By Kerry Barboza.
Hays High School crushed Boerne Champion on Friday night, 38-7, and clinched a playoff spot in the process.
The Rebels are 5-1 in district and will play Alamo Heights, also 5-1, for the district 27-4A title Friday night.
Rebels head football coach Neal LaHue said his team played well against a solid Champion squad.
At top: Hays High’s senior linebacker Aaron Johnson (47) wraps up Boerne Champion quarterback Josh Green in the Rebels Friday night game at Boerne ISD Stadium. The Rebels dominated the game, as they defeated Champion 38-7, clinching a spot in the postseason. (Photo by Bruce Fisher) |
“Champion is a good football team but we were able to get on them early,” he said. “Our kids were focused tonight, we’re all fighting for a playoff spot and these guys have worked hard in the offseason and even before that.”
Hays took control of Friday’s contest early. The Rebels scored on the first possession of the game by capping a 75-yard, eight-play drive with a 30-yard touchdown pass from Jeffrey Jordan to Hayden Cagle. Hays was up 7-0 after the Payton Kisor PAT just three minutes into the contest.
On Champion’s first possession of the game, the Chargers faced a 4th and 2 at their own 35 and decided to go for it. The play was stuffed for a three-yard loss by the Rebels defense to give the ball back to the Hays offense at the Champion 32.
Five plays later, Jordan and Cagle hooked up again and the Rebels pulled ahead 14-0 at the 5:53 mark of the first quarter. Those would be all the points Hays would need to win the game as their defense smothered the Chargers offense most of the night.
Champion only had three total yards in the first quarter and didn’t record a first down until early in the second period.
“Hats off to our defense, they came tonight and played great,” LaHue said. “The defense got a score tonight, it was an all-around great game.”
The Rebels defense finished with three interceptions in the contest and took a shutout into the fourth quarter before Champion scored.
In the second quarter, Nick Sweeney picked off a Josh Green pass that was tipped at the line and returned it four yards for a touchdown. (Ty Goebler and Joseph Rubio also recorded interceptions for the Rebels.)
Also in the first half, Kisor booted a 25-yard field goal and Jordan threw his third touchdown pass of the game, this time to Cody Campbell on a 40-yard strike for the 31-0 halftime lead.
“They had an eight-man front so we thought we could throw the football and saw some things we could take advantage of and our kids executed well,” LaHue said.
When the second half started, Jordan picked up where he left off and threw his fourth TD pass of the game on the Rebels’ first possession of the third quarter. This time he found Luke Park for a 23-yard touchdown pass and Hays pushed its lead to 38-0.
After that, Hays went into ball-control mode to burn up the clock.
Champion avoided the shutout after Travis Pospisil busted loose and rambled 65 yards with 5:55 left in the game, but it was too little, too late for the Chargers as Hays recorded the 38-7 win.
“We started fast and finished strong,” LaHue said. “I’m proud of our kids.”
