Ozona Falls to Anson in Bi-District Round Slugfest

BIG SPRING, TX — The Ozona Lions battled it out with the Anson Tigers in the bi-district round of the playoffs Friday night in Big Spring. Despite playing solid defense all night, turnovers and penalties stymied the high-octane Ozona offense as the Lions fell to Anson, 35-14.

It brought an end to an unforgettable season for Ozona, which was ranked No. 6 in the state in Class 2A Division I and had its first perfect regular season in 23 years.

It also cut short Christian Villarreal's pursuit of the state's single-season rushing record. He had 3,505 yards entering the night, which was 540 away from Kenneth Hall's record he set in 1953 for Sugar Land.

This story will be updated when we receive Villarreal's final rushing total.

Ozona's defense had success early as the Lions intercepted Anson on the Tigers' first drive. However, a fumble handed the ball back to the Tigers, who scored shortly after to take the lead, 6-0.

The Lions responded when Villarreal took a handoff 41 yards to the house for a TD. A missed two-point conversion left the score tied 6-6 in the first quarter.

Anson would retake the lead after another Ozona fumble. Villarreal had the ball stripped away as the Lions were looking for the go-ahead touchdown. Anson then took the football over 80 yards for the score. The Tigers led 14-6 in the second quarter.

The Tigers would add to their lead before the half. Another fumble by the Ozona offense set up Anson's Malachi St. John with his second touchdown of the ball game. Ozona trailed 21-6 midway through the second quarter.

Ozona responded shortly after. The Lions' Andres Quiroz caught a touchdown pass from Michael Preddy in the corner of the end zone to keep Ozona in the ball game. However, a deep pass by the Tigers would extend the lead back to 27-14 at halftime.

The Lions' defense played admirably in the second half. Unfortunately, penalties and another turnover kept the Lions out of the end zone. Time and time again, Ozona would come up with a big play, but a penalty drove the Lions back. Say what you will about Ozona's turnover issues, but the penalties were a defining factor throughout the night.

The Tigers deserve credit for their game plan on defense, as Anson kept Ozona out of the end zone in the second half. No matter what Ozona attempted to do, the Tigers seemed ready for it. Anson added a final touchdown before it was all said and done, claiming the victory, 35-14.

Ozona's season ended with a record of 10-1, while Anson improved to 8-3 and advanced to play Spearman in the area round next week.