PRIDDY – Missing seven members of the roster due to injury, including three starters, the Zephyr Bulldogs first persevered to a fourth consecutive district championship, then on Thursday night claimed a second straight bi-district crown.
In a rematch of last year’s postseason opener, District 13-A Division II champion Zephyr again ended the season of the District 14 runner-up Evant Elks, 53-8, in Region IV bi-district playoff action.
“This group of kids is special all the way around,” said Zephyr head coach Derek Stevens. “Our team motto all year has been ‘together’ and we are together. In my 20 years of coaching, this group is the most together and unselfish. They play hard, they play for each other, they play for the community. There’s a lot of pride here and I’m super grateful to coach at Zephyr. We’ve had a lot of injuries as of late, and kids have stepped up and filled those shoes and it’s a testament to how they’re raised and the culture we have here in Zephyr. It’s a very special place.”
Though injuries have ravaged much of the Zephyr (10-1) roster, the Bulldogs still have a healthy Chayden Woodcock, who found the end zone six times against Evant (5-6). Woodcock rushed for 102 yards and five touchdowns on just nine carries – scoring from 36, 11, 7, 15, and 20 yards away – and also caught an 18-yard touchdown pass that enforced the 45-point mercy rule with 4:31 left in the third period.
“Chayden’s been a dog for us,” Stevens said. “We’re short-handed, but we’ve had freshmen step up and play. Reid Hamm did an excellent job on defense tonight. And our seniors, Troy Kubin was back after last week not playing, and Wyatt Frank’s a good blocker for us. Everyday our kids show a relentless effort and heart and it’s very special.”
As a team, Zephyr compiled 274 yards of total offense – 147 on the ground and 127 through the air. Ethan Prochaska competed 3 of 6 passes – all for touchdowns – totaling 96 yards. Along with Woodcock’s 18-yard grab, Kubin hauled in a 54-yard scoring toss and Hamm pulled down a 24-yard touchdown reception.
Jetson Gowin tacked on 55 yards on the ground and also completed a 31-yard pass to Bauer Blair, accounting for the rest of the Bulldogs’ offensive yardage.
Defensively, Zephyr surrendered just one touchdown, 87 total yards – 60 on the ground and 27 through the air – and recovered a pair of Evant fumbles as Hamm and Gowin pounced on a loose ball in each half.
“We’ve given up quite a few touchdowns the last couple of games against some good teams, but we were just trying to find our groove with all the injuries,” Stevens said. “Kids had been playing in positions they might not have played throughout the year, so there’s been a couple of busts that led to scores, but we really harped on being fundamental on defense this week and doing things the right way. Once you get in the playoffs it’s hard to shut anybody out, so giving up one touchdown is not too bad.”
Elijah Louvis scored the touchdown for Evant, and finished with a team-high 43 yards rushing, as he found the end zone from 9 yards out to trim to the deficit to 14-8 with 7:57 left in the first half.
Zephyr responded with the final 39 points in succession, including 27 in a row before halftime as the Bulldogs opened a 41-8 advantage at intermission.
Next up for the Bulldogs is a regional semifinals rematch from a year ago against No. 3 Richland Springs (10-1), which cruised past Calvert (4-6) by a 62-0 count Thursday night in Blum. Details on next week’s game were not finalized Thursday night.
“They’re very athletic, very fast and probably picked to beat us pretty bad,” Stevens said of Richland Springs. “Last year I felt like we didn’t show up. This year we’re going to show up and give them our best shot. We were very disappointed last year as a coaching staff with the way we showed up and played them. They might be the better team and they might win, but we’re going to have a better showing for sure this time.”
***
Other Thursday Local Playoff Scores
Richland Springs 62, Calvert 0
Muenster 77, Cross Plains 6
