COMANCHE – The Class A Division II No. 2 Richland Springs Coyotes’ push toward a potential 10th six-man state championship kicked into high gear Friday night with a 64-6 victory over the No. 10 Zephyr Bulldogs in the Region IV semifinals.
Richland Springs (12-0), which reached the second round of the playoffs due to a bye after Calvert forfeited in the bi-district round – scored 47 points more than the Zephyr (10-2) defense was allowing per game on average this season. The Coyotes also generated 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, also recorded a 50-yard completion to Hutton Rogers, who scored on a 22-yard rush in the contest.
Zephyr managed just one touchdown – by Chayden Woodcock after Richland Springs had opened a 56-0 advantage – against a Coyote defense that had surrendered 54 points the entire season coming into Friday night. Team stats for Zephyr, which was averaging 49 points and 331 yards per game through the first 11, were not available.
The Bulldogs finished the season with a 10-win campaign, their third consecutive district championship and their first playoff victory since 2017.
For Richland Springs, next up is No. 3 Oglesby (10-2) – a 116-76 winner over Cherokee – in the Region IV championship game. The Tigers ended Richland Springs’ season last year in the state semifinals, 62-48, in Dublin.
