Azle and Saginaw squared off in some playoff action on Friday, but Azle had to settle for second. They fell just short of the Saginaw Rough Riders by a score of 41-39. The Hornets' loss continues a trend for the team, making it three in a row.
Despite the loss, Azle still got an impressive performance from Hagen Hughes, who rushed for 194 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 7.5 yards per carry. Hughes' rushing production has been exceptional as that marked his eighth straight game with at least 109 rushing yards.
Even though they lost, Azle was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 240 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 166 rushing yards in eight consecutive matches.
Azle didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Hayden Cassady and Cash Hunter. Another thorn in Saginaw's side was Ethan Alcala, who picked up a sack and made seven total tackles (5.0 for loss).
Roman Morales was his usual excellent self, throwing for 478 yards and five touchdowns while picking up 12.6 yards per attempt, and also rushing for 150 yards and a touchdown for Saginaw. The dominant performance gave Morales a new career-high in rushing yards. Aidan Collier was Morales' top target, picking up 169 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Azle's defeat dropped their record down to 7-4. As for Saginaw, the victory for them keeps them at an undefeated 11-0.
Azle does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Saginaw, they will square off against Tascosa at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Saginaw is looking to tack on another W to their five-game streak on the road.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
