On Friday, November 16, the Judson Rockets made their playoff debut against the Hays Rebels.  

The Rockets received the ball to start off the game. Right off the bat, junior Amarea Bailey made a Randy Moss-like catch to put the ball at the Rebels 10, which let senior Sincere McCormick glide into a Rocket touchdown, making the score 7-0. After back and forth actions between both teams, the Rockets offense gained momentum and threw to sophomore Kameron Lopez for a 50-yard touchdown, putting the Rockets up 14-0. To end the first quarter, sophomore De’Anthony Lewis and sophomore Lucas Coley put on an impressive rushing game to make the score 21-0.

To start the second quarter, McCormick got his second touchdown of the night, putting Rockets up by 28. With great momentum coming from McCormick, senior Demarvin Leal forced a fumble and got a recovery to give Judson the ball. Hays defense put multiple stops to the Rockets offense, setting them up for their first touchdown through the ground game, making the score 28-7 to start halftime.

The Rebels received the punt to start the third quarter but got stopped by the Rockets defensive pressure with a punt blocked by Leal to pick up a Rocket first down. McCormick then rushed for his third touchdown of the night, which made the score 34-7. The Rockets immediately put a stop to the Rebels offense. To push their lead forward, Lewis ran for a 31-yard touchdown to make the score 42-7 to end the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the Rebels scored their second touchdown of the game, making the score 42-14. To come back and have some fun, quarterback Lucas Coley threw it up 31-yards to sophomore Davion Wilson, who made a diving catch for another seven points making the score 49-14. The Rebels had a chance to clap back with a touchdown, but they fumble on the snap and the Rockets recovered the ball to end the game at a score of 49-14