In a heated Canyon ISD rivalry, billed as the “GOAT” game, between the Canyon Eagles and Randall Raiders, emotions ran even higher as district seedings was on the line Friday night at Happy State Bank Stadium.
A battle of the defenses ended with the Raiders on top 14-7, capturing the No. 2-seed out of District 2-4A Division I. Randall (4-1 in district) now heads to the posteason with an 8-2 record.
“This win was big for multiple reasons,” Randall head coach Dan Sherwood said. “You are going up against a great opponent, on top of a huge rival and there is a lot on the line. I’m super proud of the coaches and this team for what we got done. I’m proud of the week of practice had. We had a great week of practice and we were prepared.”
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The loss puts as the No. 4 and final seed out of District 2-4A Division I with the Eagles finishing the regular season at 6-4 overall and 2-3 in the league.
Coach Sherwood had to make an early decision. Quarterback Braylen Preciado, who had taken over two weeks ago, was injured on the first play of the game. Sherwood moved senior Kaison Benton, the starting quarterback at the first of the year, from receiver back to his QB position, and Benton stepped up.
Behind Benton, the Randall offense took care of business scoring all 14 points in the first quarter.
The Raider defense forced an Eagle punt from their own territory in the opening drive. Randall’s offense took advantage of a cold start for the Eagle defense, and covered 61 yards in eight plays for an early lead. The score came on a three-yard rush from junior Drayden Ray. Jacob Avalos’ point after kick was good for the early 7-0 lead.
The Randall defense would again keep the Eagles out of Raider territory, forcing a Canyon punt. The ensuing drive culminated with Benton finding Jevin Gallegos in the end zone with a three-yard scoring toss. Avalos would again be successful with the point after kick for a 14-0 lead.
“The offense helped us big early,” Sherwood said. “When Braylen (Preciado) went out and we moved Kaison (Benton) back to quarterback. He had done well at receiver and went back to what he knows best and that’s QB. He drove us downfield like a leader he is for some early scores. Sometimes it won’t be pretty like I tell the guys, but we got the job done.”
The second quarter was a defensive battle, with both holding their rival scoreless in the period.
Canyon quarterback Brox Hacker gave his team hope early in the fourth when he would rush in from 29 yards out for a score. However, the Randall defense would not allow the Eagles to score again, securing the win.
Senior linebacker Drayven Patton led his team on defense with 14 tackles. Fellow senior, tight end Garrett Splitt wasn’t far behind with 9 tackles on the night
“The defense was fantastic once again,” Sherwood said. “To hold a great team like Canyon to seven points and getting the big stops we got the entire game was huge. We even held them in the redzone late in the game. The interior defense was huge for us and we flew around the football and rallied. We showed a lot of toughness and grit.”
Benton finished the game with 89 yards rushing on 11 carries and 34 yards passing with a TD. Ray tacked on 48 yards rushing as well. Canyon’s Austin Turner finished with a game-high 131 yards rushing on 26 carries and Hacker added 81 yards with the Eagles lone touchdown.