Hawley dominates Refugio to claim 2A DI state championship
ARLINGTON, Texas — Hawley forced four first half turnovers and turned them into a 34-point outburst on their way to a 54-28 win over Refugio in the 2A Division I state championship game Thursday.
It is the first state football championship in program history and came a year after the Bearcats lost to Shiner in the 2021 2A Division I finale.
“It’s unbelievable,” said head coach Mitch Ables. “I’m super proud of the hours and time we put in. Our hard work paid off. They’ve been talking about this for 365 days. In our locker room you can’t miss it, there’s a big picture of AT&T up there that we look at every day. When we lost last year, these guys put it in their mind that we were going to come back and win it this year and I’m super proud of them.”
The Bearcats blitzed the Bobcats through the air and on the ground to build their lead. Austin Cumpton ran for three first half touchdowns and Rodey Hooper threw for the other two as Hawley took a 28-0 lead on their way to a 34-13 halftime advantage.
Hawley got the ball first to start the second half and took over eight minutes off the clock on their first drive, driving 73 yards in 14 plays and culminating with a Hooper to Diontay Ramon touchdown connection from 11-yards out.
Hez Parker picked off a pass on the next play from scrimmage and returned it 50-yards for a touchdown to all but seal the deal and put the Bearcats up 48-13. Hawley led it 48-21 after three quarters.
Cumpton earned championship game offensive MVP honors, rushing for 151 yards and four touchdowns. Parker was named defensive MVP with a sack, a forced fumble and five tackles to go along with the pick-six.
Parker’s interception return for a touchdown proved to be a huge moment in the game, and was unexpected, at least from his point of view. “Honestly, I miss all those in practice,” Parker laughed. “I let it go off my fingers and I’m just too short and can’t catch it, but he threw it to me and I caught it. Refugio’s pretty fast so I thought I was at least going to make it to the 20 but Diontay had a good block and it just carried me to the end zone.”
It is a sweet moment for Cumpton, who missed the 2021 championship game due to injury. “Last year it was heartbreaking to have it taken from us an me personally but we worked so hard in the offseason. Now we’re here and it’s like a dream come true. It’s amazing.”
While Cumpton was amazing in the game, quarterback Rodey Hooper and the passing game shined as well. Hooper completed 14 of 18 passes for 279 yards and three touchdowns. “He’s been really efficient throughout the playoffs for sure,” said Ables. “I’m super proud of Rodey. When our guys up front give him time we’re pretty dangerous. I really think he got better as the year went. He was hitting receivers in spots where they had no choice but to catch the ball.”
Diontay Ramon was the top target in the game, catching six passes for 150 yards and a pair of sixers. Kason O’Shields caught three for 92, including a 66-yard touchdown.
The Hawley senior class gets to go out as champions and say they’ll treasure the memory of the win and the memories they’ve made together over the years. Wide receiver Will Scott said, “It just feels great, putting in all the time and effort that we have and the hours we’ve spent together. It’s life changing, and it’s not just football. It’s bigger than football. It’s brotherhood.”
The Hawley community came out in full force once again, packing the home side of the stands to cheer on their Bearcats. Ables said, “It was unreal. I told myself this playoff season I was going to take time and just look in the bleachers because last year I didn’t. I wanted to take a mental note of this and when things slowed down this year, I was able to turn around and look at that crowd. It’s just unbelievable. There was four times the population of our town sitting up in the bleachers and that was cool to see.”
Perfect seasons aren’t easy to come by, but the Bearcats have theirs and it can never be taken away. Ables has turned Hawley from afterthought to perennial contenders, and don’t expect the Bearcats to tumble from being a top tier program any time soon.
