RICHLAND SPRINGS – Two fumbles while driving inside the 5-yard-line a year ago proved to be the difference in the Richland Springs Coyotes’ season-ending 62-48 loss to the Oglesby Tigers in the Class A Division II state semifinals.
At 2 p.m. Friday at Belton ISD Stadium, the two squads cross paths again as the No. 2 Coyotes (12-0) and No. 3 Tigers (10-2) meet a round sooner in the Class A Division II Region IV championship game. The game will be broadcast live on KOXE.COM.
“We were hoping this would happen, and now it’s come true, but we have to perform better than we did last year, and hopefully we will,” said Richland Springs head coach Shawn Rogers, who is looking to guide the Coyotes to a 10th six-man football state championship.
The strength of this year’s Coyotes squad has been its defense, reminiscent of several of Richland Springs’ nine state championship teams. Just a season ago, Richland Springs yielded an average of 22 points per contest, while in 2024 the Coyotes have surrendered a total of 46 points the entire season, with five shutouts.
“We’re playing pretty good defense right now, we’re swarming to the ball,” Rogers said. “We have a lot of quickness and a lot of physicality this year so far. The kids have really been working on that.”
On the flip side of the ball, Oglesby generated 116 points last week alone in a 40-point victory over Cherokee. For the year, the Tigers have scored 657 points, an average of 55 points per outing.
“We just hope we can score one more point than they do and play just a little bit better defense than the other teams that have faced them have been,” Rogers said.
Oglesby finished with 686 yards of total offense against Cherokee, including 611 rushing, as Kyler Fossett rushed for 518 yards and 10 touchdowns on just 23 carries, an average of 22.5 yards per tote. Fossett also threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Alex Castillo.
For the season, Fossett has rushed for 1,904 yards with 44 touchdowns, thrown for 326 yards with five touchdowns, and caught nine passes for 229 yards with four more trips to the end zone.
“He was the Dave Campbell Cover Boy for six-man football and he’s gotten even better,” Rogers said. “He’s got some college offers and he’s the real deal. We’re going to really have to get to him.”
Other contributors for Oglesby against Cherokee were Jackson Tippit with 88 rushing yards and two touchdowns on seven carries, while Castillo completed 2 of 3 passes for 40 yards and Holdyn Goff threw a 25-yard pass. Hunter Ewing (2-43) and Jack Hendricks (1-22) made the receptions.
Defensive standouts for the Tigers – who give up 21 points a game and have three times in 2024 yielded at least 60 points – were Hendricks with 18 tackles, Goff with 12, Tippit with 10 and a pair of interceptions, Kayson Campbell with 10 tackles and Castillo with five and a fumble recovery.
Meanwhile, the Coyotes are coming off a 64-6 triumph over Zephyr last week as Richland Springs finished with 290 yards of total offense – 240 rushing and 50 passing.
Billy Perry led the charge for the Coyotes with 109 rushing yards and three touchdowns while Cohen Ethridge contributed 105 yards and three scores on the ground. Perry, on his lone pass attempt, recorded a 50-yard completion to Hutton Rogers, who scored on a 22-yard rush in the contest.
For the season, Richland Springs are producing 58 points and 242 yards – 192 rushing yards and 50 passing yards – per contest, with only two turnovers all season.
Billy Perry has rushed for 686 yards and 17 touchdowns while Cohen Ethridge has chipped in 567 yards and 15 scores. Gage Behrens has added 184 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground, while Rogers has contributed 137 yards and three scores.
Perry is also the leading passer, connecting on 17 of 30 attempts for 400 yards with seven touchdowns and one interception. Ethridge is 3 of 4 through the air for 97 yards and all three of his completions have resulted in touchdowns.
Leading receivers for the Coyotes are Rogers (9-299, 6 TDs), Brice Roesler (3-57, 2 TDs), Hudson Tharp (3-47), Ethridge (2-39), EJ Aviles (1-29, TD), Perry (1-18, TD) and Ethan Deeds (1-8).
Richland Springs’ defense yields just 5 points on average as the Coyotes have amassed 30 takeaways – 18 interceptions and 12 fumble recoveries – 4 safeties, 55 sacks and a dozen defensive touchdowns.
Anchoring the Coyote defense are Ethridge (73 tackles, 1 sacks, 1 interception, 2 fumble recoveries), Aviles (69 tackles, 2 sacks, 4 interceptions), Perry (68 tackles, 24 sacks, 1 safety, 1 interception, 5 fumble recoveries), Rush Norris (52 tackles, 7 sacks), Behrens (46 tackles, 11 sacks, 1 safety, 1 interception, 3 fumble recoveries), Rogers (37 tackles, 4 interceptions), Jim Eckermann (35 tackles, 6 sacks, 1 safety, 3 interceptions), Deeds (26 tackles, 1 interception) and Tharp (22 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 safety, 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery).
Having faced Oglesby a year ago, and with the majority of the Coyotes who played in that game back this season, Rogers believes that experience could go a long away in determining Friday’s outcome – along with the turnover battle.
“I think we have a lot of confidence going in this week, and having a lot of experienced players helps,” Rogers said. “We’ve been working on the turnover gauntlet and stripping at the ball, so mentally I think we’re ready. We just have to avoid the turnovers and get some stops.”
Friday’s winner will face the Region III champion – either Iredell (10-2) or Oakwood (7-5), who meet at 6 p.m. Friday in McGregor – in the Class A Division II state semifinals next weekend.
According to sixmanfootball.com, Richland Springs is a 3-point favorite.