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SANTA ANNA – The May Tigers kept their District 14-A Division I record spotless with a 51-6 trouncing of the Santa Anna Mountaineers Friday night.
May (7-2, 3-0) generated 314 yards of total offense – 227 rushing and 77 passing – against the Santa Anna (2-6, 0-2) defense.
Braden Steele rushed for 157 yards and two touchdowns on just three carries, while completing both of his pass attempts for 77 yards and two more scores.
Ben Harrell contributed 78 yards rushing and a touchdown on three carries and caught a 43-yard touchdown pass. Mikey Scheriger hauled in a 34-yard scoring reception and also reached the end zone on a 2-yard run, his lone carry.
Defensively for the Tigers, Scheriger and Cayson Dail led the way with 10 tackles apiece followed by Harrell with 9, Jackson Lusk with 6 tackles and a 36-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown, Steele with 3 tackles and 2 passes defended, Wyatt Hardy with 3 tackles and a fumble recovery, Levi McInnis with 2 tackles, and Hagan Hester, Cutter Dearick, and Ryland Billadeau with 1 tackle apiece.
Next week, May hosts No. 6 Jonesboro (7-1, 2-0) – which had a bye Friday night – in the District 14-A Division I championship game.
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Blanket 71, Mullin 18
BLANKET – The Blanket Tigers remained undefeated against District 15-A Division II competition Friday night, cruising past the winless Mullin Bulldogs, 71-18.
Blanket (5-3, 2-0) churned out 314 total yards – 207 on the ground and 107 through the air – against the Mullin (0-9, 0-3) defense.
Kannon Kensing rushed for 110 yards and three touchdowns on five carries, while Cameron Aultman chipped in 94 yards and three scores on six carries. Kensing also returned a kick 60 yards for a touchdown.
Gage Jones completed all three of his pass attempts for 87 yards with a touchdown and Aultman threw a 20-yard touchdown on his lone pass attempt. Mason Beck finished with two grabs for 35 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and Isaac Smith pulled down two receptions for 72 yards.
Defensively, Beck, Kensing and Smith recorded nine tackles apiece followed by AC French with seven and Aultman with four.
Next week, Blanket heads to Sidney (5-3, 1-1), coming off a 21-20 loss to Zephyr (6-2, 2-0), where a win would set up a district championship showdown with the Bulldogs on Nov. 3.
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Richland Springs 68, Brookesmith 0
RICHLAND SPRINGS – The Class A Division II No. 4 Richland Springs Coyotes secured no worse than a share of the District 16 championship and clinched the top seed for the playoffs with Friday night’s 68-0 home win over the Brookesmith Mustangs.
The Coyotes (9-0, 3-0) manufactured 260 yards of total offense –186 rushing and 74 passing – against the Mustangs (4-4, 1-1) defense.
Billy Perry finished with 85 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, Cohen Ethridge rushed for 57 yards and a score, Gage Behrens tacked on 23 yards, and Josh Meador rushed for an 8-yard touchdown.
Through the air, Perry threw for 34 yards and a touchdown, Ethridge passed for 30 yards with a scoring toss, and Kenny Triplett connected on a 10-yard scoring strike.
Jayden Sutherland caught three passes for 64 yards and scored twice and Hutton Rogers hauled down a 10-yard scoring toss.
Defensively for Richland Springs, Clayton Meador returned a fumble for a touchdown while Sutherland, Behrens and Troy Kubin also pounced on loose balls.
Triplett and Rush Norris led the way with four tackles each and Behrens added two.
No Brookesmith stats were available.
Next week, Richland Springs hosts Lohn (0-8, 0-2) in its regular season finale, while Brookesmith will attempt to keep its playoff hopes alive at Cherokee (6-1, 1-1) – which defeated Rochelle (7-2, 1-2) by an 84-72 count Friday night.
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Comanche 60, Dublin 15
DUBLIN – The Comanche Indians halted a four-game losing streak and notched their first District 5-3A Division II victory, 60-15 over the Dublin Lions Friday night.
Comanche (4-4, 1-2) compiled 561 yards of total offense – 407 rushing and 154 passing – against the Dublin (1-7. 0-3) defense.
Quarterback Layden Welch rushed for 98 yards and three touchdowns and completed 5 of 7 passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns. Sawyer Wilkerson also contributed 98 yards on the ground and scored once, Colt Schwertner rushed for 78 yards and a touchdown, Kazdon Thedford added 68 yards with a trip to the end zone, and Ezequiel Medrano scored on a 20-yard carry. Easton Gonzalez, with 23 yards, and Cayden Davis, with 21, also contributed to the ground game.
Cayden Davis and JJ Davis caught touchdown passes of 58 and 50 yards, respectively, while CT Buford (20 yards), Ayden Fishback (14 yards) and Marc Cuevas (12 yards) also hauled in receptions.
Next week, Comanche hosts Merkel (5-3, 1-2), which is coming off a 78-13 loss to Jacksboro (8-0, 3-0).
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San Saba 40, Goldthwaite 35
SAN SABA – The San Saba Armadillos moved into the driver’s seat in what has become a wild battle for the fourth playoff seed out of District 5-2A Division I, thanks to Friday night’s late heroics in a 40-35 come-from-behind victory over the Goldthwaite Eagles in the 106th Battle of the River.
San Saba (3-6, 2-3) took the lead with 46 seconds left on a 52-yard touchdown pass from Lane Miller to Skylar Romero, then held off Goldthwaite (3-5, 1-3), which advanced inside the red zone in the closing seconds but could not reach the end zone.
Goldthwaite owned a 345-239 advantage in total offense, but the Eagles committed six turnovers while the Armadillos had just a pair.
Ethan Gonzales rushed for 139 yards and two touchdowns and also returned a kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter that brought San Saba within a point, 35-34. Miller added 85 yards and two touchdowns on the ground and completed 5 of 13 passes for 92 yards with the go-ahead score. Levi Glover led the Armadillos with three catches for 35 yards.
For Goldthwaite, Luke Sanderson caught nine passes for 73 yards and a pair of touchdowns while rushing for 36 yards and three more scores. Max Storm led the way on the ground with 110 yards trailed by quarterback Ethan Deeds with 60 and Marcus Stevens with 55 yards. Deeds connected on 10 of 14 passes for 83 yards with two scoring strikes and a pair of interceptions.
Next week, San Saba has its bye and closes the regular season on Nov. 3 at No. 2 Tolar (7-1, 4-0), which hammered Bangs (2-6, 1-3) by a 61-6 count Friday night. Meanwhile, Goldthwaite hosts Tolar next week and ventures to Hamilton (4-4, 1-3), which picked up a 27-20 win over De Leon (6-3, 3-2) Friday night – in the regular season finale.
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Cross Plains 28, Hamlin 6
HAMLIN – The Cross Plains Buffaloes recorded their first District 6-2A Division II victory, 28-6 over the Hamlin Pied Pipers Friday night, in a game that could eventually determine the league’s fourth and final playoff seed.
Cross Plains (3-5, 1-2) recorded 431 yards of total offense – 301 rushing and 130 passing – against Hamlin (5-3, 1-2) with three turnovers, while giving up just 54 yards – 49 through the air and 5 on the ground – with three takeaways.
Dusty Wyatt rushed for 227 yards and three touchdowns for the Buffaloes, while Theron Albrecht chipped in 47 yards and Kade Purvis added 26 yards on the ground.
Purvis also completed 8 of 18 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown to Tyler Mackey, who finished with two grabs for 18 yards. Alex Parker notched three catches for 30 yards, Gray Albrecht added two receptions for 37 yards and Coltyn Barron caught a 37-yard pass.
Defensively, Theron Albrecht recorded eight tackles followed by Gray Albrecht with seven tackles and three sacks, and Bentley Hall with five tackles. Caleb Blue, Ryder Reed and Barron recovered fumbles, while Colt Sanderson, Michael Samora and Mackey also chipped in sacks.
Next week, Cross Plains ventures to Abilene TLCA (1-7, 0-3), which suffered a 56-6 loss to Miles (6-2, 2-1) Friday night.
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Rising Star 54, Paint Rock 6
PAINT ROCK – The Rising Star Wildcats began the defense of the District 14-A Division II championship with a 54-6 victory at Paint Rock Friday night.
Rising Star (6-2, 1-0) amassed 254 total yards – 154 rushing and 110 passing – against the Paint Rock (4-4, 1-0) defense, and also scored on defense and special teams.
Payton McGinn rushed for 100 yards and two touchdowns and Blake Wilson added 27 yards on the ground and scored once.
Kobey Morris completed 3 of 4 passes – all touchdowns – for 76 yards, and Anthony Wilson was 1 of 2 through the air for 34 yards. Blake Wilson led the way with two catches for 44 yards and a score, while Dakota Higgins and Emerson Helmuch added touchdown receptions of 41 and 15 yards, respectively.
Pacey McGinn returned a punt 48 yards for a touchdown and also returned an interception for a touchdown.
Morris led the defense with 10 tackles followed by Anthony Pollard with nine, Higgins with six and a fumble recovery, Pacey McGinn with six, Blake Wilson with five, Manning Miller with three, Payton McGinn with three, Brayden Cook with two and Dustin McGinn with one tackle.
Next week, Rising Star hosts Panther Creek (5-2, 0-0), which was scheduled to face Moran (2-5, 0-0) Saturday night.