Bears leave no doubt in sewing up 23-6A championship
District 23-6A football has been defined by onescore games and thrilling finishes this season, with the favorites for the championship and playoff spots changing by the week.
Hastings ignored that trend Friday night at Crump Stadium, routing Dawson 55-35 in a showdown for the district crown. One year removed from a 2-8 season, the Bears take a 6-2 record and the district’s top seed into the Class 6A Division I playoffs.
It is the first district championship since 2002 for Hastings (5-1 in 23-6A), which will face Dickinson in the bi-district playoffs. The teams meet at 7 p.m. Nov. 17 at Crump Stadium.
“It’s very exciting,” Hastings coach David Martel said. “It’s exciting for the coaches, for Hastings High School, exciting for the players. We put in the boot camp. We started talking about changing the culture and doing things right, playing hard and being tough. They bought in.
“The coaches kept pushing and pushing. A kid says ‘why are you forcing?’ We force because of this, because we just won a district championship.”
The Bears needed less than 10 minutes to open a three-score lead, starting with a 35-yard touchdown strike from Javon Williams to Jeremy Caston on their opening drive.
A turnover on downs by Dawson, which included a key tackle for loss by Jevon Leon, preceded a 24-yard field goal by Alexis Rodriguez. Austin Ogunmakin’s juggling 33-yard catch set up the 10-0 advantage.
Williams then found Caston again for 18 yards and a 17-0 lead.
“Nobody can hold me,” Caston said. “That’s how I feel. We made it happen. Javon put it right in the pocket.”
31 unanswered points
Leaning on the running of senior Darrius Smith, Dawson drove to the Hastings 27, only to have Adrian Stewart return an interception 85 yards for a 24-0 lead.
Ogunmakin took a direct snap and sprinted off tackle for a 35-yard touchdown and a stunning 31-0 lead with 9:35 remaining in the half.
“We just had to start off fast and finish strong,” Ogunmakin said. “That was the key to the game. We just had to execute.”
Dawson (6-3, 4-2) finally got on the board two minutes later as Smith accounted for every yard from scrimmage on a 63yard drive, scoring from 4 yards out.
The Eagles added a quick touchdown to open the second half. Caleb Eaton sprinted 68 yards in two plays to pull Dawson within 34-14. Dawson then had Hastings facing fourth down in Eagles territory.
But Ogunmakin adjusted his body and snared the ball on the opposite side of him for a remarkable 29-yard TD and a 41-14 advantage. He struck again on fourth down to end the third quarter, racing 41 yards for a 48-14 lead.
Gerred Wiltz added a 55-yard fumble return for a touchdown for the Bears in the fourth quarter to help offset two touchdown passes from Patrick Kramer to Khalil Jones.
Dawson lost its second consecutive game against an Alief ISD opponent, including a 34-21 loss to Taylor. But the Eagles have a chance to regroup for a playoff run in 6A Division II, beginning with familiar foe Friendswood.
Next up: Dickinson
Hastings prepares for a 7-2 Dickinson team that won its last five games after consecutive close defeats to Friendswood and Clear Lake.
“I know they’ve got athletes,” Martel said. “We’re going to get film tonight. I hadn’t looked at a lot of that. I was more concentrating on winning the district championship and Dawson High School. Hats off to coach (Eric) Wells. They’ve got a great football team. Dickinson, coach (John) Snelson and his staff do a great job. It’s going to be a barnburner.”
Among Martel’s first words to his team following the game was a reminder that they are not finished. After a district championship, the Bears were looking for more.
“It’s just amazing,” Ogunmakin said. “It’s a whole new culture. We’re trying to go all the way to state. We’ve got six games to play.”