14-7 when quarterback Will Handlin scored from 21 yards.

Two series later following a missed 41-yard field goal by Cinco Ranch’s Steven Lomax, running back Justin Giglio arched a beautiful 62-yard touchdown pass to a sprinting Sheriff Thomas down the right sideline to tie it.

“We came in cocky and thinking we were going to blow past them,” said Hirtz, who had 11 rushes for 51 yards. “Obviously it didn’t work out like that.”

Mayde Creek got the ball one more time in regulation. It drove from its own 36 to Cinco Ranch’s 25 in seven plays, but having used its final timeout in Cinco Ranch’s previous possession the Rams ran out of time to kick a would-be game-winning field goal.

Given new life, Clayton’s message to his team was simple.

“We just said it was our game to win right here,” he said. “When you score to win, that’s all the kids right there. They did a great job. They fought and battled the whole way.”

Thomas caught two passes for 76 yards.

Chris West rushed for 52 yards for Mayde Creek. Handlin was 19-of-30 for 168 yards.

* TIME CHANGE: Cinco Ranch’s game against Katy on Oct. 27 at Rhodes Stadium has been moved from 2 p.m. to 11 a.m. to accommodate a regional television broadcast by FSN Southwest.

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