By Moses Leos III
An effective offense, mixed with a dominating defensive effort, guided the Hays Rebels to a 35-3 win over the Boerne Champion Chargers Friday at Shelton Stadium.
Hays senior quarterback Braeden Kent provided the boost for the Rebel offense by amassing 295 total yards. Kent went 20-41 for 237 yards on the night and four touchdowns. Kent also rushed for 58 yards on the night.
A 22-point first quarter blitz gave Hays enough momentum to keep the Chargers at bay.
The Rebels jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead via a 12-yard strike from Kent to wide receiver Dustin Bruno. After a Champion field goal, the duo struck again several minutes later for another 12 yard touchdown pass. Kent threw his third touchdown of the quarter to running back Cody Gandy, giving Hays a commanding 22-3 lead.
But inconsistency and penalties hindered Hays' offense in the second and third frames. Hays managed a 21 yard touchdown strike from Kent to wide receiver Brandon Hunter in the third quarter.
Enter an aggressive and tenacious Rebel defense that shut down the Charger offense.
It didn’t take long for Hays to capitalize on Boerne Champion miscues. An interception off a deflection by Taylor Friesenhahn on the second play of the game foreshadowed their success on the night.
Hays’ defensive backfield snagged four total interceptions off of Charger quarterback Josh Green. Rebel senior defensive back Ty Wilder caught two of the interceptions. In addition, the Rebel defense forced Champion’s offense to turn the ball over on downs five times in the game.
Providing the backbone for the defense was the front line, which harried Green and kept the Champion offense off balance.
Green went 22-28 for 171 yards and threw four interceptions.
Hays sophomore running back Cade Powell capped off the night with a 78 yard touchdown run to close the game.
