Early start, takeaways push Hawley Bearcats to 30-7 win over Jim Ned

HAWLEY — The 2021 season was Hawley’s best in program history, and the Bearcats opened 2022 with a statement.

This season could be even better.

Hawley, No. 5 in Class 2A Division I, handily defeated Jim Ned, the No. 5 in Class 3A Division I, 30-7 in its season opener. The Bearcats outgained Jim Ned 304-153 in total yards en route to their all-around dominant performance.

“We feel good about how we executed tonight, but we still have a lot of things we need to work on,” Hawley head coach Mitch Ables said.

Hawley forced a turnover on downs on Jim Ned’s first possession, and that sparked the Bearcats’ offense. A 30-yard pass from quarterback Rodey Hooper to receiver Diontay Ramon set up Hawley at the 4-yard line before running back Austin Cumpton ran it in for a touchdown.

It was Cumpton's first game since being sidelined in the playoffs last fall in a win over Coleman.

The Bearcats’ defense then forced back-to-back turnovers. Kason O’Shields nailed a 31-yard field goal after Hawley recovered a fumble, and Hooper found Chandlin Myers for 27 yards after a Will Scott interception.

Hawley went to halftime leading 17-0, thanks to all-around physicality and the offense capitalizing on the defense's takeaways.

“We’re kind of banking on getting in the backfield and causing problems back there,” Ables said. “We want to make the running backs but in the backfield if they can, and I feel like we did a good job of that tonight.”

Cumpton scored again to start the second half, making it 24-0 and putting the game out of reach. Jim Ned finally scored on a Gray Beasley run in the fourth quarter, but Hawley answered with a Hooper passing touchdown to O’Shields.

Every time Jim Ned made an inch of progress, Hawley seemed to have the answer.

Jim Ned was short-staffed, missing nine players, including running back/linebacker Sergio Hernandez. Still, head coach Matt Fanning hoped for a better overall outing from his group.

“We have a long way to go to get there,” Fanning said. “We have to get better. Even missing the guys that we’re missing, the guys out there have to perform better.”

Though Hawley scored 30 points and surpassed 300 total yards of offense, Fanning did applaud his defense’s overall performance. Hawley has one of the best offenses in Class 2A, loaded with experienced players at quarterback, running back and wide receiver.

It was deep balls and short fields that proved costly for Jim Ned and put the defense in tough situations.

“We did some good things defensively for sure,” Fanning said. “We lost some one-on-one matchups early on, we knew that was going to happen, but I liked how our kids responded.”

Hooper completed 11 of 15 attempts for 166 yards and two touchdowns. Ramon was his top target, catching three passes for 72 yards, while Myers and O’Shields each caught touchdown passes.

Cumpton finished the game with 99 yards and two touchdowns on 23 touches. For the senior running back, who missed the final three games of Hawley’s 2021 playoff run due to a back injury, his first game back was memorable.

“It’s great,” Cumpton said. “I’m coming back better than ever this year.”

For Jim Ned, Grant Glidewell went 8-of-10 with 76 yards and an interception. Beasley and Brayden Shipman each had 41 rushing yards.

As Jim Ned regroups from the loss, Fanning hopes it humbles his team.

“There is a lot of lingering from the past where we think we’re going to walk out there, do our thing and be Jim Ned,” Fanning said. “We have to earn that, and hopefully we learn that from playing someone like this.”

And although Ables was pleased overall, the coach criticized his team’s discipline. The Bearcats committed 12 penalties for 100 yards, compared to Jim Ned’s three.

With three brutal games remaining on the non-conference schedule — against Lubbock Roosevelt, Albany and Eastland — Ables hopes to patch this up immediately.

“It seemed like once we’d get going, we’d shoot ourselves in the foot,” Ables said. “Hopefully the film sessions on Saturday can help with that.”

Hawley is fresh off a landmark 2021 campaign. The Bearcats finished 15-1 overall and reached the Class 2A Division I state title game.

Friday’s opener was a good start, but Ables knows the Bearcats will need to continue improving every game in order to return to Arlington.

“We’re hoping that this carries us on,” Ables said.

Breaking it down

∎ Turning point: Jim Ned got fairly deep in Hawley territory on its first drive before the Bearcats' defense forced a turnover on downs. Hawley drove down the field and scored, sparking the Bearcats' momentum and commencing the blowout.

∎ Player of the game: Rodey Hooper, quarterback, Hawley. Hooper showed poise in Game 1 of his senior season. The signal caller averaged more than 15 yards per pass and had a couple really nice deep balls. With improved accuracy and such a talented receiving corps around him, Hooper will likely continue to shine.

∎ Key stat: 2.1 yards per rush for Jim Ned. Jim Ned's blockers had trouble containing Hawley's front seven, which constantly reached the backfield. The absence of Sergio Hernandez certainly didn't help this low amount of team yards per carry, but it still shows how Hawley dominated the battle at the line.

∎ Coach Ables said: "We feel good about how we executed, but we still have a lot of things we need to work on. It seemed like once we’d get going, we’d shoot ourselves in the foot. Hopefully the film session on Saturday can help with that."

∎ Coach Fanning said: "There is a lot of lingering from the past where we think we’re going to walk out there, do our thing and be Jim Ned. We have to earn that, and hopefully we learn that from playing someone like this."

∎ Impact: Hawley starts the year by beating an opponent from a higher class. Jim Ned loses its first season opener since 2020, when the it won the Class 3A Division I state championship.

∎ Up next: Hawley is back home to face Lubbock Roosevelt. Jim Ned takes on Holliday for its first home game.

NONDISTRICT

Hawley 30, Jim Ned 7

FIRST QUARTER

HAWLEY − Austin Cumpton 1 run (Kason O'Shields kick), 5:48

SECOND QUARTER

HAWLEY − O'Shields 31 field goal, 7:48

HAWLEY − Myers 27 pass from Rodey Hooper (O'Shields kick), 3:51

THIRD QUARTER

HAWLEY − Cumpton 18 run (O'Shields kick)

FOURTH QUARTER

JIM NED − Gray Beasley 4 run (Breydon Walker kick), 7:47

HAWLEY − O'Shields 10 pass from Hooper (pass failed), 1:20

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING: Jim Ned, Gray Beasley 12-41, Brayden Shipman 10-41, Grant Glidewell 14(-5). Hawley, Austin Cumpton 23-99, Kason O'Shields 2-40, Rodey Hooper 8-1, Landon Sykora 2-(-2).

PASSING: Jim Ned, Grant Glidewell 8-10-1-76. Hawley, Rodey Hooper 11-15-0-166.

RECEIVING: Jim Ned, Cooper Mascorro 2-24, Tanner Hussman 1-22, Carter Wood 2-13, Troy Doran 2-12, Jake Rushing 1-5. Hawley, Diontay Ramon 3-72, Chandlin Myers 3-49, Kason O'Shields 3-26, Will Scott 2-19.

RECORDS: Hawley 1-0, Jim Ned 0-1

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Hawley Bearcats beat Jim Ned Indians behind early start, takeaways