5A Team of the Week: Saginaw Rough Riders
Saginaw had never won a playoff game in its 18-year school history before this past Friday. It looked like that drought was going to continue with the Rough Riders trailing Azle 39-28 with the clock ticking towards three minutes to go in the fourth quarter.
However, little did Azle know, Saginaw had a rabbit in its hat.
First, Rough Rider quarterback Roman Morales found Aidan Collier for a touchdown to cut the lead to five. Then, with less than a minute to go, Morales delivered a 75-yard bomb to a wide-open Isaiah Verdun for the go-ahead score. Out of nowhere, Saginaw had the 41-39 lead. With not enough time left for Azle to do anything, the Rough Riders held on for a victory that will go down in school history.
Here is Saginaw’s go-ahead touchdown vs. Azle.
Two touchdowns in just over 2 minutes to win the first playoff game in school history. Might be the wildest #txhsfb game I’ve covered. pic.twitter.com/SPRvQOdedQ
— Charles Baggarly (@swaggarly) November 17, 2024
Much of the credit has to go to Morales. He had a video game type of night, throwing for 478 yards and five touchdowns, while rushing for 150 yards and a score as well. With a stat line like that, his receivers were quite busy. Collier (seven catches for 169 yards), Boaz Kaloso (five catches for 138 yards), and Verdun (four catches for 103 yards) all eclipsed the century mark.
Defensively, Collier and cornerback Christopher Brewer also had interceptions.
After such an emotional win, Saginaw will now need to work on turning the page quickly towards this week’s opponent. The Rough Riders will be heading west on Friday to face Amarillo Tascosa in Wichita Falls.
*Stats courtesy of MaxPreps
Previous 5A Teams of the Week
Week One: Sherman
Week Two: La Joya Juarez-Lincoln
Week Three: Seguin
Week Four: Corpus Christi Carroll
Week Five: Leander
Week Six: Lovejoy
Week Seven: Mansfield Summit
Week Eight: Abilene Wylie
Week Nine: Paschal
Week Ten: Walnut Grove
Week Eleven: Milby
