No. 1 Benjamin blasts Whitharral, earns program's first six-man football state berth

Benjamin running back Grayson Rigdon eludes Whitharral defensive back Shamadrick Weaver during Saturday's Class 1A Division II six-man semifinal playoff in Hermleigh. Final score was 76-31, Benjamin.
Benjamin running back Grayson Rigdon eludes Whitharral defensive back Shamadrick Weaver during Saturday's Class 1A Division II six-man semifinal playoff in Hermleigh. Final score was 76-31, Benjamin.

HERMLEIGH – The Whitharral Panthers, like every team that’s played No. 1 Benjamin this season, had no answer for Grayson Rigdon.

The sophomore ran for 309 yards and seven touchdowns and threw for another as the Mustangs beat the No. 7 Panthers 76-31 in a Class 1A Division II six-man semifinal playoff game Saturday at Cardinal Stadium.

“He wanted to take this game,” Benjamin coach Nathan Hayes said of Rigdon. “He wanted to win it. Of course, his teammates did, too. But some people have that edge, and Grayson Rigdon has that edge. He knows when to throw it into a different gear. He knows when to turn it up.”

Brody White also ran for two TDs as Benjamin (13-0) scored on all 10 possessions and ended the game on the 45-point mercy rule on Ridgon’s 31-yard TD run with 1:53 left in the third quarter.

The Mustangs, ranked No. 1 since the first day of practice, advance to the state championship game for the first time in program history.

“It’s an awesome feeling,” Hayes said. “I don’t think it’s set in the kids yet. I tried to tell the kids these moments don’t come along very often, and they don’t. I don’t think it’s even set in with me, because I’m so excited for them. We had a core group of seniors, who put the work in. We had a couple of move-ins, but those kids put it together. It was a great team effort.”

Benjamin running back Brody White slips through a Whitharral tackle during Saturday's Class 1A Division II six-man semifinal playoff in Hermleigh.
Benjamin running back Brody White slips through a Whitharral tackle during Saturday's Class 1A Division II six-man semifinal playoff in Hermleigh.

Benjamin plays Loraine (13-1) at 11 a.m. Dec. 14 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. It’s also Loraine’s first title game appearance. The Mustangs beat the Bulldogs 61-30 earlier this season in Loraine. It’s the only time Benjamin has been forced to play four full quarters this season.

It will be the second title game appearance for Rigdon, who won a state title with Strawn last season. The state MVP transferred to Benjamin in the offseason when his dad, Jamie, was hired to be the team’s head coach. The elder Rigdon later took on an assistant role for health reasons, and Hayes was hired to be the head coach.

Shamadrick Weaver led Whitharral (12-2) with 111 yards and on 16 carries, including a 31-yard TD on the game’s opening drive. The senior also completed 5 of 12 passes for 69 yards, including an 11-yard TD pass to Kaden Smith. He also threw an interception.

Benjamin defensive back Mario Silva (left) and linebacker Grayson Ridden stop Whitharrel wide receiver Shamadrick Weaver Saturday in Hermleigh.
Benjamin defensive back Mario Silva (left) and linebacker Grayson Ridden stop Whitharrel wide receiver Shamadrick Weaver Saturday in Hermleigh.

Ryan McDaniel had a 2-yard TD run for the Panthers, and Brent Robinson returned a kickoff 45 yards for another.

“To be honest, it all hasn’t sunk in yet," said Whitharral coach Jeremy Holt, speaking about the end of his team's season. "Benjamin is a great team. They are big, strong and fast. Honestly, they’re just a great team. Scheme-wise, I thought we had a great scheme. But they got after us. I have a real hard time saying they’re a better team than us, but they outmatched us in a lot of areas. They made us pay for it.

"Hopefully, we can learn from it and build on our future on what we learned tonight.”

Three times Rigdon scored on the first play from scrimmage, including a 51-yard TD run after Weaver’s first score of the game. Rigdon added TD runs of 29 and 22 yards as the Mustangs closed out the first quarter with a 24-8 lead.

The Mustangs pushed their lead to 32-8, after White picked off a Weaver pass and returned it seven yards to the Panther 3-yard line. Rigdon scored on the next play. Rigdon threw an 8-yard TD pass to Nicholas Ham and added TD runs of 72, 42 and 31 yards.

Benjamin running back Grayson Rigdon is knocked out of bounds by more than half of the Whitharral defense during Saturday's Class 1A Division II six-man semifinal playoff in Hermleigh.
Benjamin running back Grayson Rigdon is knocked out of bounds by more than half of the Whitharral defense during Saturday's Class 1A Division II six-man semifinal playoff in Hermleigh.

The Mustangs rolled up 447 total yards, including 349 rushing with only Rigdon and White getting carries. Rigdon complete 7-of-9 passes for 98 yards.

Whitharral had 279 total yards, including 131 passing.

CLASS 1A DIVISION II SEMIFINALS

Benjamin 76, Whitharral 31

Benjamin

24

22

30

x

76

Whitharral

8

8

15

x

31

FIRST QUARTER

WHIT − Shamadrick Weaver 31 run (Jack Griffin kick), 7:33

BEN − Grayson Rigdon 51 run (Marco Zana kick), 7:12

BEN − Rigdon 29 run (Zana kick), 3:19

BEN − Rigdon 22 run (Zana kick), 00:00

SECOND QUARTER

BEN − Rigdon 3 run (Zana kick), 9:29

WHIT − Ryan McDaniel 2 run (Griffin kick), 6:17

BEN − Nicholas Ham 8 pass from Rigdon (Zana kick), 4:59

BEN − Rigdon 72 run (kick blocked), 00:14

THIRD QUARTER

BEN − Brody White 3 run (kick failed), 7:54

WHIT − Kaden Smith 11 pass from Weaver (Griffin kick), 6:29

BEN − Rigdon 42 run (Zana kick), 7:54

BEN − White 1 run (Zana kick), 2:46

WHIT − Brent Robinson 45 KO return (Jarrett Fryar pass from Jeryn Ellerd), 2:40

BEN − Rigdon 31 run (Zana kick), 1:53

TEAM STATISTICS

Categories

BEN

WHIT

First downs

12

8

Rushes-Yards

20-349

25-148

Passing

98

131

Comp-Att-Int

7-9-0

9-19-1

Punts

0-0

1-47

Fumbles-Lost

0-0

4-0

Penalties-Yards

2-20

4-40

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING: Benjamin, Grayson Rigdon 13-309, Brody White 7-40. Whitharral, Shamadrick Weaver 16-111, Brent Robinson 3-22, Kaden Smith 3-11, Ryan McDaniel 1-2, Cason Wischkaemper 1-1, Victor Saenz 1-1.

PASSING: Benjamin, Rigdown 7-9-0−98. Whitharral, Weaver 5-12-1−69, Jeryn Ellerd 4-7-0−62.

RECEIVING: Benjamin, John Wolffarth 1-31, White 2-25, Tallon Hayes 2-21, Nicholas Ham 2-21. Whitharral, Robinson 3-65, Jack Griffin 3-40, Weaver 2-16, Jarrett Fryar 1-16.

RECORDS: Benjamin 13-0; Whitharral 12-2.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Benjamin crushes Whitharral for program's first state football berth