San Augustine Clinches District Championship

SAN AUGUSTINE -- Plenty of Wolves howled under the full moon Friday night in San Augustine.

Players showered coach Marty Murr with water after the game and unleashed elated cries. The Wolves had reason to celebrate, for they clinched the district championship with a 33-20 victory against Joaquin.

"It feels really good to finally be district champions," running back KJ Davis said. "That's what we've been wanting. Like coach Murr always says, 'It's hard to play against us, but it's harder to play for us.' So it's special to us."

Davis, a senior, shined in his last game at Wolf Stadium. He found a hole to break free for an 80-yard touchdown on his first carry, setting the tone for a phenomenal night. It seemed each time San Augustine (9-0, 4-0 District 11-2A Division I) needed a score, it simply went to its running back.

Davis finished with 196 yards and four touchdowns.

"Coach told us before the game that offense was going to set momentum," Davis said. "Running behind (the offensive line), they opened it up. It was just clear as day. There was nothing else I could do."

San Augustine went into halftime with a 21-0 lead built off solid defense. The Rams had chances to score. They drove to the 9 on their first drive, but after a fumble pushed them back a few yards, they attempted a field goal.

They missed.

That would become a theme for the game. The Rams (7-2, 3-1) strung together several good drives, only to be thwarted by the Wolves when they were got close to the goal line.

"Our philosophy is bend but don't break," Murr said. "I thought our kids did a great job. Our D-line had a huge task this week because they come off the ball well and they're good on the O-line. I haven't watched film yet, but I think we did a pretty good job."

The Rams came into the second half in desperate need of points. Their offense engineered just the drive they needed, chewing up almost five minutes of time with tough running. Tre Burns scored from five yards out to end the scoring drought and put Joaquin back in the game.

All it needed was a defensive stop.

As if on cue, the Rams forced a fumble on San Augustine's first drive of the half. Things appeared to be trending upward. However, as soon as Joaquin got the momentum, it felt it slip from its grasp.

The Rams fumbled a few plays later, ceding possession to the Wolves again. San Augustine ran some time off the clock, and Davis scored his third touchdown of the game to put the Wolves up 20 with little time left in the third quarter.

Joaquin gave its best effort, but with time working against it, couldn't rally from such a large deficit.

Behind Davis, San Augustine finished with just more than 200 yards rushing. It also got 122 yards through the air from quarterback Gavin Murr. QuenTyvian Borders was the leading receiver for the Wolves, hauling in five catches for 55 yards.

Joaquin finished with 299 yards rushing despite losing its leading rusher, Kase Yates, to injury for the entirety of the second half. It is unclear whether Yates will be healthy enough to return in time for the playoffs.

Joaquin will get a chance to rebound before the playoffs, as it has a match with Cushing at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Meanwhile, San Augustine plays Carlisle, the team that beat the Wolves in the playoffs last season, in its final game of the regular season. San Augustine will be looking for a 10-0 season, something Davis said would be invaluable.

As of now, he is just enjoying the moment.

"(My time here) has been good," he said. "A lot of records broken. No better way to go out, really."

San Augustine 33, Joaquin 20

At Wolf Stadium, San Augustine

Joaquin 0 0 7 13 -- 20
San Augustine 7 14 6 6 -- 33

First Quarter
SA--KJ Davis 80 run (Gavin Murr kick), 0:55.
Second Quarter
SA--Murr 3 run (XP no good), 4:56.
SA--Davis 24 run (2-point conversion Murr pass to Ced Thomas), 1:52.
Third Quarter
JOA--Tre Burns 5 run (Jesus Bravo kick), 7:10.
SA--Davis 8 run (XP no good), 2:26.
Fourth Quarter
JOA--Burns 3 run (Bravo kick), 10:08.
SA--Davis 11 run (2-point conversion failed), 6:11.
JOA--Hunter Gates 1 run (2-point conversion failed), 3:00.

JOA SA
First Downs 18 12
Total Yards 301 324
Rushes-Yards 57-299 30-202
Passing Yards 2 122
Comp.-Att.-Int. 1-6-0 11-17-0
Punts-Avg. 2-31.0 1-33.0
Fumbles-Lost 2-1 3-1
Penalties-Yards 7-76 7-45

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Joaquin, Tray Wilkerson 15-105, Hunter Gates 15-66, Lorenzo Lane 13-68, Tre Burns 5-27, Kase Yates 4-20, Joseph Tarver 3-16, Jesus Farias 1-0, Team 1-(-3). San Augustine, KJ Davis 20-196, Gavin Murr 7-12, Quay Johnson 1-6, Team 2-(-12).
PASSING--Joaquin, Wilkerson 1-6-0--2. San Augustine, Murr 11-17-0--122.
RECEIVING--Joaquin, Kase Yates 1-2. San Augustine, QuenTyvian Borders 5-55, Kris Wade 4-33, Ced Thomas 2-34.