CLASS 1A PLAYOFFS: State Quarterfinals

Defying the prognosticators, the Class 1A, DI defending state champion Blum Bobcats knock off 14th-ranked Saint Jo to continue march toward repeat

THE SPORTS BUZZ Gridiron Matchups presents the Class 1A Six-Man football State Quarterfinal matchups from across the Heart of Texas region.

In Class 1A, Division I postseason action, the defending state champion Blum Bobcats (8-3) continued their march toward a repeat with a 56-28 Region III Area playoff win over 14th-ranked Saint Jo (9-2) Friday night at Bridgeport.

Despite a five touchdown effort from senior Kadyn Johnson, the 16th-ranked Abbott Panthers (11-1) suffered their first loss of the season at the worst possible time to be eliminated from the playoffs with a 76-42 loss to the ninth-ranked and undefeated Union Hill Bulldogs (11-0) Friday night at Scurry Rosser.

Johnson ran for 305 yards, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Bulldogs pounding their way to 507 yards on the ground. Union Hill’s Christian Aguillon ran for four touchdowns while Zak Hatcher rushed for three scores as the Bulldogs wore down Abbott in the second half.

In the Region III State Quarterfinal, Blum will take on Union Hill at 6 p.m. Saturday at Mabank.

In Region IV, the fourth-ranked May Tigers (11-1) shot down the 12th-ranked Jonesboro Eagles (10-2) in convincing fashion, 62-16, in an Area Playoff matchup Friday in Dublin.

In Class 1A, DII playoff matchups, the 11th-ranked Strawn Greyhounds (10-2) eliminated Throckmorton, 44-24, in a Region III Area playoff game, looking to claim their second state title in the three seasons.

In Region IV, the sixth-ranked and undefeated Richland Springs Coyotes (10-0) held off the surprising Oglesby Tigers, 70-44, in an Area Playoff matchup Friday night at Hico’s historic Tiger Stadium.

After making the playoffs for the first time since 1983 under head coach Jeb Dixon, Oglesby (10-2) battled back in the second half despite falling behind early. But Richland Springs (10-0) came up with late turnovers to secure the victory as the Coyotes seek their 10th state championship since 2004.

THE SPORTS BUZZ provides award-winning coverage of the 2020 Texas high school football season every week, focusing on Class 3A, 2A and 1A schools in the 10-county Heart of Texas region — which includes Bosque, Comanche, Coryell, Erath, Hamilton, Hill, Hood, Johnson, McLennan and Somervell counties.

Within the Heart of Texas region, THE SPORTS BUZZ covers 21 Class 1A-Six-Man schools spread out across eight districts in two divisions. Be sure to check in with THE SPORTS BUZZ every Friday night for the complete scoreboard from games across the Heart of Texas region.

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