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BIRTHDAY, HAPPY ALEKS
Addison Pilsner (left) and Anthony Shorter walk up to the coin flip along with Aleks Medrano’s No. 62 jersey before the game.
HOUSTON
As the clock hit zero on Thursday, Dec. 12, at Rice Stadium, the final score read 49-6 in favor of the Columbus Cardinals over the Enda Cowboys, who just punched their ticket to the State Championship for the first time ever.
“It’s very exciting,” Cardinals head coach Matt Schobel said. “Very proud of our kids. They have responded every time we had adversity this year, they have been through so much and I could not be more proud of them.”
Instead of cheers and screams of excitement, the only thing that could be heard coming from the Cardinals fans was the Happy Birthday song.
It was Aleks Medrano’s 18th birthday that day which made the historic victory over the Edna Cowboys just that much sweeter. While they cannot go out and buy him a physical gift, they took time to celebrate their victory with their fallen teammate as a birthday present for a guy that is a big part of this team’s story.
The impact Medrano left on his teammates cannot be understated as every single player put their Cardinal uniform on in honor of #62.
Citizen | Evan Hale Even though Medrano is not physically with the team anymore, every player acknowledged that he has been a part of every step they have taken this post-season.
“We love him, we miss him dearly and this win is just a perfect birthday present for him,” Schobel said.
The Cards opened the game on offense and Grayson Rigdon made an immediate impact. The Cardinals rode Rigdon all the way down to the two-yard line where he punched in his first of four first half touchdowns.
Right after the offense made their presence felt the defense did the same and got a bit of luck to help them out. On their second offensive snap of the game, Enda botched a snap that went over their quarterback’s head and rolled all the way to the one-yard line.
The Cards’ defense kept the Cowboys pinned on their own goal-line for the rest of the drive. The Cowboys punted and shortly after Rigdon had his second touchdown of the night.
With a 14-0 lead early in the game the Cardinals defense continued to play at a high level and Schobel said they played a big role in the game.
“I thought our defense was awesome, they have been getting better and better all year, but they have been playing really well in the playoffs,” Schobel said.
Adam Schobel got in on the action after Rigdon’s second touchdown as he found Cooper Osbourne for the first Cardinal passing touchdown of the evening. Schobel thew only 14 passes Thursday night, completing nine of them for 115 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
The recipient of Schobel’s other two touchdown passes was Camdon Pitchford who continued to shine this post-season. Pitchford finished the night with four catches for 37 yards and two touchdowns.
The Cardinals have finally made it; one final game to decide who is the best in the state of Texas in Class 3A. The Cards will have their hands full with defending State Champions Malakoff waiting for them at AT&T Stadium in Arlington with kickoff scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 19, at 7 p.m.
