Ozona's Villarreal Crosses 3,500-Yard Mark in Final Game Before Playoffs

OZONA, TX — By any normal measure, Ozona running back Christian Villarreal had an outstanding game Friday with 236 rushing yards and five touchdowns in the Lions’ 68-0 win over Christoval in their regular-season finale.

Villarreal, however, is no normal running back.

The big game was actually his second-lowest rushing total of the season, behind only the 230 yards he had against Brady back in Week 3. 

Villarreal still crossed over the 3,500-yard mark for the season — he now has 3,505 yards and 52 TDs — but he faces an uphill climb to try and surpass the state’s single-season rushing mark of 4,045 yards as the Lions head into the playoffs.

Ozona’s win capped the program’s first perfect season in 23 years for the state’s No. 6-ranked team. Yet their playoff draw is a difficult one as they’ll open with a 7-3 Anson team in the first round.

There are no guarantees Ozona will see more than next week’s game, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at Big Spring’s Memorial Stadium.

Villarreal surely could have had a much bigger night against Christoval, but the Lions were already up 41-0 by the end of the first quarter, and head coach Jason Pitts had to find the right balance of chasing history, getting his star running back some carries, and preserving his health for the playoffs.

Ultimately, Villarreal touched the ball 18 times and averaged 13.1 yards per carry. He’ll no doubt be given a much bigger workload in the playoffs, and the Lions need him to be at full strength.

He finished the regular season averaging an amazing 350.5 yards per game. If he maintains that pace — which will become increasingly difficult the farther the Lions march into the playoffs — he could break the state record in the second round.

The record has stood for 72 years since Sugar Land’s Kenneth Hall set it in 12 games in 1953. Hall passed away earlier this year. Villarreal is currently 540 yards from tying the legendary record.