Jayton Goes Back-to-Back, Extends Richland Springs’ Title Drought

ARLINGTON, TX — Bode Ham rushed for 430 yards and a state final-record 10 touchdowns to lead the No. 1-ranked Jayton Jaybirds to a 99-54 win over No. 3 Richland Springs on Wednesday in the Class 1A Division II state championship at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

The win was the 30th in a row for Jayton, which claimed back-to-back titles with the win and the fourth in program history. The Jaybirds have won 42 of their last 43 games.

Ham claimed Offensive MVP and Defensive MVP honors. He did his damage on the ground on 28 carries, and was also 3-of-4 passing for 118 and three TDs with an interception. On defense, he had eight tackles, three tackles for loss and a pass breakup.

Richland Springs is home to nine state titles, the most six-man crowns in Texas history, but the Coyotes haven’t won it all since 2019. This was their first appearance in the state final since 2020.

This was the first-ever matchup between the two storied programs.

Richland Springs was able to hang with the favored Jaybirds early. But after a 16-16 tie, Jayton began to pull away.

A safety gave the Jaybirds a 26-16 lead at the end of the first quarter. Richland Springs looked like it might be down 45-30 heading into halftime, but Jayton scored on the final play of the half when Ham hit Colt Gentry for a 32-yard TD pass to take a 53-30 lead into the locker room.

Richland Springs tried to stave off being 45’d — including an interception by Cohen Ethridge on the 6-yard line with Jayton closing in on a win in the final minutes — but the Jaybirds finally put the Coyotes away when Ham scored on a 9-yard run with 57 seconds remaining, followed by Tucker Scott’s PAT kick.

Richland Springs’ season ended with a record of 13-1.

The Coyotes were led by Layne Ward, who had five catches for 118 yards and a TD. Ethan Deeds was 10-of-16 passing for 141 yards and two TDs (along with a TD run), while Billy Perry was 4-of-10 passing for 115 yards and two TDs with an interception. Perry also had a TD run and a TD catch.

Ethridge, typically Richland Springs’ biggest offensive playmaker, was held to 12 carries for 63 yards, two catches for 35 yards, and 7-of-15 passing for 38 yards.

Jayton 99, Richland Springs 54

Jayton   26   27   32   14 — 99

R. Springs   16   14   16   8 — 54

First Quarter

R - Billy Perry 6 run (Evan Deeds kick), 8:38 remaining

J - Dayton Bleiker 51 pass from Bode Ham (Tucker Scott kick), 8:23

J - Ham 51 run (Scott kick), 5:59

R - Perry 30 pass from Ethan Deeds (Evan Deeds kick), 4:35

J - Ham 33 run (Scott kick), 4:18

J - Safety, 1:39

Second Quarter

J - Ham 62 run (kick failed), 8:34

R - Ethan Deeds 6 run (kick failed), 3:58

J - Ham 50 run (Garrison Allen pass from Ham), 3:10

J - Ham 22 run (kick failed), :50

R - Brice Roesler 9 pass from Ethan Deeds (Evan Deeds kick), :21

J - Colt Gentry 32 pass from Ham (Scott kick), :00

Third Quarter

J - Ham 1 run (Scott kick), 6:27

R - Rush Norris 13 pass from Perry (Evan Deeds kick), 5:43

J - Ham 34 run (Scott kick), 4:52

R - Eli Hutchins 12 run (Evan Deeds kick), 2:11

J - Ham 7 run (Scott kick), :19

J - Bleiker 35 pass from Ham (Scott kick), :09

Fourth Quarter

R - Layne Ward 76 pass from Perry (Perry kick), 3:27

J - Ham 34 run (pass failed), 2:34

J - Ham 9 run (Scott kick), :57