3A Team of the Week: West Rusk Raiders
West Rusk and Waskom went down to the wire on Friday night in their 3A Division I area round matchup.
West Rusk led 34-19 at one point, but Waskom came roaring back with three touchdowns to take a 37-34 lead in the fourth quarter.
Facing a devastating collapse, West Rusk responded.
With just 11 seconds left Raider quarterback Andon Mata found his receiver Geremiah Smith behind the Waskom defense. Smith leaped up and managed to get a foot in bounds to secure a 41-37 victory in thrilling fashion.
Here is the game-winning play for West Rusk! what a great win for the Raiders congratulations on moving on to the next round! @WestRuskRaiders @AndonMata @geremiah_smith2 pic.twitter.com/rUloo6mJfE
— David Gibson (@DavidGibsonTV) November 18, 2022
The Mata to Smith connection was a dangerous one all night long as Smith finished the game with seven catches for 173 yards, while Mata finished with 274 yards passing and three touchdowns.
Looking ahead to this week, West Rusk will look to win its first third round game since 2015 on Friday when it takes on Harmony at Longview Pine Tree.
Previous 3A Winners
Week One: Hitchcock
Week Two: Woodville
Week Three: Karnes City
Week Four: Troup
Week Five: Cameron Yoe
Week Six: Grand Saline
Week Seven: Rockdale
Week Eight: Pottsboro
Week Nine: Shallowater
Week Ten: Jefferson
Week Eleven: Luling
Bi-District: Wallis Brazos
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