Boerne Champion secured second place in the District 13-5A DI playoffs after the Chargers defeated the Austin McCallum Knights on Friday at Boerne ISD Stadium.
Champion rolled to a 61-0 win on homecoming night and improved to 8-1 overall and 6-1 in district. By virtue of the victory, the Chargers will get to host a playoff game in the postseason since the top two teams in each 5A district are allowed to play at home in the first round.
The Chargers close out the regular season on Friday at Manor and then will host a playoff game the following week. Date and time will be announced, but it will be at Boerne ISD Stadium.
Champion coach Blane Ellis said that was one of their goals this year and added that hosting a first-round playoff game was on their minds.
“That’s what we talked about all week, and the guys came out and did it. That was important to them,” he said. “Going into this game there was a scenario where we didn’t make it, so we were still fighting for our lives and our guys came out and did what they needed to.”
The Charger defense recorded their third shutout of the season and had another interception returned for a touchdown after Inaki Colsa recorded a Pick-6 in the second half for a score. Ellis said the defense is having a great season.
“We get a lot of attention on offense because we’re scoring a lot of points, but I think one thing that is being overlooked is our defense,” he said. “I think last week (vs. Smithson Valley) they turned a lot of heads and turned in another great performance.”
While the defense had a score and protected the shutout, the Chargers offense tallied seven touchdowns by halftime for the 48-0 lead at the break. Caleb Farias tied a season best with five rushing TDs to match what he did at Lockhart but was mad at himself after he fumbled
“The line was getting a great push, but I did put the ball on the ground, which is unacceptable,” he said. “Scoring five touchdowns is good, but I can’t put the ball on the ground like that, there always something I can do better.”
It’s the fourth time the Chargers have hit 60 points this year, scoring at least 50 points in all eight of their wins. Champion turned the ball over twice and missed a couple of extra points on Friday. Ellis said those are the little things they need to fix with the playoffs on the horizon.
“We have to remain focused and turnovers are something we’re going to harp on. We have to do a better job,” he said. “We’ve had way too many the last two games and if we want to be playing for a state championship, we have to take care of the football.”
Besides the five rushing TDs by Farias, William Burgess caught two touchdown passes, one from Ryder Flugence and another from Julian Navarette after Flugence left the game with an injury in the first half. Navarette also tossed a touchdown pass to Zachary Lopez, while Will Hankins kicked seven extra points.
NOTES: Senior Roman Flugence was named the homecoming king on Friday, and it seems like the Charger football team has had a lot of homecoming kings over the years, but Ellis wasn’t sure what the total. “That’s not a stat I keep, but we’re super proud of Roman and his leadership. He’s a tremendous young man.”
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