CLIFTON HOME COOKING

Class 3A, DII Cubs look to rebound from first loss, host Blooming Grove in final non-district game on Homecoming night

As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. And for the Class 3A, Division II Clifton Cubs, their three-game winning streak to open the 2025 Texas high school season definitively did just that last Friday night in Hamilton.

But as one thing ends, another begins. And with Homecoming Night this Friday at Cub Stadium, Clifton plans to give the hometown faithful and its alumni plenty to cheer about.

After winning their first three games of the season for the first time since 2018, the Cubs proved no match for Class 2A, DI’s preseason 13th-ranked Hamilton as the Bulldogs powered their way to an impressive 42-7 victory on Homecoming night Friday at Kooken Field.

“Hamilton is a really good football team,” Clifton football head coach Brent Finney said. “We knew they would be ready to play coming into homecoming off a loss on the road to Crawford last week. They played with more intensity and aggression than we did on both sides of the ball.”

Still aiming to produce their best start going into district competition in seven years, the Cubs (3-1) hope to flip the script by returning home to host the Blooming Grove Lions (0-4) at 7 p.m. Friday on Homecoming Night at Cub Stadium. The winless Lions will be coming off a 42-0 loss at Valley Mills.

After making the playoffs last season, Blooming Grove came into the season picked to finish third in District 8-3A, DII behind Cedar Hill TLC and Scurry-Rosser. Junior quarterback Billy Thomas has passed for 276 yards and three touchdowns, connecting with senior receiver Braeden Richards eight times for 127 yards and two scores, while senior Grayson Baumgartner leads the rushing attack with 253 yard and a touchdown.

“Blooming Grove has some good size returning on both sides of the line,” Finney said. “They also return their starting quarterback and running back from last year.

“Our challenge against Blooming Grove will be to worry about ourselves. Last game is over and district play is still two weeks away. We have to continue to improve each day and be better this Friday than we were last Friday.”

Certainly, Hamilton (3-1) looked like a team poised to return to the Class 2A, DI state semifinals this season as the Bulldogs built a commanding 28-7 lead before halftime.

The Cubs mounted their lone scoring drive late in the second quarter as senior running back Judd New cashed in from seven yards out for the touchdown to make it a two-score game with 2:46 remaining in the half. But the Bulldogs quickly responded, needing only 40 seconds to find the end zone again to rebuild the lead they would never relinquish.

With 235 yards of total offense, the Cubs showed the ability to move the ball at times, but only produced one sustained scoring drive. Junior quarterback Jackson Ritz led Clifton with 63 yards rushing while completing five of 13 passes for 65 more. In four games, Ritz leads the Cubs with 562 yards rushing and six touchdowns.

While the Bulldogs found some running room against the Cub defense, it was the Hamilton passing game that proved to be mostly unstoppable. Senior Jared Ramirez led the Cubs with nine tackles, followed by junior Eduardo Garcia with five and senior Zach Sedberry with four, while junior Alijah Calderon came up with a fumble recovery.

“We needed to play a tough game, and they certainly gave us one,” Finney said. “Now, we get to see how we will respond.”