Rule head coach Mike Reed is no stranger to big wins. As a running back for the Gordon Longhorns during his high school days, he played in a number of

Rule head coach Mike Reed is no stranger to big wins. As a running back for the Gordon Longhorns during his high school days, he played in a number of big games.

None, however, may be as big as his last.

Reed guided the Rule Bobcats to a stunning 45-0 victory over the Meadow Broncos Saturday evening at Lowrey Field in Lubbock. With the victory, the Bobcats earned the team's first-ever trip to the state finals. Rule will face the Richland Springs Coyotes this Saturday in the Division I state six-man football championships.



Jayton head coach Nathan Hayes taks to quarterback Josh Wood during the third quarter. Jayton defeated Whitharral Saturday and earned its first trip to the state finals since 1989.

Ranked among the nation's best all season, Rule didn't waste any time in setting the tempo. The Bobcats took a 6-0 advantage late in the first quarter when Stephen Pace scored on a short 3-yard run.

Pace's TD came with just 1:38 left in the initial frame.

The Bobcats struck again midway through the second period when quarterback J.T. Spitzer scampered into the end zone from 5 yards out to up the RHS lead to 14-0.

The Bobcat defense took over from there. After a long kickoff return by Meadow's Adrian Sanchez was called by because of a penalty, Rule forced the Broncos into a punting situation in the shadows of their own goal. On fourth down, Austin Flores managed to penetrate the MHS line and blocked Meadow's punt.

Following Flores' block, the ball bounded out the back of the end zone for a safety – and a stunning 16-0 lead.

Rule, which held meadow to just 135 total yards and five first downs, stretched its lead to 31-0 at the half with second-quarter touchdowns by C.J. Saucedo and Kade Kittley.

Spitzer, who threw for 210 yards in the win, added to the RHS lead in the third with a 21-yard TD strike to Jonathan Rincones.

He added a second rushing TD just 1:16 into the fourth quarter to enabled Rule to end the game via the 45-point mercy rule.

The Rule Bobcats weren't the only players celebrating a big-time win on Saturday. The Jayton Jaybirds earned their first trip to the state finals since the 1980s by racing to a wild 75-60 victory over the Whitharral Panthers in Post.

Jayton, which won the state title in 1984 and 1985 and finished second to Fort Hancock in 1989, built a 30 point lead early in the third quarter and then off a furious rally by Jake Baker and the Panthers to nail down the win.

Whitharral had a chance to pull to within two late in the game. With the ball inside the Jaybird 3, the Panthers misfired. Jayton recovered a WHS fumble and all but sealed the contest.

Jaybird running back Tyler Sped led the JHS attack, rushing for more than 170 yards.

With the victory, Jayton now advances to face Vernon Northside this weekend in the Division II state finals. Northside (13-1) is making its deepest appearance in the six-man playoffs since 1958 when the team advanced to the regional round. Six-man teams did not advance past the regional round until 1972 when the University Interscholastic League staged its first six-man state title game.

Northside defeated Gustine on Friday to net its berth in the finals.