Hawley got a taste of the state championships last year for the first time in school history. However, it was denied a state title as Shiner ran away with a 47-12 victory.
This year, the Bearcats are back for another shot at the grand prize at 11 a.m. on Thursday in the 2A Division I State Title Game.
Their opponent this year will be the Refugio Bobcats, who are quite familiar with playing on the biggest stage.
Thursday will mark the 11th state championship the Bobcats have played in. Refugio beat Post 28-7 the last time they were in a state title game back in 2019.
Here is what to watch for on Thursday morning.
Hawley Bearcats (15-0)
Head Coach: Mitch Ables (9th season; 96-22 record)
Distance to AT&T Stadium: 175 miles
2022 Playoff Results
Bi-District: W 52-8 vs. Christoval
Area: W 72-26 vs. Panhandle
Regional Semifinals: W 57-26 vs. Sonora
Regional Finals: W 40-7 vs. Cisco
State Semifinals: W 34-20 vs. Crawford
Key Players and Storylines
Hawley returned many of its core players from year ago.
But most importantly for the Bearcats, they will get to take the field with a healthy Austin Cumpton this year.
Last year, Cumpton missed the state title game after suffering a broken back in the playoffs. This year, he’ll anchor the Bearcats rushing attack having rushed for 2,021 yards and 40 touchdowns so far this season.
Hawley head coach Mitch Ables said the Bearcats will need him to be able to earn hard-fought yardage on Thursday morning.
“Austin is huge for us,” Ables said. “He has played over 40 high school football games and having experience in the middle on both sides of the ball is huge. Offensively, he provides us with a short yardage option. He can get hard yards in the middle of the trenches.”
While Cumpton missed out last year, Diontay Ramon slid over to running back and broke off a 49-yard touchdown run in the title game. This year, he has played almost exclusively at the receiver position, where he has 1,054 yards and nine touchdowns.
Bearcat quarterback Rodey Hooper is coming off a 228-yard performance in the state semifinal and will have Will Scott (731 receiving yards), Chandlin Myers (680 receiving yards), and Kason O’Shields (645 receiving yards) to aim for in addition to Ramon in the passing attack. Scott caught the game-winning pass against Cisco back on Nov. 4 to preserve Cisco’s undefeated season and district title.
Nothing quite like a cold fall evening under the lights, watching the 10-0, District Champion Hawley Bearcats walk it off against Cisco. #HawleyBearcats #CiscoLoboes #TXHSFB @BCHsports pic.twitter.com/cxB0Ft75Ee
— Tyler Henderson (@PTylerHenderson) November 5, 2022
Scott (110 tackles) and Cumpton (111 tackles) also play a big role on defense from their linebacker position, while fellow linebacker Hez Parker (144 total tackles) comes into this game as the team’s leading tackler.
Up front, Hawley will rely on Ramon (24 TFLs), Alex Carey (17 TFLs) and Diego Stovall (17 TFLs) to try and disrupt the Refugio backfield. And when the Bobcats do air it out, they’ll have to be weary of O’Shieds and Myers who each have three interceptions so far this year.
Refugio Bobcats (14-1)
Head Coach: Jason Herring (16th season; 212-20
Distance to AT&T Stadium: 353 miles
2022 Playoff Schedule
Bi-District W 66-14 vs. Ben Bolt
Area W 56-9 vs. Holland
Regional Semifinals: W 53-7 vs. Ganado
Regional Finals: W 27-21 vs. Shiner
State Semifinals: W 24-21 vs. Timpson
Key Players and Storylines
Hitchcock shellacked Refugio 49-12 in the season opener. The Bobcats haven’t looked back since.
They’ve rattled off fourteen straight wins, including 11 by eighteen points or more.
However, the last two weeks haven’t come easy. The Bobcats used a 87-yard pass from Kelan Brown to Isaiah Avery on fourth-and-12 with just four minutes to go to earn a late victory over Shiner.
On Thursday, they left it even later. Alex Placencia nailed a 20-yard field goal with just nine seconds to go to give the Bobcats the 24-21 victory over Timpson.
If the Bobcats need heroics again late in the state title game, Ernest Campbell has proven he can make plays in a variety of ways after rushing for 128 yards and a touchdown and catching three passes for 43 yards and a score against Timpson. Campbell is already attracting attention from the Division I level with 10 offers.
In addition to Campbell, Kaleb Brown, Jordan King, and Eziyah Bland can be expected to see carries offensively for a Refugio team that loves to pound the rock. Last week, the Bobcats rushed for 274 yards on 40 carries.
In a classification where many players play both ways, Herring said it helps to have the depth the Bobcats have at the running back position.
“We have a staple of running backs that we can go to at any time. They all start on defense, so we are able to rotate them quite frequently and keep their legs fresh,” Herring said. “We always try to stay balanced on offense, but we must be able to run the ball vs Hawley on Thursday in order to keep their high powered offense off the field.”
In the trenches, Herring praised his offensive line as one of the main reasons for the Bobcats’ success at running the football this year.
“The key to our run game has no doubt been the development and improvement of our offensive line,” Herring said. “They are, and have been. playing at a super high level, and just get better and better as the season goes along.”
On the other side of the ball, Refugio’s defense has limited opponents to nine points or less seven times this year, including twice in the playoffs.
Final Thoughts
Shiner was able to overpower Hawley a year ago behind the efforts of Dalton and Doug Brooks.
The biggest question will be whether Refugio can have that same success on the ground, which will allow them to limit the possessions for Hawley’s productive offense.
Because after putting up just 12 points a year ago, a healthy Austin Cumpton may be exactly what Hawley needs to be able to muster more offensive production in the title game this year.
If Cumpton and Ramon have big games, Hawley will have a chance to keep up with the Bearcats, but if the Bobcats can grind out yardage and beat Hawley with their strength and speed, it may give them the breathing room they need to pull away in this game.
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