Henderson Lions Stadium on Friday, November 29, 2024 –
Many football experts say it is hard to beat a good football team twice but that is exactly what the Joaquin Rams did on Friday when they defeated the Shelbyville Dragons by a 54-30 score. The game was a Texas UIL Region III Semifinal round game and the win sends the Rams to the Region III Finals which is in affect the State Quarterfinals. The Rams will next face Honey Grove who defeated Waskom by a 54-29 score.
Joaquin gained the first lead when they went 70 yards in 11 plays during their first possession. Senior Rams runningback Tate Bass capped the drive with a 4-yard touchdown run with 6:08 minutes left in the first period. Teammate Elijah Hardison added a 2-point conversion run and JHS led 8-0.
Shelbyville went 65 yards and senior quarterback DJ Barnes capped the drive with an 8-yard QB keeper run for the Dragons first score. Shelbyville’s conversion attempt failed and they trailed Joaquin 8-6 with 1:23 left in the first quarter.
Senior Rams quarterback Justyn Brown hit senior back Tate Bass for a 32-yard touchdown reception with 9:42 left in the second period. Senior fullback TJ Hawkins crashed into the endzone for the 2-point conversion run and JHS led 16-6.
Senior Ram Dallon Jordan scored on a 19-yard touchdown run with 3:39 left in the second stanza and Hawkins added another conversion run which gave Joaquin a 24-6 point advantage.
Barnes scored for Shelbyville on a 9-yard run with 1:07 left before halftime and then he hit senior Jon Jon Mathis for a conversion completion which cut Joaquin’s lead to 24-14.
The third quarter saw Hardison add a pair of Rams touchdown runs to his resume and Joaquin led 38-14 going into the final period.
In the final period, Barnes found senior receiver Geechie Mathis for a 13-yard touchdown reception and then Barnes hit senior Tanner Doggett for a 2-point conversion strike which cut the JHS lead to 38-22.
Jordan scored on a 10-yard touchdown run with 9:49 left to play and sophomore Cooper Bragg converted a 2-point run to give Joaquin a 46-22 advantage.
Barnes hit Doggett for an 11-yard touchdown completion at the 5:49 mark and then he hit Hunter Harvey for a 2-pont completion which saw the Dragons cut the Ram’s lead to 16 points at 46-30.
Hawkins scored on a 3-yard Rams touchdown run with 4:17 left in the contest and Bass added a conversion run to give JHS a 54-30 lead and this score held up until game’s end.
Joaquin advances and they hold a 9-4 overall record. They finished the season as the fourth seed of District 11 2A-1. Shelbyville finishes at 10-3 overall and they were the first place seed of District 11 2A-1.
