A piece of history and a shot at glory was on the line Thursday night at Rice University as the 3A-D1 state semifinals kicked off with the Columbus Cardinals taking on the Edna Cowboys. Columbus, powered by an explosive offense with standout playmakers, made its third state semifinal appearance in school history and first since 2019. Meanwhile, Edna returned to familiar territory, winning Region IV and reaching their third consecutive state semifinal. Columbus sought its first-ever state championship appearance, while Edna aimed to make its first title game since 1965.
Columbus vs Edna Game Recap
This game was all Columbus from the opening drive. The Cardinals received the ball and marched down the field in seven plays, capped off with a 14-yard touchdown run by Wyoming signee Grayson Rigdon. Following an Edna punt, Rigdon struck again with a one-yard touchdown, making it 14-0 Columbus less than six minutes into the game.
Two plays later, a strip sack by Rylan Carruthers was recovered by Cade Neumann, giving Columbus the ball at Edna’s 15-yard line. The Cardinals capitalized on the opportunity as TCU signee Adam Schobel connected with Cooper Osborne for a 16-yard touchdown. Schobel later threw his second touchdown pass of the game, hitting Camdon Pitchford from four yards out to close the first quarter at 28-0.
The second quarter opened with punts from both teams, but Columbus extended its lead when Rigdon broke free for a 70-yard touchdown. After trading interceptions and an Edna turnover on downs, Rigdon powered in his fourth touchdown, a four-yard run, putting Columbus ahead 42-0.
Edna finally scored before halftime when Braylen Harris found Hunter Buehring for a three-yard touchdown. However, the two-point attempt failed, leaving the score at 42-6 at halftime.
Columbus added one more touchdown in the third quarter, as Schobel connected with Pitchford for their second scoring play, sealing the 49-6 victory.
The Columbus Cardinals now advance to their first state championship game in school history. They will face defending state champions Malakoff Tigers for the 3A-D1 title Thursday night.
Watch the full replay of the game here: nfhs-network.pxf.io/RGGQob
