Woodforest Bank Stadium in Shenandoah, Texas on Thursday, December 12, 2024 –
The Joaquin Rams varsity football team fell to the Ganado Indians by a 35-14 point score in the school’s first ever UIL Texas State Semifinal on Thursday. Reaching the fifth round of the playoffs was quite improbable as the Rams entered their district play with a 3-2 win-loss record. The team then went 3-2 in District 22 2A-1 play which saw them enter the playoffs as the fourth-place conference representative trailing Shelbyville, Garrison and Timpson. The Rams season ends at 10 wins and 5 losses.
Ganado and Joaquin each started the game with drives which stalled causing them each to punt the football back to one another. Joaquin then began to move offensively on their second drive but disaster struck when a fumble was recovered by the Indians Cain Hayden who raced 59 yards for Ganado’s first score. Joe Rodriguez added an extra point kick and GHS took a 7-0 lead with 5:09 minutes left in the first quarter.
Joaquin’s next drive stalled and they punted the football back to Ganado who scored with just 48 seconds left in the opening frame when Bruce Ullman hit DJ Cortright for a 9-yard touchdown reception. Another Rodriguez extra point saw the game head to the second period with Ganado holding a 14-0 advantage.
Joaquin got on the scoreboard when Elijah Hardison took a first-down carry 79 yards for a touchdown run at the 6:12 mark. Dallon Jordan found the endzone on a 2-point conversion run and the Rams cut the Indian’s lead to 14-8. Ullman hit Hayden for a 13-yard Indians touchdown reception at the 5:06 minute mark to help Ganado take a 21-8 lead. This was the score at the halftime break.
Ullman hit Hayden for a 9-yard touchdown reception at the 10:48 minute mark of the third quarter and another Rodriguez extra point kick saw GHS take a 28-8 lead. Logan Bures scored on a 6-yard touchdown run with 4:42 minutes left in the game to extend the Indians lead to 35-8.
Rams quarterback Justyn Brown hit Max Garvin who scored the game’s final touchdown from six yards away with just 13 seconds remaining in the final quarter. The 35-14 point win sends Ganado (14-1) to the Texas Class 2A-1 State Football Finals next week at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas where they will face (15-0) Stamford at 11 a.m. on Thursday, December 19, 2024.
