For the second consecutive year, the Thorndale Bulldogs found themselves at D.W. Rutledge Stadium in Converse in the area round of the UIL 2A DI state football playoffs outmatched by the Refugio Bobcats.
Similar to last season’s 47-13 loss, the Bulldogs fell 49-14 and were overpowered by the Bobcat’s offensive versatility with 303 rushing yards and 185 passing yards.
“I actually think they were a little better last year. We played them in the second round last season. We keep getting the short end of the stick here. But our region is tough as heck,” Said Scott Hawkins, Thorndale High School head football coach and athletic director.
Before Friday night’s game, the Bobcats went through their last six games outscoring their opponents 412-7 after a 2017 run that ended in a 34-21 loss to Mart in the class 2A DI state championship game.
“They have tons of freaking talent,” Hawkins said. “I don’t know how they have so much talent, it’s unreal.
“Refugio’s number seven. If we beat them, we get to play Shiner, the second ranked team. If we beat Shiner, then we’d have to play Mason, the number one team… and that’s before getting out of regionals. One, two, and seven are in our region, and that’s crazy.”
The Bobcats held possession for the first three minutes of the game before D.J. Campbell caught a pass from Jared Kelley for a 13-yard touchdown. Jordy Martinez made the point-after-touchdown (PAT) to put Refugio ahead 7-0.
The state runner up squad held the Bulldog backfield to 10 yards in the first quarter. Up to Friday’s contest, Thorndale averaged more than 86 rushing yards per quarter.
Refugio had two more series in the opening quarter, and scored both times. First, on a five-yard run by running back Naaji Gadsden, and then Kelley also scored on a five-yard run in the final seconds of the first. Martinez made both PAT’s to put the ‘Cats up 21-0.
Thorndale built some momentum early in the second quarter when Michael Herzog intercepted a Kelley pass. Four plays later, the Bulldogs turned the ball over on downs giving Refugio the pigskin on the 50-yard line. Izac Canchola made a 23-yard run on the following play to put Refugio on the 27, and five plays later, Kelley threw his second touchdown pass of the game. Jake Tinsman caught the 15-yard pass, and Martinez made the PAT to make the score 28-0 with a little more than four minutes left in the half.
Three plays after the kickoff, Bulldog quarterback Cayden Nicholson found Herzog open for a 72-yard pass, scoring his fourth receiving touchdown of the season. Afterwards, he made the PAT to make the score 28-7 before going into halftime.
The Bulldogs started with the ball in the second half, but were forced to punt three plays later. Refugio started with the ball on the eight-yard line but a 17-yard run by Ysidro Mascorro was followed by a 75-yard touchdown run by Campbell. After Thorn-dale turned the ball over on downs, Refugio got the ball on the Thorndale 26-yard line. Freshmen quarterback Jordan Kelley scored on the next play. Martinez made the PAT after both trips to the end zone, and the Bobcats went into the fourth quarter up 42-7.
In the final quarter, Gadsden scored his second touchdown of the game on a two-yard run. Martinez made the PAT, and Refugio went up 49-7 with more than eight minutes to play.
The Bulldogs scored once more with twenty seconds left when Stryker Leschber made his first touchdown of the season on a three-yard run through the defensive line past the goal line. Herzog made his second PAT of the game to make the final score 49-14.
“They have established something, and the kids just buy into it. They refuse to lose.” Hawkins said after the game. “Supposedly, they have less kids in their high school, and they had seventy kids on the roster Coach Herring sent me, and we’re pushing forty-one out there. “You have to give it to them. I don’t know how they do it, if there’s a secret they have, I’d love to find it out.”
The Bobcats will play the Shiner Commanches on Friday 7:30p.m. at Dub Farris Stadium in San Antonio.
Seniors
The Bulldog offense rushed for 127 yards led by Scott Guzman’s 45. Luke Leschber was carried off to the sidelines midway through the second quarter, and ended the game with three carries for zero yards. Leschber ends his tenure with the ‘Dawgs with 3,932 rushing yards.
“This group of seniors were freshmen when I got to Thorndale,” Hawkins, who has been there since 2015, said. “A lot of those guys could’ve helped us right away, but they all played together and became a family. I can’t say enough about this group, they’re pretty special.”
Future
Losing eight seniors, Coach Hawkins is optimistic about his ball club’s future.
“We had two seniors on the offensive line, so we’ll get a lot of kids back, and Leschber, and Guzman were the only seniors in our back field.”
Running back Jagger Rubio will return to the Bulldogs next year. Behind Leschber, Rubio was the second leading rusher for Thorndale with 842 yards on 99 carries. The Bulldogs will also see the return of sophomores Michael Herzog and Mason Lindig who both rushed for more than 100 yards this season.
Other running backs such as Cain Brymer, Makai Mitchell, and Stryker Leschber will return to the team after seeing action this fall.
“We were fairly young this season,” Hawkins said. “But we had great leadership.”
Thorndale- S. Leschber 3 run (Herzog PAT) 0:20.
THS individual leaders
Rushing: THORNDALE- Guzman 9-45; Rubio 12-40; S. Leschber 9-38, 1TD; Nicholson 6-2; Mason Lindig 1-2; L. Leschber 3-0; REFUGIO- Campbell 12-111, 1TD; Jordan Kelley 3-91, 1TD; Ysidro Mascorro 6-61; Izac Canchola 2-36; Tinsman 1-10; Gadsden 6-5, 2TDs; Johnathan Havens 1-4; Michael Firova 1-1; Ethan Perez 1-0; Jared Kelley 8- (-16), 1TD.
Passing: Nicholson 3-6-0 88 yards, 1 TD; Herzog 0-1-0; REFUGIO- Jared Kelley 10-16-1 165 yards, 2 TD; Jordan Kelley 1-2-0 20 yards.
Receiving: THORNDALE- Herzog 3-88, 1 TD; REFUGIO- Tinsman 6-109, 1 TD; Firova 2-31; Jaden Hubbard 1-20; Campbell 1-13, 1 TD; Trevor Ross 1-12.
Rosebud-Lott 1-5 2-8 Marlin 0-6 0-10
Last week: Shiner 55, Hearne 20; Brazos 38, Holland 35.
THS end-of-season leaders
Rushing: Leschber 142-1148, 15TDs; Rubio 102-837, 10TDs; Guzman 93-753, 10TDs; Herzog 18-183, 2TDs; Nicholason 38-52, 2TDs; Lindig 33-126, 1TD; S. Leschber 14-84, 1TD; Cain Brymer 12-59; Wilson 2-7; Betak 4-(-1); Mitchell 1-(-2); Paxton 1-(-1). Passing: Nicholson 28-9-236, 4TDs; Guzman 1-1-0; Herzog 1-0-0.
Receiving: Herzog 9-221, 4TDs; Guzman 1-15.
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