MASON, TX-- Mason's no. 1 ranking is no longer just a number.
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Their 28-14 win over Refugio in the Alamodome Friday proved that. The celebration by coaches, players and fans alike proved that. A weight was lifted and a process began to come full circle after a year of work.
When Refugio won 38-14 in the Alamodome last December, Mason head coach Kade Burns didn't want his team to forget the loss. So, he put "38-14" on the whiteboard of the Puncher's weight room.
Ten months ago, in February, the UIL was set to release their bi-annual realignment. Not much was new for Mason. They were still in Region IV with a lot of familiar faces in District 14-2A Division I.
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The difference came when Burns set out to put together his non-district schedule. He scheduled Wall, Johnson City, Sonora, Tuscola Jim Ned and Comanche, all 3A schools. That gauntlet was meant for the Punchers to prepare for a run to Arlington this year.
Three months ago, Mason opened the season with a thrilling 27-21 win over Wall.
All in attendance left thinking the same thing about the Punchers: this team is good. Burns and his team left thinking no such thing. They left thinking about their opponent the next week.
Mason then went on to beat their remaining non-district schedule by a combined score of 153-20. All five of those non-district opponents made the Class 3A playoffs. Comanche and Wall made it to the regional semifinals.
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People continued to think, "this team is good." Why wouldn't they think that? They were dominating teams bigger than them in terms of enrollment.
The Punchers kept their blinders on and focused on District 14.
Mason then demolished their five district opponents by a combined score of 257-20.
All while people continued to think about how well Mason was playing this year, one thing -- rather a team -- lingered to fans: Refugio.
When the Bobcats moved down to Class 2A in 2014, Mason welcomed them with a stunning 24-20 win in the Region IV final. Mason would eventually suffer their only loss of the season in the 2014 state championship against Canadian.
The two teams have now met in playoffs five years in a row with the winner going to AT&T Stadium in the previous four years. Refugio won those games in 2015, 2016 and 2017.
Yet, Mason remained focused on their next opponent rather than a possible meeting with Refugio this year. However, the 2017 loss continued to motivate the Punchers
So, what did Mason do different heading into this year's playoffs? They cranked up their offense and their defense was still stingy. They scored 54 more points than through their first three games of the postseason in 2018 than last year.[[{"fid":"51368","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Mason's Otto Wofford cuts away from the sideline against Wallis Brazos. Nov. 30, 2018 (LIVE! Photo/Sam Fowler)","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"5":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Mason's Otto Wofford cuts away from the sideline against Wallis Brazos. Nov. 30, 2018 (LIVE! Photo/Sam Fowler)","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false}},"attributes":{"alt":"Mason's Otto Wofford cuts away from the sideline against Wallis Brazos. Nov. 30, 2018 (LIVE! Photo/Sam Fowler)","class":"media-element file-default","data-delta":"5"}}]]Above: Mason's Otto Wofford (14) cuts away from the sideline against Wallis Brazos. Nov. 30, 2018 (LIVE! Photo/Sam Fowler)
They opened with a bi-district shutout of Milano 63-0. The Punchers then overcame turnovers to beat Weimar 35-6 for the Area Round championship. Behind two interceptions, the Punchers romped over Wallis Brazos 52-14 to set up a fifth-straight meeting with their arch-nemesis Refugio.
Mason was confident, but not cocky after walking the path to the Alamodome. They knew what Refugio was capable of. The Bobcats scored 21 points in the fourth quarter of 2017's clash. That's three times more than the Punchers had allowed in any game prior that year.
In the Alamodome this year, Refugio took a page from the very beginning of Mason's playbook with a methodical drive. They went on a 19-play drive for a touchdown and took 7 minutes, 14 seconds off the clock. An opening drive like that would normally suggest a team has dominance over another. That wasn't the case.[[{"fid":"51354","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Mason's Jake Cockerham lays a hit on Refugio's Jake Tinsman (13) at the regional final. Dec. 7, 2018 (LIVE! Photo/Sam Fowler)","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"6":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Mason's Jake Cockerham lays a hit on Refugio's Jake Tinsman (13) at the regional final. Dec. 7, 2018 (LIVE! Photo/Sam Fowler)","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false}},"attributes":{"alt":"Mason's Jake Cockerham lays a hit on Refugio's Jake Tinsman (13) at the regional final. Dec. 7, 2018 (LIVE! Photo/Sam Fowler)","class":"media-element file-default","data-delta":"6"}}]]Above: Mason's Jake Cockerham lays a hit on Refugio's Jake Tinsman (13) at the regional final. Dec. 7, 2018 (LIVE! Photo/Sam Fowler)
Mason responded on the ensuing kickoff by taking the kick 35 yards to Refugio's 40-yard line. Mason then took just four plays to go that 40 yards with Otto Wofford finishing the drive on a 6-yard run into the end zone. That and interceptions by Roman Coe and Chandler Buntyn sparked a run of 21 unanswered points for Mason for a 21-7 lead at the 4:46 mark in the second quarter.
Mason looked like the sails were at full mast and they could cruise to a win over the Bobcats. That is, until the third play of the ensuing drive.
Refugio QB Austin Ochoa found receiver Ethan Perez for a 13-yard completion to Mason's 25. It seemed to be a fairly innocuous play. However, the official threw a flag and called targeting on Mason's Wofford, who doubles as a starting defensive back. He was ejected per the rule's enforcement.
In laymen's terms, targeting is when a player leads with the crown of their helmet, attacks the head or neck area of an opponent.[[{"fid":"51369","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Mason's Otto Wofford (14) braces to make a tackle against Refugio in the regional final. Dec. 7, 2018 (LIVE! Photo/Sam Fowler)","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"7":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Mason's Otto Wofford (14) braces to make a tackle against Refugio in the regional final. Dec. 7, 2018 (LIVE! Photo/Sam Fowler)","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false}},"attributes":{"alt":"Mason's Otto Wofford (14) braces to make a tackle against Refugio in the regional final. Dec. 7, 2018 (LIVE! Photo/Sam Fowler)","class":"media-element file-default","data-delta":"7"}}]]Above: Mason's Otto Wofford (14) braces to make a tackle against Refugio in the regional final. Dec. 7, 2018 (LIVE! Photo/Sam Fowler)
The penalty also carries a peculiar suspension rule. If called in the second half, the player misses the rest of the game and the first half of the next game. If called in the first half, as was the case for Wofford, the offender misses just the rest of the game.
That meant junior backup Whitt Bierschwale had to step up on one of the biggest stages of amateur sports. His first drive resulted in a three-and-out and Mason punted. Refugio took a knee to run out the rest of the first half clock.
The popular line of thought turned from "this team is good" to "could that be what Refugio needed?"
Mason responded as a champion would, unfazed.[[{"fid":"51370","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Mason's Whitt Bierschwale (20) rolls out to pass against Refugio in the regional final. Dec. 7, 2018 (LIVE! Photo/Sam Fowler)","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"8":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Mason's Whitt Bierschwale (20) rolls out to pass against Refugio in the regional final. Dec. 7, 2018 (LIVE! Photo/Sam Fowler)","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false}},"attributes":{"alt":"Mason's Whitt Bierschwale (20) rolls out to pass against Refugio in the regional final. Dec. 7, 2018 (LIVE! Photo/Sam Fowler)","class":"media-element file-default","data-delta":"8"}}]]Above: Mason's Whitt Bierschwale (20) rolls out to pass against Refugio in the regional final. Dec. 7, 2018 (LIVE! Photo/Sam Fowler)
After receiving the ball to start the second half, Mason went to their roots. Bierschwale, Klay Klaerner and Jake Cockerham led the Punchers on a 16-play, 8-minute touchdown drive capped off by an 18-yard pass from Bierschwale to Ethan Powell to go up 28-14. That drive left Refugio with 4:02 left in the third quarter.
That drive started to let air out of the Bobcats' balloon. Mason's defense went and popped it on the next drive.
Refugio had a chance to pull within one score after getting to first-and-goal at Mason's 3 to start the fourth quarter. Ochoa had a look on first down and got to the 1 before being stopped. Izac Canchola was met at the line of scrimmage on second down. Ysidro Mascorro was dropped for a 1-yard loss on third down.
Ochoa then met Puncher noseguard Rudy Martinez on fourth down. Mason's 267-pounder won out and denied the Bobcats a score. All momentum stayed with Mason.[[{"fid":"51362","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Mason's Rudy Martinez (75) chases down a Refugio Bobcat in the regional final. Dec. 7, 2018 (LIVE! Photo/Sam Fowler)","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Mason's Rudy Martinez (75) chases down a Refugio Bobcat in the regional final. Dec. 7, 2018 (LIVE! Photo/Sam Fowler)","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false}},"attributes":{"alt":"Mason's Rudy Martinez (75) chases down a Refugio Bobcat in the regional final. Dec. 7, 2018 (LIVE! Photo/Sam Fowler)","class":"media-element file-default","data-delta":"1"}}]]Above: Mason's Rudy Martinez (75) chases down a Refugio Bobcat in the regional final. Dec. 7, 2018 (LIVE! Photo/Sam Fowler)
Mason had no success moving the ball from their own 1, but that didn't matter they were able to chew up the clock and punt after a couple of near safeties. Klaerner, an All-State punter in 2017, was able to boot the ball away to Mason's 42. The Refugio return brought the ball back to the 37.
Two plays later, Coe picked up his second interception of the game and Mason had another stop. They proceeded to chew up more clock and got the ball all the way to Refugio's 3 before a Klaerner fumble gave the ball back to the Bobcats.
In the grand scheme, that fumble had little significance. Refugio got the ball back down two scores with 1:30 left in the game.
Early in the season, teams were able to put up defensive performances like that against the Bobcats. Then, Refugio head coach and Robert Lee native Jason Herring opted to switch from a run-oriented scheme to the spread offense late in the year and Refugio looked as lethal as ever. During their eight-game win streak, Refugio outscored their opponents 517-62. The Bobcats gave up 41 of those points in their regional semifinal win over Shiner the week prior.
Because of their defensive performance Friday evening, Mason staked their claim as the best in the state. Anyone who wants that will have to prove it on the field.
In the state semifinals, San Augustine (12-2) will get a chance to take that claim with Mason still keeping the same approach as the previous 14 games.
The two teams meet Thursday, Dec. 13, at 7:30 at Waco ISD Stadium for the right to go to the state final.
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