Friday Night Rewind: Top Football Highlights From Week 7 in West Texas

SAN ANGELO, TX — Here are the best football games, biggest wins and top performers from last week in the Concho Valley and West Texas:

Best game: Ballinger-Forsan

The Ballinger Bearcats rallied from a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter for a 40-37 win over a previously undefeated Forsan team. After scoring and getting a defensive stop, Ballinger took over with about two minutes left and drove down the field for the winning TD when Wyatt Clemens found Hunter Kresta on a 15-yard strike with 40 seconds remaining, setting off a celebration at Bearcat Stadium. This could have qualified as the week’s biggest win as well, because Ballinger is now the surprise co-leader with Sonora in District 4-2A Division I at 5-1 overall and 2-0 in district.

Biggest win: Menard

In a battle of Top 10 teams, the No. Menard Yellow Jackets flew out to a 31-0 lead on the way to a 65-37 win over Water Valley. Menard was able to go on the road and take down a Water Valley team that reached the state semifinals the last two years. The Yellow Jackets also managed to slow down one of the highest-scoring teams in the state. Menard is now in the driver’s seat to claim the District 8-1A Division I title and make a long playoff run, which has been blocked the last two years by eventual state champion Gordon. Menard is 17-1 in its last 18 games, with the only loss against Gordon. The win moved Menard from No. 9 to No. 5 in the state rankings, while Water Valley fell five spots to No. 10.

Biggest surprise: Wall

It wasn’t a surprise the Wall Hawks bounced back from the end of their 21-game winning streak and defeated Llano in their District 3-3A Division I opener. But the manner in which they did it — a 50-14 blowout — was certainly eye-opening. Wall was also playing with a banged-up quarterback in Gunner King, and he didn’t have his top two playmakers in running back Gunner Garza and wide receiver Jager Thompson. Yet none of it mattered as Wall still raced out to a 50-0 lead early in the fourth quarter, showing off its remarkable depth. All of this came against a Llano team that played in the state semifinals last year. 

Most impressive win: Richland Springs

The Richland Springs Coyotes went on the road and beat No. 1-ranked Cherokee 76-52. Richland Springs took a 48-24 lead into halftime and was never seriously threatened in the second half. The Coyotes had a huge game from Layne Ward with 230 rushing yards and five TDs, five catches for 92 yards and a TD, and 148 passing yards and three TDs. Richland Springs is now up three spots to No. 2 in the state in 1A Division II, and the Coyotes appear to be well on their way to another district title and a run at state title No. 10.

Case for the defense: Ozona

The Ozona Lions had a rough start to the season, but their 44-6 win over Christoval last week has them back in the district-title conversation. It’s the first time this season they’ve allowed less than 27 points. Christoval was limited to only 181 yards of offense, while Ozona had an interception from Kaleb Ramon and a forced fumble by Isaac Romero. Chapo Treto had a team-high 17 tackles. The performance boosted Ozona to 3-4 overall and 2-1 in district heading into a critical game this week at Sonora.

Strong in defeat: San Angelo Lake View

The Lake View Chiefs have endured a difficult stretch with three straight overtime losses. They showed a lot of heart this past week by rallying from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter just to force OT, capped by Chris Alvizo’s 6-yard TD pass to Aiden Rivera with only 13 seconds left in regulation. Lake View was playing without top receivers Chris Rodela and Andrew Young for the second consecutive week, but they continue to battle and give themselves a chance to win. They’ll enjoy a much-needed bye week before beginning District 3-4A D-I play next week at home against Plainview.

Top performers

Zey Johnson, San Angelo Central: Had 41 carries for 261 yards and two TDs in a win over Midland Greenwood

Aiden Rivera, San Angelo Lake View: Had 11 carries for 112 yards and a TD, along with a game-tying TD catch in a loss to Pflugerville Connally

Isaiah Rivera, San Angelo Lake View: Had six catches for 82 yards and a TD in a loss to Pflugerville Connally

Chris Alvizo, San Angelo Lake View: Threw for 246 yards and two TDs on 21-of-38 passing in a loss to Pflugerville Connally

Zadrien Garivay, San Angelo Lake View: Had an interception and a fumble recovery, while also catching three passes for 43 yards in a loss to Pflugerville Connally

Connor Williams, San Angelo Lake View: Had 11 tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack in a loss to Pflugerville Connally

Juan Ramirez, San Angelo Lake View: Had 13 tackles in a loss to Pflugerville Connally

Wyatt Clemens, Ballinger: Threw for 313 yards and four TDs on 24-of-38 passing, and had 11 carries for 74 yards and a TD in a win over Forsan

Hunter Kresta, Ballinger: Had nine catches for 163 yards and two TDs in a win over Forsan

Pierson Nord, Ballinger: Had seven catches for 81 yards and a TD in a win over Forsan

Josh Martinez, Ballinger: Blocked a punt, recovered a fumble, and had seven tackles, a tackle for loss and a sack in a win over Forsan

Kaiden Medrano, Ballinger: Had 14 tackles and a tackle for loss in a win over Forsan

Owen Bishop, Forsan: Threw for 238 yards and four TDs on 16-of-25 passing in a loss to Ballinger

Coy Evans, Forsan: Had 11 catches for 220 yards and three TDs in a loss to Ballinger

Ashton Ellis, Forsan: Had 20 carries for 102 yards and a TD in a loss to Ballinger

Caden Sturm, Wall: Had 19 carries for 106 yards and a TD in a win over Llano

Gunner King, Wall: Threw for 292 yards and five TDs on 19-of-29 passing in a win over Llano

Hudson Surber, Wall: Had seven catches for 140 yards and three TDs in a win over Llano

Evan Boehle, Wall: Had five catches for 71 yards and a TD in a win over Llano

Cohen Ethridge, Menard: Had 21 carries for 204 yards and four TDs, threw for 126 yards and two TDs on 10-of-14 passing, and had 10 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, an interception and a fumble recovery in a win over Water Valley

Wesley Compton, Menard: Had five carries for 73 yards and three TDs in a win over Water Valley

Maddox Saiz, Menard: Had five tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, an interception and a forced fumble in a win over Water Valley

Branson Lacy, Water Valley: Had 21 carries for 195 yards and three TDs, threw for 98 yards and two TDs on 14-of-25 passing, and had 11 tackles and a tackle for loss in a loss to Menard

Lance Doss, Water Valley: Had six catches for 59 yards and two TDs in a loss to Menard

Layne Ward, Richland Springs: Had 18 carries for 230 yards and five TDs, five catches for 92 yards and a TD, threw for 148 yards and three TDs on 3-of-6 passing, and had 11 tackles in a win over Cherokee

Evan Deeds, Richland Springs: Had three catches for 148 yards and three TDs, threw for 144 yards and a TD on 6-of-10 passing, and had 15 tackles, two interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in a win over Cherokee

Brice Roesler, Richland Springs: Had 14 tackles, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble in a win over Cherokee

Zade Linman, Blackwell: Had two interceptions, both of which were returned for TDs, in a win over Olfen

Malachi Wauqua, Robert Lee: Threw for 91 yards and three TDs on 5-of-5 passing, and five carries for 91 yards and two TDs in a win over Paint Rock

Justice Immel, Robert Lee: Had two catches for 60 yards and two TDs, and had six tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in a win over Paint Rock

Chantz Adams, Coleman: Had 29 carries for 160 yards and three TDs, and 17 tackles, two tackles for loss and a QB hurry in a win over Brady

Hunter Edington, Coleman: Threw for 221 yards and two TDs on 8-of-14 passing, and had a TD run in a win over Brady

Jayden Smith, Coleman: Had three catches for 144 yards and a TD in a win over Brady

Nathaniel Guerrero, Coleman: Had two catches for 41 yards and a TD, and recorded 11 tackles in a win over Brady

Ki’yan Matta, Coleman: Had 12 tackles, a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, a pass breakup and two QB hurries in a win over Brady

Jason Everett, San Saba: Had 25 carries for 159 yards and two TDs, and had 10 tackles, a tackle for loss, three QB hurries and a pass breakup in a win over Johnson City

Graden Lebow, San Saba: Had 18 carries for 94 yards and a TD in a win over Johnson City

Jay Borrego, Ozona: Had 10 carries for 76 yards and a TD in a win over Christoval

Chapo Treto, Ozona: Had 17 tackles and a pass breakup in a win over Christoval

Kaleb Ramon, Ozona: Had 12 tackles and an interception in a win over Christoval

Jadon Vega, Ozona: Had five tackles, three sacks, three tackles for loss and nine QB hurries in a win over Christoval