San Antonio – A 34-yard field goal in overtime was the deciding score as the Judson Rockets beat the Johnson Jaguars 46-43 in Game 2 of the KSAT Pigskin Classic on Saturday afternoon.

A game-winning kick by senior placekicker Adrian Cortez put the final exclamation mark on a high-scoring affair that saw the Jaguars come back from a 27-7 halftime deficit.

Junior running back Nathaniel Stanley was a big hit for the Rockets, rushing for 218 yards and two touchdowns. He was named the John Wayne Player of the game.

A muff punt by Judson with 43 seconds remaining gave the Jaguars enough time to complete their comeback.

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In overtime, two chipped passes by the Judson defense stopped Johnson’s final possession and a missed field goal, thus leaving the door open to the Rockets’ final kick.

“The kids played hard on both sides of the ball,” said Judson head football coach Mark Soto. “We went crazy. That’s what we love.”

Judson’s offense had 323 yards and four touchdowns, but Hawkins and the Jaguars didn’t back down.

The dynamic sophomore quarterback completed 22 of 38 passes for the Jaguars and had four passing touchdowns. He also excelled on the ground, rushing for distances over 150 yards.

Judson’s Stanley gave the Rockets an early two-touchdown lead and burst with 54-yard touchdowns in the second and tenth.

A kick return turned the momentum and turned the field over for Johnson, but a costly penalty wiped the touchdown pass off the board. But that didn’t deter the Jaguars offense, who scored their first TD of the season on a 33-yard touchdown pass from Hawkins to senior wide receiver Alejandro Tavarez for a 5-play, 61-yard drive.

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In the second quarter, Judson completed a 63-yard touchdown pass from senior Jaden Castillo to Jonathan Johnson to take a commanding 20–7 lead.

Defensive back Miles Davis’ interception of Hawkins’ errant throw gave the Rockets another scoring chance just before halftime. Stanley’s long run put Judson inside his 10-yard line and Castillo finished the drive with his 8-yard touchdown run to make it 27-7.

But that’s when things got interesting in the second half and Johnson made an ill-fated comeback. and cut the lead to 27-14.

Judson’s offense failed to convert on the next possession, and a penalty pushed the Jaguars’ offense back at first, but Hawkins led the team again, running back Lauren Johnson on a touchdown pass to further reduce the lead. – twenty one.

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Judson then gave the fight back to Johnson as Stanley broke through another long run to the 3-yard line. After three unsuccessful attempts to enter the end zone, Judson settled for a field goal to gain a nine-point advantage.

Hawkins then led the Jaguars with an eight-play, 90-yard drive in under three minutes that ended with a 47-yard touchdown catch by Tavares to cut the lead to 30–28.

Two pass plays and another big run by Stanley put Judson back in scoring distance with 9:26 remaining. Stanley picked up a carry again and found the end his zone, pushing the lead to 37-28.

Hawkins showed composure over the years, leading the Jaguars on the field and into scoring position. With the first goal, Hawkins again completed a touchdown pass to Lauren Johnson, cutting the deficit to 37–35 with 5:30 to play.

However, like a hard-fought game, Judson responded with a long gain of his own when a pass from Castillo to Jonathan Johnson was completed, and Castillo ended the drive with a touchdown run.

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Costly interceptions in the first and 10 gave the Rockets the ball and set up Judson’s ill-fated punt attempt. Johnson then tied the game, sending it into overtime, where Judson ended the game with a field goal.

Background

Both head coaches Mark Soto and TP Miller worked together at Johnson High School for the last two years when Soto was head coach and Miller was defensive coordinator. They helped lead the Jaguars to his 10-0 undefeated regular season, but in the first round of the playoffs he lost to New York Braunfels in a 51-45 shootout. .

Soto decided to return to his alma mater, Judson, to become the new head coach, and Miller was promoted from defensive coordinator to Johnson’s head coach. Soto’s job is to get the Rockets back into the playoffs. A rarity last season he was sidelined with a 4-6 finish. For Miller, it’s about continuing to build on what he brought to Johnson.

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said Miller, distracting from his first meeting with Mark on the other side of the field. “Obviously, when you go out on the field, you’re always competing. It’s going to be a friendly competition, but it’s about the community and the student-athletes.”

next:

Judson: Home vs. Austin Westlake, Sept. 2, 7pm

Johnson: Away vs. O’Connor, Sept. 2 at 7pm

The KSAT Pigskin Classic will be held for the first time in Alamo City and will kick off the 2022 high school soccer season. The event showcases his six local high school soccer teams over his three games in his one-day event at the Alamodome.

Steele vs. Brennan concludes the tripleheader on August 27th. Click here for more information.

Download the Big Game Coverage mobile app or visit the Big Game Coverage section for high school sports coverage, including live streams of games from KSAT 12.