School & Community News

Garden City wins STATE!

PAUL HARRIS

pharris@gosanangelo.com / 325-659-8242

ABILENE — The Garden City Bearkats did more than just win their first state title in football on Saturday.

They brought down the record books with it.

Garden City toppled defending state champion Strawn 122-88 in the highest-scoring championship game in state history.

Numerous records fell Saturday at Abilene’s Shotwell Stadium as the two teams put on a shootout for the ages.

Garden City’s Brett Chudej scored a title-game record 56 points, while running back Josh Colunga ran for 427 yards and seven touchdowns, highlighted by a 79-yard touchdown run that was the longest play from scrimmage in a six-man state title game.

When the dust finally settled on this wild game, the fans had seen 1,617 yards of total offense, including 857 by Garden City with 504 rushing and 353 passing.

“We didn’t feel like anybody had really challenged them straight ahead, and we just came at them and did our thing,” Garden City head coach Vance Jones said. “Josh is a great runner, but our blockers were outstanding.

“Ian (Schaefer) and Aaron (Long) and Brett, they opened doors all night long, and Reggie Halfmann at (wingback). I can’t say enough about them. And that opened up our passing game being able to run like that.”

Strawn scored the game’s first touchdown, but Garden City answered with 32 straight points to take control early, and the fireworks were on from there.

After a relatively tame sco