Goal line stand on final play ends Rangers’ season
PFLUGERVILLE — Normally calm and collected, Smithson Valley coach Larry Hill was a mess of emotions following his Rangers’ 26-21 loss against College Station in a Class 5A Division I state quarterfinal on Saturday.
The Rangers had just let a golden opportunity slip away, and Hill couldn’t contain his disappointment.
“We just had a great chance to win a football game, and we didn’t,” Hill said. “That’s it.”
College Station senior linebacker Harrison Robinson stopped Smithson Valley running back David De Hoyos at the 1-yard-line on the final play of the game at The Pfield to send the Cougars to the state semifinals for the second year in a row.
It was a heartbreaking end to Smithson Valley’s season, which ended at 12-2.
The Rangers were gifted a chance to win the game in the final minute when College Station botched a snap on a punt. The punter corralled the ball on one knee at the Cougars’ 4yard-line with 44 seconds left in the fourth quarter creating a chance for a winning score for Smithson Valley.
Following six plays, the Rangers eventually ended up College Station’s 1-yard line with two seconds left. Smithson Valley went for the victory with a run around the right side. De Hoyos appeared to have a path to the end zone, but Robinson raced toward De Hoyos and brought him down just short of the goal line.
The stop dashed the Rangers’ hopes to their first state semifinal berth since 2008, when they were 13-2.
College Station (12-2) meets Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial (12-2) in a state semifinal at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Alamodome. Veterans Memorial defeated Pharr-san Juannorth,
20-14, on Saturday.
After the game, Hill wasn’t quite ready to put the 2022 season into greater perspective.
“I couldn’t be any more proud of the team that I have, but that doesn’t have anything to do with losing today, and it doesn’t have anything to do with winning the previous 12 games,” Hill said “You earn that. The scoreboard doesn’t change one way or the other.”
The Rangers struggled with consistency on offense with senior starting quarterback Chase Senelick out after getting injured the week before. His replacement, junior Ryland Walker, passed for 119 yards and had one interception.
Still, Smithson Valley led 14-10 with first-half touchdown runs from Brayden Bafidis (5 yards) and Doug Lantz (3 yards).
The lead and the momentum vanished in less than one minute in the second quarter.
College Station took a 1714 lead when Jackson Verdugo snagged a 74-yard touchdown pass from Arrington Maiden with 1:09 in the second.
The Cougars forced a three-and-out and took over at their 48-yard-line with 37 seconds left before intermission.
Maiden passed to sophomore Aydan Martinezbrown for 37 yards to the Rangers’ 5-yard-line. Maiden passed to Xavier Pena in the end zone on the next play to put the Cougars up 23-14 with :07 in the second.
The Cougars took a 2614 lead early in the third quarter on Connor Young’s 30-yard field goal that was set up by Jaydon Bellows’ interception. Young also had a 25-yarder in the first quarter as part of a 10-0 start for College Station.
Smithson Valley made it 26-21 on De Hoyos’ 6-yard TD run with 5:34 in the fourth.
“First half, we gave up too many explosives and we didn’t create enough,” Hill said. “That’s why we were down. You can’t make mistakes against a good ballclub. Coaching mistakes.”