College Station falls to Smithson Valley in regional semifinals

HUTTO, Texas (KBTX) - College Station’s season came to an end with a 26-21 loss to Smithson Valley in the UIL 5A-I Region III semifinals at Hutto Memorial Stadium Friday afternoon.

This was a rematch from last year’s regional finals when College Station won on a goal-line stand.

The Cougars finish the year with an 11-2 record. It’s their first playoff loss outside the state championship game since 2020. The Rangers move to 12-1 and advance to the state semifinals.

College Station had a chance to take the lead in the fourth quarter when Arrington Maiden was picked off by Diego Davila in the endzone. The Cougars got the ball again still down five but were stopped on fourth down and the Rangers ran out the clock to finish the game.

After falling down 19-0, the Cougars stormed back with a 65-yard touchdown from Maiden to Paden Cashion. Jaydon Bellows started the second half with an interception and Maiden capitalized with a 6-yard touchdown run to make it 19-14 in the third quarter. The Cougars’ other touchdown was a pass from Maiden to Jake Peveto.

The Rangers’s defense and special defense started hot, pinning the Cougars inside the 4-yard line twice on punts and coming up with a safety on their second possession. The first touchdown came from a 51-yard Ryland Walker to Jackson Duffey connection. Brad Sowersby also added two touchdowns for the Rangers and Clayton Amaya added a field goal.

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