On Nov. 7, 2024, The Judson Rockets (4-6) faced off against the Clemens Buffaloes (2-8) in the last game of the 2024-2025 season.
Prior to the game, Coach Gonzales stated that the goal for the game was to “send off the seniors on a win.” Coach Spivey also stated that he felt confident in the athletes’ ability to secure a victory.
The first quarter started with a Rocket kickoff by #33, Angel Ibarra. The following plays consisted of multiple attempts to push through by the Buffaloes, which were each met by a strong Rocket defense. The Rockets quickly took over and began pushing forward into Buffalo territory. This paid off as they scored a three yard carry touchdown, but with an unsuccessful attempt at an extra point, putting the Rockets ahead, 6-0. Following these events, the Buffaloes slowly pushed through Rocket defense to score a touchdown and the extra point, ending the quarter with the Buffaloes in the lead with a score of 7-6.
As the second quarter commenced, Judson had Clemens trying their hardest to push through Judson’s defense. After slowly advancing on Judson territory, Clemens scored a field goal, making the score 10-6, widening the gap between the two teams’ scores. However, this didn’t stop Judson, who then scored a field goal, ending the quarter 10-9 with Clemens still on top.
The third quarter had a lot of back and forth action between Clemens and Judson, with neither team being able to significantly come out on top. After struggling for the majority of the quarter, the Rockets were able to break through the Buffaloes’ defense and score a touchdown, and secured the extra point, setting the score 17-10 with Judson in the lead. In the last 40 seconds, #33, Angel Ibarra managed to score a field goal for the Rockets, making the score at the end of the quarter 20-10 and further cementing Judson’s lead.
After a series of incomplete passes from the Clemens Buffaloes to kick off the fourth quarter, the Judson Rockets pushed forward and scored a touchdown and the extra point, setting the score 27-10. With 7 minutes left in the final quarter, Clemens managed to push into Judson territory to score a touchdown, as well as secure the extra point, setting the score at 27-17. The rest of the quarter had the Clemens Buffaloes doing their best to break through Judson’s defense, but with no success.
The final score of the game was 27-17 with a Judson win.
Considering the results of the game, it’s safe to conclude that the goals the coaches stated prior to the game were met thanks to the athletes’ hard work. With a plan to send the seniors off with a win, and the confidence that the Rockets finished off their season the right way, Coach Gonzales and Coach Spivey were happy to end off their season in a way that will be cherished for years to come.
Congratulations on winning the last game of the 2024 season, Rockets! Your hard work and commitment will be remembered even as the season comes to a close.