Bangs' ability to overcome adversity could play a factor in playoff tilt with Tom Bean

November 13, 2025 at 8:00 am Derrick Stuckly

Cason Tidwell (3) has rushed for 1,339 yards and 21 touchdowns for the Dragons, who earned two of their three district victories by a touchdown or less heading into Friday’s first-round playoff battle

BANGS – After prevailing in another nail-biter to secure the No. 3 playoff seed from District 5-2A Division I a week ago, Bangs second-year head coach Colton Buzzard hopes the close calls the Dragons have survived this season will serve them well in the playoffs.

The Dragons (6-4) kick off postseason play in the Class 2A Division I Region II Bi-District round of the playoffs at 7 p.m. Friday in Granbury against the District 6 runner-up Tom Bean Tomcats (8-2).

Bangs isn’t supposed to be in the playoffs, according to preseason prognostications, but victories of 28-27 over Hico and last week’s 20-14 thriller over Coleman have the Dragons eyeing playoff hardware.

“When you get to the playoffs everybody is good, they know how to win,” Buzzard said. “Getting to the playoffs is great, but winning a game is even better. And to know how to fight when the game is close and come out victorious, it’s good for our kids to know how to fight through adversity and come out on top.”

Against Coleman last week, the Dragons trailed 14-12 with three minutes left after fumbling away the ball, but a Brennan Mendieta interception return to the Bluecat 5 set up Cason Tidwell’s go-ahead touchdown run. Then, after Coleman drove the length of the field, Connor Bible’s interception at the goal line with 10 seconds left allowed the Dragons to hang on for the victory.

“That was just guys making great plays,” Buzzard said. “Conner did a really good job reading what was going to happen. We’ve seen a lot of trick plays this year, especially in district, and he saw the double pass coming and sat on it and picked it. Brennan did a really good job on the flood concept, reading the quarterback’s eyes like we teach, and got his interception. Those plays couldn’t have happened at a better time to win the football game.”

The Bangs secondary will be tested against by Tom Bean, which averages 47 points and 433 yards – 335 through the air to just 98 on the ground – per game.

Quarterback Donnie Hooten (3,348 passing yards, 35 TDs, 5 INTs; 253 rushing yards, 9 TDs) is the driving force behind the Tomcats offense while receiving threats include Camden Stephens (73-1,003, 14 TDs), Brayden Bomar (64-1,057, 9 TDs), Dyson Farris (43-656, 5 TDs), and Maguire Poole (27-358, 3 TDs). The leading rusher for Tom Bean is Dallas Peavey (532 rushing yards, 7 TDs).

“They like to throw the ball, it’s no secret. They’ll spread you out and they like to throw,” Buzzard said. “I don’t know much about them other than watching film, but teams they remind me of are De Leon, but De Leon runs a little more than Tom Bean has, and Merkel, which also had a quarterback that can spin it and some good receivers. But we have a good game plan and we’re ready to execute it. If we can get one or two more interceptions this game, it would be crucial.”

The Dragon defense heads into the playoffs allowing 24 points and 259 yards – 130 on the ground and 129 through the air – per outing, with 17 takeaways.

Leading the charge are Tidwell (105 tackles, 14 for loss, 1 sack, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 interception), Eliseo Rivas (60 tackles, 8 for loss), Jaxon Duncan (58 tackles, 4 for loss, 2 sacks, 1 fumble recovery), Ryan Alqorum (54 tackles, 20 for loss, 11 sacks), Joaquin Rubio (40 tackles, 12 for loss, 3 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries), Kian Kelly (32 tackles, 12 for loss, 6 sacks), Bible (30 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 sack, 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovery), Jayden Robinson (30 tackles), Rooster Laughlin (29 tackles, 11 for loss, 6 sacks) and Mendieta (28 tackles, 3 fumble recoveries, 2 interceptions).

Bangs’ ground game could also play a crucial role Friday night in limiting opportunities for the Tom Bean offense.

The Dragons produce 34 points and 315 yards – 233 rushing and 82 passing – per outing.

Tidwell leads the way with 1,339 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns, along with contributions from Rivas (283 rushing yards, 4 TDs), Jackson Edmisten (184 rushing yards, 1 TD), Duncan (160 rushing yards, 2 TDs) and Robinson (125 rushing yards, 1 TD). Through the air, Hunter Withers has connected on 40 of 79 passes for 577 yards with eight touchdowns and six interceptions, as top receivers include Bible (16-337, 6 TDs), Rex Guerrero (12-113, 3 TDs), Robinson (9-202), Tidwell (9-103) and Rubio (6-91).

“We did a good job moving the ball last week, the biggest issue was capitalizing on red zone opportunities,” Buzzard said. “We had a couple touchdowns called back on penalties and we have to clean that up. We have to eliminate the penalties, especially when we have big plays, and we’ve talked about that all week.”

The Tom Bean defense yields only 18 points per game with 26 takeaways – 13 interceptions and 13 fumble recoveries – to go along with eight sacks.

Standouts for the Tomcats are Tatum Hanson (142 tackles, 5 for loss, 2 sacks, 2 interceptions), Ryan Dearmond (94 tackles, 2 for loss), Bomar (77 tackles, 2 for loss, 5 interceptions), Peavey (75 tackles, 6 for loss, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery), Brayden Yowell (64 tackles, 3 for loss, 2 sacks), and Jacob Lind (61 tackles, 5 for loss, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery).

“They’re an odd front, a 3-4 team that pinches the ends with their outside linebackers,” Buzzard said. “Their defense is tough, but if we do our job up front it’s hard to stop us in the run game. We feel like we can move the ball, it will come down to how efficient we are at it. We also have to be able to take advantage of them loading the box and hit them deep. We’re anxious to get to the game but we still need a little more time to prepare.”

According to Harris Ratings Weekly, the Dragons are 11-point underdogs.

Friday’s winner faces either District 7 champion Axtell (8-1) or District 8 fourth-seed Cayuga (6-4) in second-round action next week.

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Bangs Dragons 2025 Football Season Stats

Through 10 Games (6-4, 3-2)

TEAM OFFENSE

33.8 points per game (338)

314.5 yards per game (3,145)

232.9 rushing yards per game (2,329)

81.6 passing yards per game (816)

PASSING

* Hunter Withers

40 of 79 for 577 yards, 8 TDs, 6 INTs

* Jaxon Duncan

13 of 21 for 231 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT

* Cason Tidwell

1 of 1 for 8 yards

RUSHING

* Cason Tidwell

1,339 yards on 220 carries, 21 TDs

* Eliseo Rivas

283 yards on 68 carries, 4 TDs

* Jackson Edmisten

184 yards on 42 carries, 1 TD

* Jaxon Duncan

160 yards on 28 carries, 2 TDs

* Jayden Robinson

125 yards on 6 carries, 1 TD

* Dayton Vrana

97 yards on 13 carries

* Brennan Mendieta

71 yards on 9 carries, TD

* Rex Guerrero

38 yards on 8 carries

* Connor Bible

21 yards on 7 carries

* Hunter Withers

10 yards on 11 carries, 3 TDs

* Damian Hudspeth

1 yard on 1 carry, 1 TD

RECEIVING

* Connor Bible

16 catches, 337 yards, 6 TDs

* Rex Guerrero

12 catches, 113 yards, 3 TDs

* Jayden Robinson

9 catches, 202 yards

* Cason Tidwell

9 catches, 103 yards

* Joaquin Rubio

6 catches, 91 yards

* Eliseo Rivas

5 catches, 16 yards, 1 TD

* Ryan Alqorum

2 catches, 61 yards, 1 TD

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TEAM DEFENSE

23.8 points per game (238)

258.9 yards per game (2,330) – not including Hamilton

130.2 rushing yards per game (1,172) – not including Hamilton

128.7 passing yards per game (1,158) – not including Hamilton

TACKLES

* Cason Tidwell

105 tackles, 14 for loss, 1 sack, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 interception

* Eliseo Rivas

60 tackles, 8 for loss

* Jaxon Duncan

58 tackles, 4 for loss, 2 sacks, 1 fumble recovery

* Ryan Alqorum

54 tackles, 20 for loss, 11 sacks

* Joaquin Rubio

40 tackles, 12 for loss, 3 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries

* Kian Kelly

32 tackles, 12 for loss, 6 sacks

* Connor Bible

30 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 sack, 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovery

* Jayden Robinson

30 tackles

* Rooster Laughlin

29 tackles, 11 for loss, 6 sacks

* Brennan Mendieta

28 tackles, 3 fumble recoveries, 2 interceptions

* Rex Guerrero

23 tackles, 2 for loss

* Dayton Vrana

15 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 sack, 2 fumble recoveries

* Kason Klutts

14 tackles

* Braxton Wommack

8 tackles

* Jackson Edmisten

5 tackles

* Bryce Schoen

5 tackles

* Caleb Wagner

3 tackles, 1 for loss

* Quentin Doll

3 tackles

* Jace Duncan

1 tackle, 1 for loss

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TURNOVER MARGIN (+7)

* Bangs: 10 (3 fumbles, 7 interceptions)

* Opponents: 17 (5 interceptions, 12 fumbles)