WACO, TX-- A convincing 52-8 win over San Augustine sent the no. 1-ranked Mason Punchers back to the state championship for the first time in four years.
“These kids have done a great job. They’re great teammates,” Mason head coach Kade Burns said. “We really played well in all phases of the game.”
“This is what we’ve been waiting for all year,” junior Klay Klaerner said. “This was our goal, to get to state. Now we’ve gotta set another goal and that’s to win state.”
The Punchers dominated the game from start to finish behind a two-headed monster in the backfield and a stout defense which limited the Wolves to just 218 yards of total offense. Overall, Mason had just 363 yards of total offense in the win.
WATCH: Mason Head Coach Kade Burns after his team booked a spot in the state final next week.
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However, Klaerner and senior Jake Cockerham combined for 228 yards and six touchdowns rushing on a night where Mason scored on eight of their 10 offensive possesions.
Klaerner had four of those touchdowns and 169 of those yards, yet the credit for that success belongs to the Punchers’ offensive line, Burns says.
“We were movin’ bodies. We were playing on their side of the line of scrimmage,” he continued. “[We were] pickin’ up blitzes, pickin’ up fronts … Our quarterback [Otto Wofford] did a great job getting us in the right place.”
After going up 14-0 in the first quarter, Mason hit a hot streak in the closing stages of the first half. They scored on three consecutive offensive plays following a fumble and a muffed onside kick. That put the Punchers up 35-0 before the half.
WATCH: Mason Fullback Klay Klaerner speaks about what the berth in state means for the team.
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“Coach told us we were gonna have to drive it down and make ‘em quit,” Klaerner said. “That’s exactly what we did. After we did that, it was easy rolling from there.”
In the second half, Mason elected to bleed the clock with that big of a lead. Klaerner capped off a 6 minute, 11 second drive with a 7-yard touchdown run to put the Punchers up 42-0 midway through the third.
Mason scored 10 more unanswered points -- an 8-yard run by Jase Eckert and a 42-yard field goal by Kyle Montoya -- to cap off the dominant night.
It wasn’t until the waning stages of the fourth when San Augustine got on the board. QB DelMarquise Barnes found Justin Jenkins for the 11-yard touchdown pass. Kevorian Barnes ran in the two-point conversion to make it 52-8.
Mason (15-0) will look to complete their perfect season against no. 6 New Deal in the Class 2A Division I state championship next Thursday, Dec. 20, at 11 a.m.
Box Score
| Teams | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Tot |
| Mason | 14 | 21 | 7 | 10 | 52 |
| San Augustine | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 |
Scoring Summary
1st MHS - SAHS
- 4:51 - MHS - J. Cockerham 1-yd run. (Montoya kick no good) 6 0
- 1:34 - MHS - K. Klaerner 4-yd run. (Wofford pass to Buntyn) 14 0
2nd
- 2:33 - MHS - K. Klaerner 3-yd run. (Montoya kick) 21 0
- 2:17 - MHS - K Klaerner 41-yd run. (Montoya kick) 28 0
- 1:59 - MHS - J. Cockerham 19-yd run. (Montoya kick) 35 0
3rd
- 5:49 - MHS - K. Klaerner 7-yd run. (Montoya kick) 42 0
4th
- 11:21 - MHS - J. Eckert 8-yd run. (Montoya kick) 49 0
- 7:07 - MHS - K. Montoya 42-yd FG 52 0
- 2:41 - SAHS - D. Barnes 11-yd pass to J. Jenkins (Barnes run) 52 8
Stat Leaders
Passing Comp-Att Yds TD INT
- MHS - O. Wofford - 3-4 33 0 1
- SAHS- D. Barnes - 3-3 29 1 0
Rushing Att Yds TD
- MHS - K. Klaerner - 14 169 4
- SAHS- K. Barnes - 13 81 0
Receiving Rec Yds TD
- SAHS - J. Miller - 2 30 0
- MHS - T. Keller - 2 19 0
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