Week 16 Rewind — Hawley makes history; Albany falls to Stratford
2A DIVISION I STATE SEMIFINALS
HAWLEY 19, MARLIN 12
The Bearcats are state championship game bound after getting past Marlin in Weatherford Thursday night.
Hawley will meet defending state champion Shiner Wednesday at 7 p.m. at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
The Bearcats scored the only points of the first half on an Aeneas Segura one-yard run with just under two minutes to go, and another Segura score early in the third quarter put them on top 13-0.
But the Bulldogs would not go down without a fight, scoring on a 68-yard Desmond Woodson to Trajon Butler pass and then a one-yard Derion Gullette run to pull within 13-12. Hawley stopped both two-point conversion tries.
The Bearcats got a little breathing room in the fourth quarter to go up 19-12 when Rodey Hooper hit Segura on a screen and Segura took it in from 19-yards out, capping a three touchdown night that included 22 yards rushing and three catches for 53 yards for the senior.
Marlin’s final effort to try to tie or win was fumbled away. Chandlin Myers fell on a Marlin fumble at the Hawley one and the Bearcats were able to run out the clock from there to punch their ticket to Jerry World.
The Hawley defense limited the potent Marlin offense to just 254 yards and forced four turnovers. The Bearcats racked up 322 yards and only turned it over once. Hooper threw for 168 yards, Diontay Ramon, filling in again for the injured Austin Cumpton, picked up 141 yards on the ground and Will Scott led all receivers with nine catches for 111 yards.
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2A DIVISION II STATE SEMIFINALS
STRATFORD 35, ALBANY 14
The Lions quest to make an eighth state championship game appearance came up shy in Lubbock.
Stratford stymied the Albany running game, holding them to just 32 yards on the way to the win and their fifth trip to the title game. The Elks will meet Mart/Falls City winner on Thursday morning in Arlington for the 2A Division II crown.
Albany got the scoring started on a 53-yard Cole Chapman to London Fuentes touchdown toss in the first quarter, but saw the Elks answer with the first of three touchdown runs quarterback Cody Rinne. Rinne ran for 179 yards and threw for 79 more in the win.
Chapman put Albany ahead 14-10 in the second quarter with a four-yard run, but Stratford would score the final 25 points to pull away.
Albany, down 29-15, had a pair of scoring opportunities inside the Elk red zone in the fourth quarter but turned it over on downs both times.
The Lions wrap up a great season with a 13-1 record. Denney Faith now has 330 career wins as a head coach, sixth best in Texas high school football history.
