Football Recap: Stephenville's Luck Takes a Turn for the Worse on Friday

Yellow Jackets/Honeybees

Previous 5 Games

12/06/24 vs West Plains	35-42
11/29/24 vs Randall	47-7
11/21/24 vs Hereford	35-7
11/15/24 vs Lake View	70-0
11/08/24 @ Burnet	51-7

Stephenville and West Plains squared off in some playoff action on Friday, but Stephenville had to settle for second. They took a 42-35 hit to the loss column at the hands of the West Plains Wolves. The Yellow Jackets/Honeybees' defeat signaled the end of their seven-game winning streak.

Despite the loss, Stephenville had strong showings from Sawyer Wilkerson, who rushed for 143 yards and three touchdowns, and Ryan Gafford, who rushed for 92 yards and one touchdown on only six carries. Wilkerson is on a roll when it comes to rushing touchdowns, as he's now punched in two or more in the last five games he's played.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: Stephenville was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 242 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in October.

It was another big night for REID MACON, who threw for 261 yards and three touchdowns while completing 81.8% of his passes, and also rushed for 47 yards and two touchdowns for West Plains. MACON is becoming a predictor of West Plains' success: when he posts at least two rushing touchdowns the team is undefeated (and 1-3 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was SLADE RUSSELL, who gained 124 total yards and two touchdowns.

Stephenville's defeat dropped their record down to 12-2. As for West Plains, the victory (which was their ninth in a row) raised their record to 11-3.

Stephenville does not have any more games scheduled as of now. West Plains has also already played their next game, a 43-36 loss against Celina on the 13th.