Shadow Creek Strikes Early, Rolls Past Dawson 44-7 at Freedom Field

ALVIN, Texas — October 2, 2026 — Under the Friday night lights at Alvin ISD's beautiful Freedom Field, Shadow Creek didn't need much time to establish what kind of night it was going to be against the Dawson Eagles.

The Sharks scored early, forced a turnover on Dawson's first offensive play, recovered an onside kick and built a three-touchdown lead before the opening quarter was over.

By the final whistle, Shadow Creek had turned that fast start into a commanding 44-7 district victory over Dawson, improving the Sharks to 4-1 overall and 3-0 in district play.

Shadow Creek Wastes No Time

Shadow Creek received the opening kickoff and immediately went to work.

A long completion on a slant moved the Sharks all the way down to the Dawson 1-yard line. From there, Julian Mathis (#40) finished the drive, punching it into the end zone for the game's first touchdown.

The extra point made it 7-0 Shadow Creek.

Then the Sharks' defense created an opportunity of its own.

Dawson fumbled on its very first offensive play, and Shadow Creek's Xavier Muhammed recovered the football at the Eagles' 8-yard line.

One play later, Shadow Creek was back in the end zone.

Quarterback Tavis Coleman (#4) connected with Jaylen Adai (#3) for the touchdown. The extra point was good, and with 9:44 remaining in the first quarter, Shadow Creek had already opened a 14-0 lead.

Coleman wasn't finished.

The Shadow Creek quarterback delivered another touchdown pass later in the opening period, and another successful extra point stretched the advantage to 21-0 with 3:34 remaining in the first quarter.

Then Shadow Creek went for the knockout punch.

Instead of simply kicking the ball deep, the Sharks attempted an onside kick — and recovered it, putting the football right back into the hands of an offense Dawson had yet to slow down.

Shadow Creek ended the first quarter holding a commanding 21-0 advantage.

Dawson Tries to Settle In

The Sharks threatened again early in the second quarter, moving the football all the way to the Dawson 2-yard line.

Consecutive bad snaps pushed Shadow Creek backward, however, eventually forcing a field-goal attempt that was unsuccessful.

For the first time all night, Dawson had kept points off the board.

Shadow Creek would eventually get those three points. With 3:58 remaining in the second quarter, the Sharks connected on a field goal to extend their advantage to 24-0.

Dawson finally found an answer before halftime. The Eagles reached the end zone on a touchdown pass to Cameron Brown (#4), who finished the night with three receptions for 43 yards and Dawson's lone touchdown.

The extra point cut Shadow Creek's advantage to 24-7 at halftime.

Sharks Slam the Door in the Second Half

Dawson entered the third quarter needing momentum, and for a moment the Eagles appeared to get exactly that.

Shadow Creek's defense opened the half with a stop, but on the Sharks' ensuing offensive possession, Shadow Creek fumbled the football into the end zone. Dawson received the touchback and possession at its own 20-yard line with 8:56 remaining in the third quarter.

It was an opportunity for Dawson to make it a two-score game.

Instead, Shadow Creek's special teams helped swing the momentum right back.

A bad snap on Dawson's punt team resulted in a safety, giving Shadow Creek another two points and extending the Sharks' lead to 26-7 with 7:47 remaining in the third.

Then came another explosive play from Adai.

Jaylen Adai (#3) struck again for his second receiving touchdown of the night, pushing Shadow Creek's advantage to 32-7 with 2:07 remaining in the third quarter.

The extra point was no good, but the damage had already been done.

Adai proved to be one of Coleman's biggest weapons. The junior finished with four receptions for 87 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 21.8 yards per catch. He also added 31 kickoff-return yards for 118 all-purpose yards.

Coleman and the Sharks Finish It

The fourth quarter belonged to Shadow Creek as well.

Coleman went back to the air and connected with BJ LaFell Jr. (#2) for another touchdown strike, extending the Sharks' lead to 38-7 with 10:12 remaining.

The extra-point attempt was blocked, but Dawson was now staring at a 31-point deficit.

LaFell provided Shadow Creek's biggest play through the air and finished with three receptions for a game-high 128 receiving yards and a touchdown. His night included a 79-yard reception, and he averaged an explosive 42.7 yards per catch.

Shadow Creek wasn't quite finished.

With 3:04 remaining in the fourth quarter, J. Pace (#23) scored from 13 yards out for the Sharks' final touchdown of the night. Another missed extra point left the score at 44-7.

Pace finished as Shadow Creek's leading rusher with 88 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown. Mathis added 54 yards on eight carries and a touchdown as the Sharks accumulated 136 rushing yards.

And this time, 44-7 would stand as the final.

Coleman Delivers a Big Night Through the Air

The final statistics put into perspective just how effective Coleman and the Shadow Creek passing attack were.

Coleman completed 14 of 18 passes for 320 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. He completed 77.8 percent of his attempts, averaged 22.9 yards per completion and finished with a 158.6 quarterback rating, according to MaxPreps.

And Coleman spread the football around.

In addition to LaFell's 128 yards and Adai's 87, Braylon Coleman (#14) caught four passes for 63 yards and a touchdown, while A. Starling (#6) added two receptions for 40 yards.

Altogether, Shadow Creek receivers accounted for 342 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns.

A Complete Night for Shadow Creek

The final numbers reflected what played out on the field.

Shadow Creek produced 456 total offensive yards — 320 passing and 136 rushing — while Dawson finished with just 94 total yards.

The Sharks' offense produced four touchdown passes and added two more scores on the ground.

But this wasn't simply an offensive performance.

Shadow Creek got it done offensively, defensively and on special teams.

The defense forced a turnover on Dawson's first offensive snap and kept the Eagles off the scoreboard throughout the entire second half. Shadow Creek also recorded a sack and repeatedly prevented Dawson from establishing its running game.

Dawson finished with only 25 rushing yards on 23 attempts, an average of 1.1 yards per carry. Quarterback Aiden Raglin (#10) completed 6 of 16 passes for 69 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions.

Defensively for Dawson, Clydell Edmondson (#2), K. Burks (#3) and C. Exum (#22) each finished with nine total tackles. Edmondson also recorded a sack and a tackle for loss.

But the biggest story of the night remained the start.

Shadow Creek took the opening possession and scored. Dawson took its first offensive snap and turned it over. Shadow Creek scored again.

And before Dawson could get settled into the game, the scoreboard at Freedom Field already read 21-0.

From there, the Sharks never gave up control.

GameDay Sports Journal
Game coverage and photography by J. Curtis Media
Alvin ISD's Freedom Field — Alvin ISD Heritage Complex
October 2, 2026

Player statistics, team statistics and records referenced in this report are courtesy of MaxPreps. Game sequence and game-clock observations are from GameDay Sports Journal's live sideline coverage.