The Goldthwaite Eagles came up a yard short in their bid for a major upset Friday night in the Class 2A Division I football playoffs.

The No. 10-ranked Forsan Buffaloes held off underdog Goldthwaite 22-15 in a Class 2A DI bidistrict game at Gordon Wood Stadium as Nate Hernandez scored the game-winning touchdown on a 5-yard run with 11:56 remaining. The Buffaloes then stopped the Eagles’ final drive at the 1-yard line with 1:42 to play.

“I’ve been on the varsity for four years for a lot of tough losses, so this feels great. We just want to keep on going,” said Forsan senior quarterback Major Stockton, who scored on a 10-yard run and threw a 62-yard touchdown pass to Josh Cervantes.

The Buffaloes (10-1) will play No. 6-ranked New Deal (10-1) in next week’s area playoff game.

Goldthwaite, a 25-point underdog by Harris Ratings Weekly, finished 5-6 and is still seeking its first playoff win since 2015.

After Hernandez scored on a 5-yard run and added a two-point conversion run that gave Forsan its 22-15 lead, Goldthwaite went on a methodical 10-minute drive with its run-oriented Slot-T offense.

Goldthwaite converted three times on fourth down during the 18-play drive – including quarterback Jackson Patrick’s 2-yard run and his 27-yard pass to Luke Sanderson. The Eagles also converted a fourth down by drawing the Buffaloes offside at their 12.

From the 7, though, the Buffaloes’ defense stopped the Eagles. On third-and-2, linebacker Grant Roman stopped Patrick for a 2-yard loss. On fourth-and-4, Patrick fumbled at the 1, and Forsan’s Ernesto Rivera recovered with 1:42 left.

Forsan ran out the clock from there.

“I was just trying to do my part for the team and help the seniors win in their last season,” Roman said. “I guess we had a little more fight left in us than they did there at the end. In a situation like that, it’s either go hard or go home.”

Goldthwaite constantly kept the ball for long drives, but three trips into the red zone produced just one touchdown. The Eagles ran 57 offensive plays to the Buffaloes’ 38, and Goldthwaite outgained Forsan 308-279 in total yardage.

“We had the ball one time for three plays the whole first quarter. I knew their Slot-T was going to be a challenge to deal with because you can’t simulate it in practice,” Phillips said of Goldthwaite. “They used a lot of clock tonight, and we’re not used to seeing that. I was proud of our guys for hanging in there.

“We’ve been a better second-half team all year. Our guys really respond to the adjustments we make at halftime, and they did that again tonight.”

Trailing 9-7 at the half, Forsan scored on its third play from scrimmage in the second half. The flow of the third-and-8 play went to the right, but receiver Josh Cervantes slipped out to the left and was wide open for a 62-yard catch-and-run touchdown that gave the Buffaloes a 14-9 lead.

“They (Goldthwaite) came out and punched us in the face in the first half,” Stockton said. “But we knew if we could come out and score on our first possession of the third quarter, we would win the game. And that’s exactly what happened.”

Goldthwaite rallied later in the third quarter with a 62-yard scoring drive as Patrick carried five times for 33 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown as the Eagles regained the lead 15-14 with 3:14 left in the third quarter.

Patrick finished with 78 yards and 78 yards passing, and Goldthwaite fullback Seth Gardner added 72 yards rushing.

“For most of the game, we executed our game plan,” Goldthwaite coach Keith Virdell said. “We drove the ball up and down the field, and we got some stops on defense. I couldn’t have asked anything more of our kids.”

The Eagles took a 9-7 halftime lead on an unusual play. Patrick passed to Lane Evans, who fumbled near the sideline at the Buffaloes’ 2-yard line. But the ball went in the air and straight to teammate Aaron Anzua in the end zone for a touchdown with 35 seconds left before halftime.

The Buffaloes drove 69 yards in the second quarter, and scored on Stockton’s 10-yard run for a 7-3 lead with 2:20 left before halftime.

Goldthwaite, which kept the ball for 25 plays on its first two possessions, took a 3-0 lead on its second drive with Saul Vaquera’s 19-yard field goal.

Forsan 22, Goldthwaite 15

Score by Quarters:

Goldthwaite 0 9 6 0 — 15

San Saba 0 7 7 8 — 22

Second Quarter

GOL — Saul Vaquera 22 FG, 8:48

FOR — Major Stockton 10 run (Nolan Park kick), 2:20

GOL — Aaron Anzua fumble recovery in end zone (pass failed), 0:35

Third Quarter

FOR — Josh Cervantes 62 pass from Stockton (Park kick), 10:40

GOL — Jackson Patrick 12 run (kick failed), 3:14

Fourth Quarter

FOR — Nate Hernandez 5 run (Hernandez run), 11:56

Gol For

First Downs 18 11

Rushes-Yards 51-230 32-174

Passing Yards 78 105

Total Yards 308 279

Comp-Att-Int 4-6-1 6-6-0

Punts 1-45 1-68
Fumbles-Lost 3-1 0-0

Penalties-Yards 3-30 5-51

Individual Statistics
RUSHING: Goldthwaite – Jackson Patrick 20-78, Seth Gardner 13-72, Lane Evans 7-48, Carsyn Campbell 7-27, Luke Sanderson 3-6, Team 1-(-)1. Forsan – Major Stockton 11-87, Nate Hernandez 11-48, Chris Mendez 9-40, Team 1-(-)1.

PASSING: Goldthwaite – Patrick 4-6-1 for 78. Forsan – Stockton 6-6-0 for 105.

RECEIVING: Goldthwaite – Sanderson 2-72, Evans 1-7, Cason Guthrie 1-(-)1. Forsan – Cayden Morgan 3-26, Josh Cervantes 2-77, Mendez 1-2.