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Richland Springs High School varsity football junior wide receiver Jadeyn Bryant (12) makes some nifty moves in the open field. -
Richland Springs High School varsity football senior quarterback Landon Burkhart (22) scrambles out of the pocket tries to gain extra yardage. -
Richland Springs Defensive Front -
Richland Springs High School varsity football junior wide receiver Zane Capps (8) runs during the first quarter on Tuesday, January 5, on his way to a 45-yard touchdown reception. -
Richland Springs High School varsity football head coach Jerry Burkhart and his players congratulate Balmorhea High School in the handshake line. -
Richland Springs Offense
During a 2020 season that was full of surprises and setbacks, the Richland Springs High School varsity football team’s goal under head coach Jerry Burkhart for a record 10 state titles came up just short as defending champion Coyotes were knocked off 74-38 by the top-seeded Balmorhea High School Bears on Tuesday, January 5, in the 6-Man Division II State Championship Game held at San Angelo ISD Stadium.
Balmorhea, which had come up short in the state title game twice in 2016 and 2017, achieved the school’s first state championship under Bears’ head coach Vance Jones.
The Coyotes, who entered the night with an astounding 219-10 career record under Burkhart, were simply outplayed by a very hungry Bears team that was led by 12 senior players.
Although Richland Springs (12-1) forced a turnover on Balmorhea’s very first offensive play of the game, it was quite a rough outing on defense for the Coyotes the rest of the way as they did have an answer towards stopping the likes of Balmorhea standout players in Bears’ running back Tomas Contreras, quarterback Andrew Laramore, and center Alex Abraham.
Unfortunately for the Coyotes, who did manage to put up a decent amount of yards and put up a valiant effort into the second quarter, it was Balmorhea who continued to keep its foot pressed firmly on the gas pedal throughout the night.
Down 8-0 midway through the first quarter, the Coyotes then tied things up at 8-8 when quarterback Landon Burkhart connected with a wide-open Zane Capps for a 45-yard touchdown pass.
The teams would trade blows into the second quarter as Richland Springs knotted things up again at 16-16 on a 20-yard pass from Burkhart to Nick Nilson.
However, that would be as close as the Coyotes would get the rest of the way as the Bears’ offense simply could not be stopped during a second quarter that turned disastrous. Heading into halftime, the Coyotes faced a big 44-16 deficit as they were unable to overcome a critical 28-0 scoring run by the Bears to end the second quarter.
Contreras, who has been a stellar running back all season for the Bears, rushed for a whopping 307 yards on just 21 carries for four touchdowns.
Laramore, who only needed to throw nine passes all night, completed five of those for touchdowns. Four of them went to Abraham, who finished with 145 yards receiving and four touchdown receptions.
In the losing effort, Burkhart played a great game in his final game with the Coyotes and passed for a game-high 328 yards on 22-of-30 attempts for four touchdowns through the air and also rushed for a touchdown early in the third quarter to cut the deficit back to just 44-22.
Scoring on touchdown receptions throughout the night was Capps in the first quarter, Nilson in the second and third quarters, and Jadeyn Bryant on a 36-yard catch-and-run in the fourth quarter.
Very humble in defeat, the Coyotes played one heck of a 2020 season, and the future still looks extremely bright for one of Texas’ most storied varsity football programs in Richland Springs.