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The Columbus Cardinals traveled to Bastrop Memorial Stadium on Friday, Nov. 10, to take on the Rockdale Tigers in the first round of the 2023 UIL Playoffs.
The Cardinals wasted no time getting down to business in Friday’s game and quickly put points on the board to establish an early lead.
The Cardinals utilized all of their talent in their offense Friday night with Adam Schobel and Ty’vone Whitehead being on the front lines. Schobel completed 11 of his 12 pass attempts (92% completion) for 262 yards four touchdowns and one interception.
Jackson Hancock and Braylon Fisher torched the Tigers defense all night long as they lead the game in receiving yards. Hancock caught seven passes for 128 yards and a touchdown while Fisher caught two passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns.
Whenever the passing attack was in trouble though Schobel knew he could just turn around and hand the ball off to Whitehead and he could make a play for the Cardinals. Whitehead is one of the best backs in the state and Friday he showed why.
He carried the ball 10 times Friday night and despite strong efforts from the Tigers defense it was not enough to stop Whithead. With those 10 carries Whitehead amassed 245 yards and four touchdowns aiding the Cardinals in their winning effort.
After they established a 21-0 lead in the first quarter the Cardinals were feeling very comfortable heading into the second quarter. The Cardinals added two more scores in the second quarter bringing the score to 35-0 at halftime.
The Cardinals sat firmly in the driver’s seat and came out in the second half looking to continue to apply pressure to the Tigers’ defense. The Cardinals’ offense was like a buzzsaw Friday night as every drive was effective.
The Cardinals came put in the third quarter and scored three more touchdowns but also gave up their shutout in the process. The Tigers were able to find the endzone late in the game and added a twopoint conversion to try to will themselves back into the game.
The Cardinals chewed up as much clock as they could while on offense then the defense slammed the door shut. The final seconds ticked off the clock with the final score showing 56-8 and the Cardinals lifting the Bi-District Championship at midfield.
With round two now in their sights the Cardinals are staying focused on the task at hand as they look ahead to their next game against the Woodville Eagles with kickoff at 7 p.m. in Madisonville, TX at Mustang Stadium.
