ZEPHYR – After compiling just one win over the last two seasons, and none a year ago, the Zephyr Bulldogs collected their ninth victory of 2022 and the District 15-A Division II championship – their first league title since 2015 – thanks to a 38-30 triumph over the Blanket Tigers in Friday night’s regular-season finale.
“This means everything,” said Zephyr head coach Jeremy Phillips. “I got here four years ago and we’ve been in a rebuilding situation and young every year. For these guys who have been through the ups and downs, it’s great for them, especially for the seniors to finish off their season like this. It gets us back on track. This is a storied program and we felt like we let them down the last couple of years, so for us to accomplish this, especially after an 0-for season last year, it’s an awesome feeling.”
Zephyr (9-1, 4-0) – which extended its win streak to nine – will advance to take on District 16 runner-up and 12th-ranked Richland Springs (7-1), tentatively in Goldthwaite Friday night, in the bi-district round of the playoffs. Meanwhile, Blanket (8-2, 3-1) – whose win streak was halted at eight games – is tentatively scheduled to journey to San Saba and face District 16 champion and third-ranked Cherokee (9-0) in its opening-round contest.
“It’s been a fun year,” said Blanket first-year head coach Michael Cherry. “I’m learning so much and to be in the playoffs is a big deal. We’re extremely excited about that, but we’ll have a super tough opponent in Cherokee and my job is the get them ready.”
The Bulldogs finished with 223 yards of total offense – all on the ground – as Tripp Ballard rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries and Jayden Millican tacked on 99 yards and three touchdowns on 23 totes. Karsen Floyd added a 47-yard onside kick return for a score.
The Tigers generated 342 yards, with 336 coming on the ground, as Levi Vazquez rushed for 173 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries and Brayden Day chipped in 165 yards and two touchdowns on 30 rushes. Vazquez also caught a 6-yard pass from Mason Beck.
Zephyr’s defense entered the contest allowing just 10 points per game, and came up with crucial stops on multiple occasions just when it seemed Blanket was poised to wrestle away the momentum.
“The defense has been amazing,” Phillips said. “We fly to the football and never stop. It’s never just one person it’s always two or three. Tonight we played a bigger, stronger team and they pushed us around a little bit so we had to get creative. We started sending some guys and some stunts that we don’t normally do, and we made some big plays when it counted.”
Blanket, whose defense was giving up just 17 points per outing, also kept the Bulldogs in check at times, but the Tigers’ inability to capitalize on advantageous opportunities proved to be the difference in the contest.
“I made a lot of choices I’d like back,” Cherry said. “Maybe I should have taken some more chances. I felt like I didn’t call a consistent enough game, I didn’t put us in a place to win. The kids did everything I asked them to. They fought, they played extremely hard and fought through a lot of adversity. I’m extremely proud of the kids and the team, I can’t say more about them and the work they’ve put in.”
Though the game turned into a defensive battle, 21 seconds into the contest both teams had already lit up the scoreboard. Vazquez scored on a 63-yard carry on the first snap of the game to give Blanket its only lead, 6-0. Then Floyd scooped up an onside kick and raced 47 yards to knot the score at 6 at the 9:39 mark of the first period.
Zephyr made the most of Blanket’s decision to kick short, while the Bulldogs opted to boot the ball deep and force the Tigers to march longer distances. With that philosophy, the Bulldogs were able to stop the Tigers on four possessions, and forced turnovers on two more.
“We haven’t kicked an onside kick since Week 1 when we had one returned for a touchdown,” Phillips said. “We felt comfortable in our defense and felt like our defense could make big stops when it counted. Kicking it deep has been our thing for the last nine games.”
The Bulldogs stuffed Blanket’s second possession at the Zephyr 29, and two snaps later Ballard scored on a 41-yard jaunt for a 14-6 lead, following Jacob Nixon’s two-point kick, at the 6:51 juncture of the first period.
The Tigers drew even at 14-14 at the 3:35 mark of the first on an a fourth-and-goal 3-yard plunge by Day, coupled with Adam McLaughlin’s two-point kick.
Zephyr then drove 47 yards in nine plays, aided by a fourth down personal foul call on Blanket, as Millican scored on a 10-yard carry to push the Bulldogs back in front, 22-14, with 8:22 left in the first half.
Blanket responded with a 54-yard trek to the end zone that was capped by a 5-yard run from Day, as the Tigers again knotted the score at 22 with 4:53 left before intermission.
The first play of the Bulldogs’ next drive resulted in a 20-yard loss on a sack of Millican, and Zephyr eventually punted the ball away to Blanket. The Tigers took over at their own 7, where Vazquez fumbled and Floyd pounced on the loose ball for Zephyr at the Blanket 4. But on the next snap, Vazquez jarred the ball free from Millican, and the Tigers regained possession at their own 11. Neither team produced points over the last 2:03 of the first half after that exchange.
Zephyr got the ball to start the second half and ventured just 35 yards in six plays as Millican found the end zone from 4 yards out as the Bulldogs opened a 30-22 edge with 6:45 left in the third quarter.
Blanket then failed to pick up a first down on its next possession as Zephyr took over and used a 36-yard sprint by Ballard to set up Millican’s 11-yard touchdown two snaps later, and the Bulldogs led 38-22 at 3:48 mark of the third period.
The Tigers then fumbled the ball away on their next snap, as Millican ripped the ball away from Day after an 8-yard gain. But two plays later, a bobbled snap by the Bulldogs resulted in a loose ball Isaac Smith pounced on for the Tigers, giving Blanket renewed hope.
A 63-yard, eight-play touchdown drive followed for Blanket capped by an 8-yard carry from Vazquez to close the gap to 38-30 with 29 seconds left in the third period.
During the scoreless fourth frame, Zephyr was turned away at the Blanket 30 with 7:42 left, but the Tigers couldn’t capitalize as the Bulldog defense made a stop at their own 25 with 5:07 on the clock.
Zephyr then advanced to the Blanket 26, but came up a yard short on fourth down with 2:27 to go. But again, the Tigers were unable to make the most of the opportunity as the Bulldogs forced a turnover on downs at Blanket 30 with 50 seconds remaining, then ran out the clock ahead of their district championship celebration.
“We talked about about the ups and downs of the game and I kept telling them get back to business level,” Phillips said. “When something bad happened I reminded them to get refocused and that helped tonight. We made plays tonight where in the past we might have laid down and quit. Seeing that growth in the kids is amazing as well.”
