Hays defenders JT Sivils (8) and Francisco Marin (2) leap high to break up a pass during 7-on-7 tournament play at Shelton Stadium against Victoria East Saturday. (Photo by Cyndy Slovak-Barton)
by JASON GORDON
Just when any hope of a trip to the state 7-on-7 tournament seemed lost, the Rebels came back with hurricane force.
Trailing McNeil 27-18 late in their tournament semifinal game against McNeil at Shelton Stadium on Saturday, Hays rallied as Caleb Kimbro found Ty Green with a touchdown pass and then hit Billy Tabor with an extra point throw to cut the gap to 27-25.
Desperately needing a stop on defense, JT Sivils made a solid defensive play on third down to give the Rebs the ball back with under a minute to play in the game.
Mason Cervenka hit Kimbro with two deep passes to position Hays at the 2-yard line with less than 15 seconds left, but McNeil picked off a pass in the end zone to squash the threat.
A Hays win would have sent the Rebels to the state 7-on-7 tournament in College Station in July, as the tournament’s two finalists advanced.
Georgetown went on to knock off McNeil in the Hays tournament finals.
“It’s tough when you’re in a game and lose to a team you know you can beat, but I told the guys not to hang their heads,” said coach Trace Shelton. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been more proud of a group of guys. They’ve come a long way this summer, and to only wind up a couple of yards away from state is pretty impressive.”
It was a day of comebacks for the Rebels, who put themselves in a bad spot early with a double-overtime loss to Victoria East during the first game of pool play.
That meant Hays had to win its next two games and have certain scenarios unfold on the other field to advance to the semifinals.
That’s exactly what happened, as the Rebels first knocked off Austin-Travis 34-21 after Cervenka’s late scoring pass to Ty Green, which was tipped up into the air before it was snared, sealed the victory.
Hays then beat Lake Travis, and despite five touchdown passes from quarterback Baker Mayfield to receiver Blake Harvey, the Rebels were able to outscore the Cavs 39-33.
Sivils’ late interception in the game against Lake Travis, and Kimbro’s 35-yard scoring strike to Jackson Schaubhut, assured the Rebel win.
Minutes later, Austin-Travis’ win against Victoria East in overtime sent Hays to the semifinals.
“I think after that first loss, our intensity level really picked up,” Kimbro said. “We realized from that point on it was win or go home.”
Hays defensive back Francisco Marin was proud of his team’s effort.
“We could have given up after we lost to Victoria East,” Marin said. “We came back and stayed in it. I actually think the early loss sparked us.”
Cervenka said he hopes some of the positive momentum Hays generated on Saturday translates to success in the fall.
“We need this to carry over,” Cervenka said. “That’s what we’re out here for. We want to learn from our mistakes and build on our successes.”
Hays head football coach Bob Shelton was proud of what he saw from the stands.
“I think we made a lot of progress this summer,” Bob Shelton said. “I’m proud of the way they came back and had a chance to win and get to state.”
