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Columbus marches past Malakoff for first Texas 3A Division I state title

hunterby:Hunter Shelton•12/19/24•

HunterShelton_

Syndication: Times Record News
Columbus' Grayson Rigdon (1), Adam Schobel (8) and John Schobel (4) celebrate in the end zone during the 3A DI UIL Texas State Football Championship game against Malakoff at AT&T Stadium on Thursday, December 19, 2024.

The calling card of the Columbus Cardinals all season has been a potent offense, led by one of the state’s best quarterbacks.

That was as clear as ever on Thursday night in Arlington, as Adam Schobel and Co. rolled over defending champions Malakoff 48-14 for their first ever Texas 3A Division I state title. Columbus scored a touchdown in each of their seven possessions, stunning a notably staunch Tigers defense.

Schobel, a four-star TCU signee, earned offensive MVP honors after throwing for 261 yards and two touchdowns while also running for a score. Running back Grayson Rigdon helped lead the way for the Cardinals, too, as the Wyoming signee set the pace all night, running for 119 yards and four TDs.

Malakoff had allowed more than 20 points just three times all season. For the first time all year, the Tigers had no answer for their opposition this time around.

Columbus set the tone on the opening drive of the night at AT&T Stadium. It took just five plays for the offense to travel 72 yards and punch in the first score, a 3-yard rush from Rigdon. Malakoff immediately answered with a long touchdown drive of its own, but that turned out to be almost all the offense the Tigers could muster.

Columbus snaps Malakoff’s winning streak

Another short rush from Rigdon and a 32-yard TD pass from Schobel had Columbus up 21-7 at the end of the first quarter. The Malakoff defense continued to wilt, as Schobel and Rigdon each ran in another score to make it 34-7 at the break.

Malakoff, which had won 31 games in a row entering Thursday put together multiple drives that got into Columbus territory, but the Cardinals’ defense continued to wreak havoc and get into the backfield. John Schobel helped lead the way for Columbus with a trio of sacks and tackles for loss. He was named the defensive MVP.

Another short rushing TD for Rigdon and one final scoring pass from Adam Schobel put the finishing touches on a historic season. Malakoff finally found the end zone again with less than three minutes to go in the fourth quarter, but it was all too late.

Columbus finishes the season with a 15-1 record and an average of over 52 points per game. Malakoff also finishes at 15-1, one game away from repeating as state champs.