The Armadillo football team suffered their first loss of the season last Friday at the hands of the Hamilton Bulldogs 40-28. The Dillos (4-1, 0-1 in district) were down by two scores most of the game against the Bulldogs (3-2, 1-0 district) and came within a touchdown of winning the game with just a couple of minutes left in the fourth quarter but failed to complete the comeback in the district opener. The game could have tilted the Dillos way on several occasions. A touchdown called back on a “holding” penalty coupled with several other flags that kept drives alive for the Bulldogs proved to be too much for the team to overcome. After a four-week out-of-town stretch, the Dillos will be back at Rogan field to host the Coleman Bluecats who are ranked # 5 in the state; kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
Offensive Stats
QB Lance Taylor lead the way for the Dillos. Taylor was 17 of 25 passing (68%) for 245 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Taylor’s 2,683 career passing yards was good enough to pass Ryan Pannell (2009-2011) for the fifth most in school history and is within striking distance of being only the fifth quarterback to pass the 3,000-yard career mark (John Henry Jr., Kris Higginbotham, Jason Tilson and Sean O’Keefe). Once again Tyler Johnson was the big playmaker for the offense. Johnson had 11 receptions for 114 yards (10.3 avg) with three receiving touchdowns. Johnson is quickly moving up in the record books as well and needs only three receiving touchdowns to pass Logan Glover’s record of 10 set in 2018 and 2019.
Defensive Stats
Linebackers Zuri Herrera and Winton Lackey were the top defensive performers this week. Herrera collected 13 tackles (64 total) while Lackey had 12 tackles (42 total). Defensive end Dylan Ware had eight tackles (52 total) while Tyler Johnson had seven tackles with one forced fumble. Defensive tackle Jesus Gonzales chipped in five tackles and had a big fumble recovery that kept the Dillos in the game.
Game Summary 1st Quarter 5:41 – San Saba’s 70-yard opening drive ends with an eightyard pass from Lance Taylor to Tyler Johnson. PAT is good; 7-0 San Saba.
Continued on Page 13 - See Armadillos 3:24 – Hamilton answers back on their opening drive that ends on a 24-yard passing touchdown. PAT is good; 7-7.
End of the first quarter: San Saba 7 Hamilton 7
8:54 – Hamilton moves the ball to the 27-yard line; from there the bulldogs rush in for the score. PAT is good; 21-7 Hamilton.
7:54 – What started as a potential loss of yards ended up being an 80-yard score when Taylor hits Lane Miller down the middle for a passing touchdown. PAT is good; 21-14 Hamilton.
2:33 – Hamilton’s last score of the half comes way of an 80-yard rushing play. PAT is no good; 27-14 Hamilton.
Halftime: San Saba 14 Hamilton 27
5:10 – After a Jesus Gonzales fumble recovery, the Dillos march the ball down to the fiveyard line where Taylor connects with Johnson in the end zone for the score. PAT is good; 27-21 Hamilton.
1:43 – The Bulldogs grind out a 70-yard drive that ends with a three-yard rushing score. PAT is no good; 33-21 Hamilton.
End of the third quarter: San Saba 21 Hamilton 33
11:26 – The Dillos move the ball down to the three-yard line and score when Taylor crosses the goal line on a QB keep. PAT is good; 28-33 Hamilton.
8:18 – San Saba’s comeback attempt stalls out when the ball is intercepted and returned for a pick six. PAT is good; 28-40 Hamilton Final Score: San Saba 28 Hamilton 40