Photo credit The Flash Today II Erath County
Arlington – Stephenville’s championship day glistened behind a heady performance from its defense and key offensive standouts.
Its defense forced six turnovers, including four first-quarter fumbles. Senior receiver Coy Eakin scored four touchdowns as Stephenville deflated the Austin LBJ Jaguars, 38-21 in the Class 4A Division I Championship at AT&T Stadium on Thursday evening.
The win rekindled memories of its ‘90’s dynasty and gave the No. 2 Yellowjackets its sixth title in school history. Stephenville won four of its six titles in the ‘90s, including ‘93, ‘94, ‘98, and ‘99.
“We’re just so proud of our football team and the way they have prepared all season,” Yellow Jackets coach Sterling Doty said. “We were here, we played so well, and we wanted to finish, just get that sixth state title. I couldn’t be more proud of our guys.”
The Yellow Jacket’s offense could not ask more of its defense, which set the tone by recording six turnovers and forcing three turnovers on downs. Linebacker MVP Reese Young tallied 14 tackles and recovered a fumble.
“The war dogs went out and put a ton of pressure on LBJ and their rushing attack,” Stephenville’s coach Sterling Doty mentioned. “We made their quarterback, Oscar Gordon, make quick decisions, and they put the ball on the ground because of it.”
After scoring four touchdowns, Eakin, who had nine receptions for 187 yards, easily grabbed the offensive MVP honors. Three receiving scores and one rushing.
Stephenville (16-0) led 17-0 at the end of the first quarter, spurred by four consecutive Jaguar fumbles. Defensive lineman Alex De Leon corralled a fumble at the Austin LBJ 34, leading to its first score. Junior quarterback Ryder Lambert, who finished with 258 yards on 16-of-28 and three scores, threw three straight passes to Eakin on the frame. The last watched Eakin make a one-handed catch in the right corner of the end zone, and the Yellow Jackets led, 7-0 following Corbin Poston’s kick with 5:58 to go in the first quarter.
“Our guys are taught to play till the whistle,” Doty explained. “All of our offensive guys did that, and we were able to get the ball out.”
The top-ranked Jaguars (15-1) were seeking Austin ISD’s first state title since Austin Reagan fell to John Tyler in 1973, struggled on both sides of the ball.
“It hurts a lot because we worked so hard, and we had an outstanding season,” Austin LBJ coach Jamal Fenner said. “It just didn’t happen for us. I love all these kids, and to see the community rally the way they did, we really wanted to pull it off for everybody.”
Sophomore defensive lineman, Camden McKinney of Stephenville, jarred the ball loose from junior tailback Sedrick Alexander, and linebacker Reese Young recovered the ball at the Jaguars 15. Two plays later, Eakin recorded his second touchdown – rushing this time. Stephenville led 14-0. Defensive lineman Austin Brown’s fumble recovery, watched the Yellow Jackets use six plays to get in field goal range as Poston netted a 26-yarder, increasing the lead, 17-0.
In search of its first score, on its first series of the second quarter, Austin LBJ drove to the Yellow Jackets one-yard line with the help of a pair of big plays and a pass interference call. But the drive stalled after facing fourth and goal from the two after Young took down Alexander at the two-yard line forcing a turnover on downs.
“This was our first time, so you’re just trying to get a feel for everything in the pregame,” Fenner said. “We just tried to get them to settle in the game as quickly as possible, and it just took longer, so we made mistakes early, and that’s what ended up really putting us behind. We have never made those mistakes early in a game like that.”
A defensive holding call set up the Yellow Jackets in LBJ territory at the 49. Then, Stephenville added to the scoreboard when Eakin beat Jaguars’ defensive backs Trenton Leary and Jaybreon Riggins on a short slant pattern as he broke free from both defenders en route to the end zone. That made the score 24-0.
However, the Jaguars had an answer, driving 76 yards in four plays. Quarterback Oscar Gordon, who passed for 372 yards on 30-of-48 attempts, three touchdowns, and one interception, hooked up with junior receiver Noah Baker on a 33-yard scoring pass with 1:17 left in the second quarter. Edguardo Sandoval kicked.
Stephenville yielded a pair of scores but continued its dominance on both sides of the ball in the second half.
Yet the third quarter got off to a bizarre start. Stephenville receiver Reece Elston’s 15-yard reception at the 45 watched junior running back Julian Iribarren ping-pong his way 22 yards up the middle to the Austin LBJ 33. Then Baker picked off Lambert at the Jaguars’ three-yard line, returned the ball to the seven, where Eakin punched the ball out of Baker’s hands. That caused the ball to go air-born at the ten where receiver Kallan Kimbrough intercepted the ball and ran into the end zone to blow open the game, 31-7 following Poston’s PAT.
“I ran a slant-and-go and Ryder through the ball over,” Yellow Jackets receiver Eakin explained. “Baker intercepted the ball, and I just went for the ball to get it out.”
After both teams traded possessions, Gordon’s 26-yard pass to receiver Keilan Rogers at the Stephenville 40 gave the drive light, but it had to overcome a fourth and nine. Then Gordon completed a ten-yard toss to Baker at the 29 and followed with a 29-yard strike to Alexander, cutting the deficit, 31-14 with 3:56 left in the third quarter.
The Yellow Jackets dashed thoughts of a rally when it responded with a 74-yard frame directed by Lambert. Iribarren provided the groundwork, rushing five times to the 48-yard line. Lambert finished the frame with a 29-yard touchdown pass to Eakin, regaining a four-score lead, 38-14 with 11:09 remaining.
Austin LBJ’s last score came on Gordon’s 30-yard scoring toss to Baker, drawing the Jaguars within, 38-21.
The Jaguars held the Yellow Jackets off the scoreboard with two fourth-quarter interceptions but failed to convert the turnovers into points.
“I think this will really humble us and make us eager to come back here,” Baker said. “We came up short last year and look what happened. We’re ready to come back and win it next year.”
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