Cleburne fought the good fight in their overtime game against Waco on Friday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell to the Waco Lions 27-21. The Yellowjackets gained 117 more yards on the day, but it was the Lions that made the best use of them.
When it comes to explaining why Cleburne lost, don't look at Hayden Leifeste. Despite the final result, he rushed for 157 yards and a touchdown, and also picked up 30 receiving yards. Leifeste is crushing it when it comes to rushing yards: he's rushed for at least 103 every time he's taken the field this season. Cleburne also got help from Jayden Navarrete, who showed off his sure hands for 84 receiving yards.
Even though they lost, Cleburne was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 225 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in September of 2023.
Cleburne's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Kaj Anderson and Malachi Cunningham.
Mason Smith was a one-man wrecking crew for Waco as he rushed for 136 yards and two touchdowns. The dominant performance gave Smith a new career-high in rushing yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Bryant Whitaker, who picked up 127 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Cleburne is on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 0-3. As for Waco, they now have a winning record of 2-1.
Cleburne will square off against Port Arthur Memorial at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. As for Waco, they will challenge Navasota at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Waco is no doubt hoping to put an end to a six-game streak of away losses dating back to last season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
