The San Saba Armadillos lost a close game to the Jim Ned Indians 20-14 last Friday night in San Saba. The Indians kept the ball on the ground the second half keeping the Armadillo offense off the field. Jim Ned had 213 yards rushing in the game, 126 of them in the second half. San Saba had only 103 yards rushing but 172 yards through the air.

Jim Ned won the toss and elected to receive the kick. The Dillo defense immediately showed they were here to play, forcing a punt after 3 plays. The Dillos started driving down the field using a five receiver spread and only John Henry in the backfield. This opened up the Indian defense allowing Henry to get some running yards. The drive ended inside the Jim Ned 20 when Henry threw a short out pass and Joseph Mayfield intercepted, returning it 90 yards for a touchdown. Frankie Rohr kicked the PAT and the Indians led 7-0.

The Dillos next possession ended near midfield and Devin Moreno came on to punt. The punt rolled out of bounds at the Indian 7-yard line with only 0:07 showing on the 1st period clock. Mayfield got loose on the last play of the quarter for a 45-yard gain. The Indians kept the ball for another 6:50 before Mayfield scored on a 4-yard run capping the 14 play drive. The PAT by Rohr was missed and Jim Ned had a 13-0 lead.

The Armadillos next drive also ended in a Moreno punt. This time, the punt rolled dead at the Indian 18. The defense stopped Jim Ned on 3 plays and Jim Ned punted back to San Saba with only 1:08 left on the clock.

San Saba had the ball at the Indian 40 after the punt and used two plays to score. A 6-yard John Henry run was followed by a 34-yard pass from Henry to Derek Sears and the touchdown. Bobby Pairett, who was hobbled by an ankle sprain, came on to kick the PAT and the score was 13-7.

The Dillo defense was not done for the half. A Jordan Coffman pass with 11 seconds left was intercepted by Ryan Plumley. Derek Sears, who has 4 picks already, was standing next to Plumley and some thought Sears had actually intercepted the pass. The half ended with the Indians leading 13-7 and the Armadillos getting the ball to start the second half.

San Saba started the second half gaining some yards before Devin Moreno was called on to punt a third time. The punt rolled out of bounds at the Indian 17. Jim Ned moved the ball to the Dillo 45 before the defense forced a punt. The kick went into the end zone for a touchback and the Armadillos started at the 20.

On the first play of the final stanza, Moreno was on the field to punt again. This time, the ball rolled dead at the Jim Ned 33 after a 41-yard punt. Moreno had punted four times in the game and averaged 38.8 yards per kick.

The Indians were unable to move and punted back to San Saba. The Dillos were moving the ball down the field for the tying score when a controversial call occurred. Jordan Coffman appeared to hit Joseph Henry in the back before the pass got to Henry. Coffman was trying to go for the ball. No penalty was called and Coffman had intercepted the pass according to the officials.

The Indians capitalized on the turnover. Joseph Mayfield got his third score of the game on a 28-yard run ended the 7 play drive. Frankie Rohr was good on the PAT and Jim Ned had a 20-7 lead.

The Armadillos came right back with a 66-yard, 6 play drive of their own. A short pass from Henry to Justin Barker turned into a 47-yard gain. Henry capped the drive on a 1-yard plunge for the score. Pairett added the conversion and San Saba trailed 20-14 with only 1:53 left.

The Dillos tried an onside kick but the ball did not go the required 10 yards. The Indians were able to run out the clock after gaining a first down for the win.

John Henry rushed for 89 yards on 27 carries. Aaron Johnson had 3 rushes for 11 yards but had a nice 15-yard run called back on a penalty. Henry completed 13 of 23 passes for 172 yards. Justin Barker and Ryan Plumley had 4 catches each, Derek Sears added 3 receptions and the touchdown and Joseph Henry caught 2 in the game.

It was an all-around defensive effort. Plumley’s interception was the highlight but Joseph Henry, Barker, Robert Ramirez, Daniel Cisneroz, Anthony Salinas, Johnson, Robert Pulatie, Bryant Leon, Travis Hawkins, Dustin Morgan and Sears made big plays and key stops. Devin Moreno’s punting kept the Indians pinned deep in their territory throughout the game as three of his four punts ended inside the 20.

In other district action, Coleman routed Wall 38-0, Early hammered Grape Creek 48-0 and Ballinger got past Bangs 16-14. This week 3-0 Coleman hosts the Armadillos, 3-0 Early travels to 2-1 Wall, 2-1 Ballinger goes to 0-3 Grape Creek and 2-1 Jim Ned drives to 0-3 Bangs. Kickoff is set for 7:30 in Coleman.