The Greatest High School Football Game Ever Played - Plano East High School Panthers

It was the evening of November 26, 1994, a Class 5A Division II Region II semifinal in Texas Stadium. The Plano East High School Panthers football team was trailing against John Tyler High 41-17 with only 3 minutes remaining in regulation. Plano East had possession of the ball at John Tyler's 20-yard line. With a quick touchdown pass from Jeff Whitley to Terrence Green, the drive began as the score closed to 41-23. On the ensuing onside kickoff, a member of John Tyler's team picked up the ball and fumbled it. Plano East was there to pick it up, so with the ball on John Tyler's 44, Whitley throws another pass to Terrence Green, taking them up to the 26-yard line with 2:24 left. On the next play, a hard blitz caused an errant pass from Whitley but the pass was still caught and taken to the 11-yard line. Three plays later, on 4th and 5 at the 5-yard line, Whitley completes a touchdown pass to John Braddick.

The conversion was good, which took the score to 41-31. On yet another onside kick, Plano East yet again recovered possession when a John Tyler player let the ball bounce off him. With the ball on their own 45 and 1:24 left, a screen pass to Green took the ball to the John Tyler 12 yard line, where he took the ball out of bounds to stop the clock. On the next play, Whitley completed yet another touchdown pass to Braddick. The failed conversion left the score 41-37. Plano East recovered another onside kick following the attempted conversion, which left them at midfield. On 2nd and 10, facing a hard blitz from both sides, another screen pass to Green took the ball to the John Tyler 22 yard line. With 24 seconds remaining Plano East's Robert Woods, caught a 22yard touchdown pass from Jeff Whitley giving Plano East a 44-41 lead and an apparent victory. But Roderick Dunn returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown. With only 11 seconds left he fielded the ball at the John Tyler three, cut toward the left sideline at the 20 and ran 97 yards unscathed for the touchdown adding an unexpected twist to a remarkable game.

Dunn's teammates followed him up the locker room tunnel as they celebrated. " The line blocked and I just followed the lane," Dunn said. "We felt real deflated when they took the lead, and we were arguing but coach (Allen Wilson) told us to keep our heads up."

The John Tyler football team won an ESPY award in 1995 for showstopper of the year: High school football: Incredible comeback/letdown, Plano East vs. Tyler.

So that's how the "greatest high school football game ever played" came to be back in November 1994. Be sure to catch the video on youtube under: Plano East-John Tyler 1994 Football. Make sure you listen closely for the "great" announcing work. The highly emotional broadcast team punctuates the awesome comeback with phrases like "I done wet my britches" and Good gosh almighty, I don't believe it". High School football fans this is a must see!