Red Oak out-duels Killeen Shoemaker, 38-35

The Red Oak Hawks came out of their bye week healthier than when they went in, and they needed all their key players to get a 38-35 win over the Killeen Shoemaker Gray Wolves.

The difference came early in the game when Jr. Kicker Josh Jimenez (40) drilled a field goal, giving Red Oak a 17-0 lead in the 2nd quarter.

Shoemaker finally got their offense rolling midway through the same quarter, scoring 14 points, and the teams went into halftime with the Hawks hanging onto that 3-point lead.

The 2nd half of the game was a duel.

Each time the Hawks scored, the Wolves would bounce right back and score, keeping the game within 3.

Red Oak had a golden chance to go up three scores, but the Hawks fumbled the ball going into the end zone and the Wolves recovered for a touchback.

As the game clock was winding down in the 4th quarter, Shoemaker had scored again to close within 3 points, and during the on-side kick attempt an alert Warren Roberson (1) picked up the bouncing ball and ran it back for a touchdown, putting the Hawks up by 10 once again.

After the kick-off, the Wolves used one play and about 8 seconds to score on a great pass and catch behind the Hawks defense.

Once again, the Wolves were within 3-points.

On Shoemaker’s second on-side kick attempt, the ball eventually rolled out-of-bounds on the visitors’ sideline. The Hawks took possession there, then ran the clock down to 12 seconds before punting the ball back to the Wolves.

The Wolves picked up a quick first down as the Hawks were playing for the deep ball, and on the final play of the game, Shoemaker tried the old hook and ladder play, tossing the ball across the field to several different players, but four Red Oak linebackers finally gang-tackled the ball carrier, ending the game.

The Hawks offense had a solid performance and far less penalties as in previous games. Although Red Oak’s defense gave up a couple quick late scores, they also forced Shoemaker to punt the ball late in the game, and they had two interceptions in the 2nd half.

Some of the things which won’t show up in the game stats are the 3 great punts by Sr. Chris Martinez (13), who also had a 22-yd. touchdown run, and some great runs by QB Jaylon Robinson (10) to keep drives alive.

The 38-35 win is big as far as district play goes. The current top 5 teams in the district are very evenly matched, and any win is huge as they reach midway through the season.

The Hawks (4-1; 2-1) are on the road this Friday as they travel to Waco and go up against the Waco Lions.

Waco is 1-4 and 0-4 in district, losing to the Ellison Eagles last week. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Waco Lions Stadium.

Red Oak returns home on Friday, Oct. 14 when they host the Cleburne Yellowjackets.

This is also the Hawk’s Homecoming, so be sure to get there early and see the celebration.