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No. 2 Strawn outlasts No. 3 Richland Springs, advances to 1A DII state football title game

amy mcdaniel, san angelo standard-times
·2 min read
Strawn High School's Griff Rigdon runs with the ball during a Class 1A Division II football playoff game in 2021.
Strawn High School's Griff Rigdon runs with the ball during a Class 1A Division II football playoff game in 2021.

Strawn High School pulled away from Richland Springs 100-54 in a Class 1A Division II football state semifinal Friday in Dublin.

The win for the Greyhounds avenged last year’s loss in the same round 59-56 to the Coyotes, winners of nine state championships.

Strawn, ranked No. 2 in the state by Texas Football magazine, improved to 14-0 and will face Motley County at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Arlington’s AT&T Stadium for the state championship.

The Coyotes, ranked No. 3, ended their season at 10-2.

The Greyhounds pulled away from the Coyotes, last year’s state finalists, by outscoring them in the first and third quarters. Strawn jumped out to a 28-14 lead in the first quarter and then opened the second half with a 20-0 run to lead 72-34 going into the fourth quarter.

Strawn’s Grayson Rigdon rushed for 292 yards and six touchdowns to lead the Greyhounds, which have won four state championships. Their state final appearance is the sixth overall for the program.

Strawn High School's Grayson Rigdon looks to pass during a Class 1A Division II football playoff game in 2021.
Strawn High School's Grayson Rigdon looks to pass during a Class 1A Division II football playoff game in 2021.

Griff Rigdon rushed for 191 yards and four TDs for Strawn.

Richland Springs was led by Jadeyn Bryant, who rushed for three TDs and passed for three. He had 116 rushing yards and 157 passing yards. He also scored on a 75-yard kickoff return. Zane Capps also threw a TD pass.

The Greyhounds piled up 630 total yards against the Coyotes while holding Richland Springs to 340. Lorenzo Garcia added 57 yards rushing and two TDs for Strawn.

Grayson Rigdon completed 3-of-4 passes for 52 yards for Strawn while Evan Williams threw a 38-yard TD pass to Justice Baker. Payton Smith recovered a fumble for a Greyhound TD.

Amy McDaniel is a multimedia sports journalist. Send news tips to amy.mcdaniel@gosanangelo.com. Consider supporting West Texas journalism with a subscription to GoSanAngelo.com.

This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: No. 2 Strawn outlasts No. 3 Richland Springs in 1A DII state semis