RICHLAND SPRINGS – What many prognosticators expected to be a down season for the Richland Springs Coyotes finds the nine-time state champions one victory away from a trip to AT&T Stadium to compete for the Class A Division II state championship.
But to accomplish that goal, the undefeated, fifth-ranked Coyotes must first get past the unbeaten, No. 4 Oglesby Tigers in the Class A Division II state semifinals at 4 p.m. Saturday in Dublin. The game will be broadcast live on KOXE FM 101.3.
Regarding the success the Coyotes (13-0) have experienced this season, first-year head coach Shawn Rogers said, “We’ve been working harder this year. We’re in at 6:30 a.m. lifting weights and we’ve gelled more this year than last year. We’re more hungry as a team after not doing very well last year. Expectations for us weren’t high, we weren’t favored in three or four games this year and we took that to heart. We’ve been more in the underdog role this year, and we are again this week.”
The Coyotes’ string of 20 consecutive district championships ended in 2022, as did head coach Jerry Burkhart’s coaching tenure due to a UIL suspension. What Richland Springs went through as a program a year ago has fueled the 2023 “comeback.”
“We talked about that every day in the summer, and we still do,” said Rogers, an assistant for most of the last two decades at Richland Springs in regard to the 2022 campaign.
The Coyotes are coming off a 78-54 regional championship victory over Cherokee, their second win over the 10th-ranked, District 16 rival Indians, who ended Richland Springs’ run of district titles last year.
In last week’s win, the Coyotes generated 431 yards of total offense, with 369 coming on the ground.
Billy Perry rushed for a team-best 231 yards and touchdowns, completed 4 of 7 passes for 68 yards and another touchdown, and returned a kick 45-yard for a score as well.
Cohen Ethridge also scored four touchdowns on the ground and chipped in 105 yards, while Connor Womack hauled in two scoring tosses totaling 39 yards
Perry led the charge on defense as well with 7 tackles including3 for loss and a sack. Womack collected 3.5 with 2 behind the line of scrimmage and a sack.
Oglesby enters the contest averaging 57 points and 366 yards – 265 rushing and 101 passing – per game, while allowing 11 points per game with 34 takeaways for the season.
Richland Springs and Oglesby have one common foe in Bronte, as the Coyotes picked up a 46-0 second-round playoff win over the Longhorns while the Tigers notched a 58-8 victory back on Oct. 6
Leading the charge for Oglesby is Kyler Fossett, who has rushed for 2,328 yards and 47 touchdowns as he averages 194 yards and almost four scores per game on the ground.
“He transferred in and was all-district in 3A before I believe, so the kid’s for real,” Rogers said. “We have to try and contain him, bottle him up, and we still may not get him.”
EJ Aviles has chipped in 642 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground for the Tigers, Landon Williams has grabbed 23 receptions for 637 yards and 12 scores and Hunter Walker has thrown for 825 yards with 13 touchdowns and only three picks.
Defensive standouts for Oglesby include Williamson (84 tackles, 3 INT, 2 FR), Jack Hendricks (63 tackles, 3 FR), Aviles (63 tackles, 2 INT, 1 FR), Jackson Tippit (63 tackles, 8 FRs), Fossett (61 tackles, 1 INT, 1 FR), and Johnny Gomez (56 tackles, 3 INTs, 4 Frs)
“Defensively they’re really tough, too, and haven’t given up too many points,” Rogers said.
Just two games have gone the distance for Oglesby, a 64-27 win over Calvert and a 38-19 triumph over Waco Methodist Children’s Home. Perhaps the most impressive victory of the year for the Tigers, however, was their 54-8 decision over May.
“They haven’t played a game that’s gone the full distance in the while so maybe that will help us,” Rogers said. “We have to try and keep it close into the third and fourth quarters and then win it there.”
As for what it would mean for the Coyotes to capture a victory Saturday and earn the right to play for the program’s 10th state championship on Wednesday, Dec. 13 in Arlington, Rogers said, “It would mean everything to this town. This is what Richland Springs football is all about.”
According to sixmanfootball.com, Richland Springs is a 7-point underdog.
Saturday’s winner will face either Benjamin (13-0) or Klondike (11-1), who square off at 4 p.m. Saturday in Sweetwater, at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 13 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington for the Class A Division II state championship.