ABILENE, TX - In a hard-fought crosstown rivalry game, the McMurry War Hawks fell to Hardin-Simmons 24-19 at Shelton Stadium. Despite a slow start, the War Hawks dominated the second half, holding the Cowboys scoreless and mounting a furious comeback that ultimately fell just short.
McMurry got on the board first with a 42-yard field goal from Jax Rodriguez, capping off an impressive 13-play drive. After falling behind, the War Hawks rallied late in the second quarter. Rodriguez hit another field goal, this time from 44 yards out, to bring the score to 24-6 at the half.
The second half had an auspicious start for McMurry, with starting quarterback Jess Hoel leaving the game due to injury, making a tackle following an interception. But things quickly turned around, and the second half belonged to the War Hawks. Nyles Hullaby punched in a 2-yard rushing touchdown to conclude a long 8-play, 76-yard drive, cutting the lead to 24-13 in the third quarter. The momentum continued in the fourth when quarterback Dylan Plake found Xavier Williams on a spectacular 54-yard touchdown pass, shrinking the deficit to a mere five points with a little over 13 minutes left to play. From here, both teams traded jabs but came up short reaching the endzone to extend or close the gap.
Starting quarterback Jess Hoel connected on 12 of 21 attempts for 101 yards before Plake entered the game to complete 11 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown. On the ground, Tedrick Williams led all McMurry rushers with 48 yards on 10 carries, while Drelon Burton added 28 yards.
The War Hawk receivers had a productive night. Kason O'Shields was a key target with six catches for 91 yards. Thomas Chandler reeled in six receptions for 54 yards, and Xavier Williams made his mark with the game's longest play, a 54-yard touchdown catch.
On defense, Zach Mitchell led the way with 12 tackles, including a sack and a tackle for loss. Dylon Davis and Cole Riha each contributed eight tackles, and Bryce Neves added seven.
The War Hawks play at 0-2 Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama, on Saturday, September 20. Kick off is set for 1:00 p.m.
