Ozona’s Villarreal Continues March Toward State Record With 410-Yard Game

SONORA, TX — With the rest of the state taking more notice each week, Ozona running back Christian Villarreal somehow keeps living up to all the hype.

Villarreal continued his run at the record books Friday with a spectacular 410-yard, six-touchdown rushing performance in a 57-12 win at Sonora.

It was the biggest workload yet for Villarreal, who had 34 carries. He was averaging about 17 per game entering the night.

He now has 2,478 yards and 35 TDs through seven games. He’s averaging an unbelievable 16.6 yards per carry. He has also added 13 two-point conversions.

Villarreal remains on pace to take down the state’s single-season rushing record, set way back in 1953 by the Sugar Land Express, Kenneth Hall, who had 4,045 yards.

Remarkably, the record has stood for 72 years. Hall died earlier this year at the age of 89, and he may be ready to finally pass the torch on his rushing record this fall.

Rewriting the record books is still a formidable task. Villarreal has only three games left in the regular season, so he’ll almost certainly have to surpass the mark in the playoffs.

If he keeps up his pace, he’ll do so in the second round. However, Ozona has only reached the second round twice in the last 18 years, and the Lions will draw a tough first-round playoff opponent from District 4-2A.

Until then, No. 6-ranked Ozona will keep building toward its first district title since 2016 when the Lions host a winless Colorado City team next week.

MORE: Ozona Lions Unleash on Sonora Broncos in District Championship Matchup