Millwood had two big scoring plays and made them stand up for the win Friday in the state quarterfinals.
The final was 22-7 over Chandler, but it belies the closeness of the game.
Millwood hit a 75-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown on the first snap of the game and added a 45-yard punt return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to make it a 15-point game.
In between, Chandler dominated the line of scrimmage and led, 7-6, at halftime, thanks to a highlight reel catch for a touchdown by Ty Garver.
“In the quarterfinals, it’s just a handful of plays that make the difference,” Chandler Coach Jack Gray said. “We won most of the plays tonight, but lost a couple of the important ones.
“You take those two plays away, it’s a whole different game. We out-physicalled them the whole game.
“I couldn’t be more proud of them and the legacy they’re leaving.”
The Lions were 2-3 halfway through the season, but improved every week and put together a six-game winning streak and finished second in their district.
“The way they came out this year, losing three of the first five, a lot of people counted our guys out,” Gray said. “The word that was going around was that Chandler’s not good, that Chandler’s not going very far, might not make the playoffs. They had to hear that a lot, but it drove these guys and they came out to practice every single day to get better.
“Looking at these guys compared to the first of the season, there’s a night and day difference. We couldn’t ask any more of these guys than the effort they gave us. They gave use everything.”
After Millwood’s opening score, Chandler began controlling the line of scrimmage and got on the scoreboard in the second quarter.
Garver set up the score with a 52-yard run that went to the Millwood 24 with six minutes left in the half.
Chandler lost a yard on the next three plays, but quarterback Cruz Jackson lofted a pass toward the goal line on fourth-and-11.
Garver was falling backward, but pulled in the pass just before he hit the ground in the end zone.
The kick made it 7-6 and the Lions led going into the locker room.
Millwood retook the lead in the third quarter on a 10-yard scoring run.