State title dreams near fruition for Benjamin senior White, Mustangs' faithful

Long before Grayson Rigdon moved to Benjamin, Brody White dreamed about winning a state football title with the Mustangs.

That’s the beauty about being a kid. He didn’t know better. Never mind that before this season, playoff wins were rare in Benjamin.

In fact, there were times when the school struggled just to field a team.

“My eighth-grade year, Benjamin had six players and they had one girl to fill a team,” White said. “They were just hoping to make it past halftime. So, to turn it around as much as we have, it’s been awesome.”

Imagine that. From having a history of being 45ed (in six-man, if a team is behind by 45 points or more by halftime or in the second half, the game is stopped) quite often, the Mustangs have turned the tables and gone 13-0 this season and earned a berth in the Class 1A Division II title game.

All but one of their games have been won on the 45-point mercy rule – most by halftime.

Now, the Mustangs will play Loraine at 11 a.m. Wednesday in the state championship game beneath the bright lights of AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

Somebody pinch White, just to make sure it’s real.

Playoff wins special

“I’ve been dreaming of it ever since I started playing,” said White, a senior who does a little bit of everything for the Mustangs. “We lost bi-district two years in a row. So, to keep rolling in the playoffs has been an awesome journey. I’m ready for it. I can’t wait.”

Until this season, Benjamin hadn’t won a playoff game since beating May 38-26 in the first round in 1987. Eventual state champion Lohn beat the Mustangs 48-40 in the second round.

Benjamin would make the playoffs only five other times before this season – losing their first matchup each time (Gordon 54-6 in 2002; Lefors 80-34 after a first-round bye in 2008; Forestburg 62-6 in 2015; Motley County 52-16 in 2020; Jayton 52-41 in 2021).

To be fair, this was a good team before the Rigdon family moved in during the summer. The Mustangs went 3-0 in district in 2020 and 4-0 in district last year, going 10-1 overall last season.

Historic day

Still, you can’t imagine what it meant for players like White to earn that historic state championship berth.

White ran for two touchdowns in the Mustangs’ 76-31 victory over Whitharral in the state semifinal game Saturday in Hermleigh.

Grayson Rigdon had a big day, as usual, running for 309 yards and seven TDs, while throwing for another. His final TD, a 31-yard run, ended the game on the 45-point mercy rule with 1:53 left in the third quarter.

Ironically, the last time White went to AT&T Stadium it was as a spectator, watching Ridgon last year lead Strawn to its fifth state championship in six title game appearances since 2003.

Rigdon was the game’s offensive MVP – running for 222 yards and four TDs as a freshman, while throwing for 159 yards and four more. He also caught a TD pass in the Greyhounds’ 73-28 win over Matador Motley County.

Little did White know at the time, but Rigdon would move to Benjamin when the school hired his father, Jamie, to be the team’s head coach.

Jamie Rigdon was an assistant at Strawn last year.

White couldn’t believe it when he heard the news during the summer.

“I was like, ‘No way.’ I just couldn’t think it was true,” White said.

Coach Rigdon later stepped down to become an assistant because of health reasons, and Nathan Hayes was hired as head coach.

But the two have done a great a job in steering a Benjamin program that’s been ranked No. 1 since practice began in the fall.

“Coach Rigdon has helped out a ton,” White said. “He’s put the team together more than it ever has been. He and Coach Hayes have been awesome.”

Leading by example

Then there’s the added perk of having one of the best players in six-man football on your team – someone who knows what’s like to play on the big stage and what it takes to get there.

“He’s led by example,” White said of Grayson Rigdon. “He told everyone how much it’s worth it to work your butt off during the season and before the season. We started in June, started to work out. Everything we’ve done has prepared us for this point. It’s awesome.”

The younger Rigdon played with a passion in the state semifinal game.

“I just wanted to get back,” Rigdon said.

He knows, too, what it means for Benjamin and players like White.

“It’s big for the community,” Grayson Rigdon said. “It’s been great. They took us in, made us feel like home.”

Benjamin scored on all 10 possessions in the state semifinals against Whitharral, much of that because of Rigdon’s play. But the sophomore also was a force on defense.

After the Panthers scored on the game’s opening possession with their own dynamic player in Shamadrick Weaver, Benjamin decided to send Rigdon after him on Whitharral’s next possession. That next possession came quickly, too, after Rigdon ran 51 yards for a TD on the Mustangs’ first snap of the game.

Rigdon dropped Weaver for losses of 10 and 9 yards on the Panthers’ next two snaps and forced them to not only eventually punt the ball but change their offensive approach.

From that point forward, Whitharral had to watch where Rigdon was regardless of who had the ball. It also opened the door for other Benjamin players to make plays.

“From the rest of the game on, we started rushing Grayson, and they didn’t want to go towards him, they didn’t want to be tackled by him,” Hayes said. “It definitely made it easier for somebody else.”

Whitharral coach Jeremy Holt said the younger Rigdon is a game-changer on both sides of the ball.

“I’s very tough when you’ve got a dynamic player like that on the other side,” he said.

Eye on the prize

It’s not only been a dream-like ride for the Benjamin players, but Hayes, too.

“I’m very blessed,” Hayes said. “This might not have been my fate. I could be coaching basketball right now. I’m lucky to be part of this program, this school and this team and everything. I’m grateful to Coach Rigdon for allowing me to come to Benjamin ISD.”

The only team standing in the Mustangs’ path of the program’s first state title is Loraine. It’s also the Bulldogs’ first state championship game appearance.

Benjamin beat Loraine 61-30 in a non-district game in Week 5 in Loraine.

“They’ve gotten a lot better,” Hayes said. “I hope we’ve gotten a lot better. They’re going to have the revenge factor in their head. So, I’m sure they’re going to be fired up and ready for us.”

The Mustangs are trying to win the title after being tabbed the favorite to do so since this summer. That’s quite a feat, wearing the bull’s-eye week in and week out.

“I’d much rather have that than being the underdog,” White said. “I like having the expectation and having to meet those expectations. I love the pressure.”

Class 1A State Championships

At AT&T Stadium, Arlington

DIVISION I

Westbrook (13-1 vs. Abbott (14-0), 2 p.m. Wednesday

DIVISION II

Loraine (13-1) vs. Benjamin (13-0), 11 a.m. Wednesday

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Benjamin continues historic run with state football title game berth