AUSTIN — Cedar Ridge punched its ticket to the second round of the playoffs for the third straight year after easily defeating Akins 63-14 in the Bi-District round of the Class 6A Div. I postseason Thursday at Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex in Austin.
The Raiders scored touchdowns on each of their first nine possessions, the last three of which with the second-team offense on the field. The 10th possession was used to kneel out the clock.
“I didn’t realize we did that,” Cedar Ridge Head Coach Sam Robinson said. “That’s great. We got first downs and touchdowns. That’s all we’re trying to do. Make first downs and eliminate mistakes.”
Cedar Ridge accumulated 546 yards on 41 plays (13.3 yards per play). Senior running back Simi Bakare led the way with 112 rushing yards and three touchdowns on nine carries. Senior quarterback Ezekiel Coss threw for 159 yards and three scores on 9-of-11 passing. Senior running back RJ Robinson came off the bench for 130 yards and a touchdown on seven attempts.
Junior wide receiver Jaylen Ellis only had two catches but they both went for deep touchdowns of 35 and 62 yards. Senior wide receiver Cash Rugely added four grabs for 46 yards with a score.
“We felt good,” Robinson said. “I thought our kids came out, played fast, and really got after it those first couple of possessions and kind of got a quick lead and kept the foot on the gas. I was really happy with how we came out.”
Akins gained just 257 yards on 75 plays (3.4 yards per play). Junior quarterback Nick Cagle threw for 150 yards and a touchdown on 15-of-22 passing, but the Cedar Ridge pass rush got to him for eight sacks, with seniors Victor Winston and Daymond Williams notching two apiece.
“Our D-line, they kind of set the tone for our whole defense, and sometimes we feel like for out team,” Robinson said. “So we always know they’re going to get a lot of pressure on the quarterbacks so we were happy with that.”
Cedar Ridge advances to the area round, where it was knocked out each of the past two years. The Raiders lost to Humble Atascocita 41-36 in 2015, and to Klein Collins 40-34 (OT) last season. Robinson is hopeful things will go differently this time. They’ll play the winner of Klein Oak/Benjamin Davis next week in College Station.
“It’s going to be a four-quarter game,” Robinson said. “There’s no doubt about it. They’re not going to go away. We’re going to have to eliminate some mistakes. We still have quite a few penalties. We’re going to have to cut those out, and like always, no turnovers.”
Brought To You By
