The Judson Rockets blasted off their season in a big way.
After an absolute dog-fight with Johnson, the Rockets came out victorious 46-43, following a 34-yard dagger in overtime by Adrian Cortes. The OT high-scoring affair was the second of a trio of games on the KSAT Pigskin Classic on Saturday afternoon.
The Rockets started strong, with Oklahoma four-star wide receiver commit Anthony Evans hauling in a slant to put them on top early in the first quarter. At the half, Judson had a comfortable 27-7 lead.
However, Johnson wasn’t close to retreating to the locker room to lick their wounds. They opened the third with a 21-3 run.
After a back and forth affair, the Jaguars comeback campaign in the second half seemed like it was a wasted effort; junior DB Myles Davis nabbed the interception with less than two minutes left. A muffed punt by Judson on 4th and 2 gave Johnson enough time to complete their rally.
With 18 seconds left, San Antonio sophomore Ty Hawkins tied the game by finding receiver Caden Rizzo in the end zone.
Though the Rockets took the dub, Hawkins shined in his quarterback debut, passing for 317 yards for five touchdowns through the air, and rushing for 151 yards and one score. As a freshman, Hawkins served as a receiver.
“We need to polish up on the bad things, and we’ll be perfect,” the first time snap caller said after the game.
Judson’s offense rushed for 323 yards and four touchdowns, with junior running back Nathaniel Stanley accounting for 218 yards and two touchdowns. At the conclusion of action, Stanley was named the Jon Wayne Player of the Game.
“It’s huge. It gives us momentum going into next week and all through the season,” Stanley said.
The Rockets are hoping to rid last seasons losing ways from their memories, and hope to improve from their lowly 4-6 overall record. They face a tough task against powerhouse Westlake at Rutledge Stadium.
“The kids played hard on both sides of the ball,” Judson head coach Mark Soto said. “We frenzied up, and that’s what we like.”
For Johnson, it’s the Jags first regular season loss since an away drubbing to Reagan on November 27th, 2020. Johnson next faces O’Connor away; both squads are looking for their first win.
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