the Lancaster Tigers, then beat North Mesquite 53-13 and McKinney North 40-7 before finishing the regular season with a 53-29 win over the Tyler Lions for a 9-1 record.
Their first playoff game was a resounding success, as they defeated the Port Arthur Memorial Titans 44-7. Following two additional victories over the Lone Star Rangers and the Richland Royals, with scores of 26-24 and 61-40, respectively, the Jackrabbits were ready to face Longview after reaching the state quarterfinals for the first time since 2002. However, Lancaster managed to defeat Longview 27-24 thanks to a 36-yard field goal from junior Tiger kicker Andres Castro with three seconds left in the game. This meant that Forney would face a team that was two spots below the Jackrabbits in the district standings, rather than the only team to beat them during the regular season. The game came close again, going into double overtime, but Forney walked away with the win in the end with a 43-41 score. Meanwhile, two hours away at Memorial Stadium in Stephenville, the Aledo Bearcats crushed the Abilene Eagles 56-21, meaning that Forney would be facing the undefeated Bearcats for a chance to advance to the state championship game for the first time since 2000. Aledo had won the state championship ten of the previous fourteen years, with last year being one of those years. Aledo appeared to be an unstoppable force, but the Jackrabbits were not without hope. After defeating the South Oak Cliff Titans in 2018, Aledo went on to win three consecutive championships. They were the underdogs who triumphed and built into a powerhouse, and head coach Jeff Fleener urged his players to remain optimistic that Forney could do the same.
The Jackrabbits were ready to compete against the Aledo Bearcats and fight for their school’s legacy after making the hour-long drive to Midlothian Stadium. The Forney Family came out to support the team, as they have done since the beginning of the season, with so many Forney fans in the stands that the Midlothian stadium personnel had to open the guest side gates to allow people to sit on the grass next to the bleachers. Everyone, from players’ parents to former and future Jackrabbits, came out to support the boys as they prepared to play the most difficult game of what has been dubbed the best season in program history.
When the game began, both teams were without significant players, with Aledo losing its leading rusher, sophomore running back Raycine Guillory, and Forney missing sophomore linebacker Landry Hopkins, who leads the district in total tackles. Forney was able to fill in Landry’s spot, and Aledo replaced Guillory with senior athlete Hawk Patrick-Daniels (running back/wide receiver hybrid). After the kickoff ball went into the end zone, the Jackrabbits started from the ten-yard line but were unable to get the necessary yardage for a second first down after being held to a net of -4 yards. After the Darkside Defense held Patrick-Daniels to 8 yards across two downs, senior Bearcat quarterback and TCU commit Hauss Hejny made a 25-yard dash to the Jackrabbits 13, which Daniels followed with a 13-yard maneuver to the endzone for the first touchdown of the game. With 9:16 left in the first quarter, Hejny faked a pass to senior athlete (linebacker/running back hybrid) and LSU recruit Dahvan Keys and rushed for the two-point conversion, putting Aledo up 8-0. The Jackrabbits’ second run did not go well either, as the Bearcats restricted Osborne to 7 yards on three downs. Senior Bearcat linebacker Ky Howington blocked Eduful’s punt, and Keys pounced on it, bringing the All photos by EDDY TAYLOR and JIM KLENKE
Hard-Fought
Season Comes to an End
Bearcats back onto the field. Senior wide receiver Tyson Timms grabbed Hejny’s throw at the 1-yard line, and Keys ran for one yard for Aledo’s second score of the game. With 6:55 remaining in the first quarter, junior kicker Cole Crawford put the Bearcats up 15-0. Aledo held the Jackrabbits to four yards, and the Jackrabbits held Aledo to 32 yards across eleven plays and three third downs (one down being for -7 yards), and the quarter ended with neither team scoring any additional points.
The Jackrabbits failed to score on their opening possession of the second quarter, but junior wide receiver Orin Gee made a memorable 46-yard catch to give the Jackrabbits another set of downs. In the end, they had to hand the ball over to Aledo, who likewise failed to score. On a second down and 7, senior defensive back Joshua Gatlin tackled Timms and then intercepted Timm’s next catch, giving Forney the ball back. However, Aledo answered with a deflection by Keys and an interception by Hallington, regaining possession of the ball while maintaining field position at 38. Patrick-Daniels gained 26 yards before being stopped by senior linebacker Easton McMillan. Hejny rushed for four and 25 yards to get to the Jackrabbits’ 8, where Keys rushed for two and six yards to score. Aledo led 22-0 with 5:58 left in the second quarter after Cole Crawford’s PAT kick was successful. The Jackrabbits did not score points on the following possession, but neither did Aledo. In fact, sophomore defensive back Josiah Turner intercepted Hejny’s pass on second down and 6, giving the Jackrabbits a first down at the Jackrabbits’ 8. With 1:29 left in the second quarter, Kofi Eduful received Crawford’s pass for 37 yards, then Osborne raced 22 yards into the endzone for the Jackrabbits’ first touchdown of the game. After senior kicker Asher Wall converted the extra point, the Jackrabbits had scored seven points by the end of the first half.
Unfortunately for Forney, things did not improve in the second half. Aledo scored on their opening two drives, with Keys gaining 7 net yards and Patrick-Daniels gaining 5. Cole Crawford’s two field goals put Aledo up 36-7 with 6:32 left in the third quarter. The third quarter finished with Crawford’s ball to Eduful being intercepted by senior cornerback Jaden Allen, and the fourth quarter began with Patrick-Daniels rushing for 42 yards on a third down and Dahvon Keys rushing for 16 yards to the Jackrabbits’ 0. Within the first minute of the fourth quarter, Cole Crawford’s kick went in, bringing the score to 43-7. The Jackrabbits were kept to -1 yards on the following possession but managed 61 on the one after that, which was sadly their final possession of the game and season.
The game’s conclusion was an immensely emotional time for Forney players and fans alike, particularly the senior players, who were a game away from taking home the school’s first state title in two decades before they graduated. However, it’s difficult not to see this season as an enormous sucany cess, given that the team moved from being 12-37 in the previous five years to going nearly unbeaten this year. The majority of the credit goes to Fleener’s arrival following the 2020 season and other substantial changes to the coaching staff, but the players also had to adjust to a more rigorous exercise and playing regimen, which they not only adjusted to but thrived under.
Forney (2,482) will join Lancaster (2,322) and Justin Northwest (2,176) in the 6A division next year after exceeding the limit for 6A school populations (2,275). This means Forney will have to compete against schools like Duncanville, which is ranked 13th in the country. The Jackrabbits are expected to face a steep learning curve at this next level of play. However, if Fleener can defy the odds and turn the program around once, who’s to say he can’t do it again?
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