Advosports

REFUGIO - Refugio coach Jason Herring let Lynx Hawthorne know the ball would be coming his way in the Bobcats' Class 2A, Division II semifinal game against Lexington.

"Coach Herring had told me from Monday of last week that we are going to throw the ball and we're going to need you," Hawthorne said. "All week he preached that big players make big plays in big games. Up to that point, I hadn't really done anything big."

Hawthorne caught 10 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns, including a highlight-worthy one-handed grab, to lead the Bobcats to a 63-33 win and into the state final for the first time since 1987.

Refugio (14-0) will go for its first state championship since 1982 when it takes on Cisco (14-0) on Friday at noon at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.

"I knew it was about time for me to step up," said Hawthorne, who had touchdown catches of 51, 10 and 44 yards against Lexington. "They have so many good athletes here it really took a lot of pressure off me and almost made me play not like I used to play in Weimar. That game I felt like they needed me. I tried to do everything I could to get a win and we did."

Hawthorne has done much more to help Refugio reach the state final than he lets on since transferring from Weimar for his senior season.

He has caught 68 passes for 1,667 yards and 24 touchdowns and his presence at wide receiver has helped Refugio spread out opposing defenses.

"You add a Lynx Hawthorne as a target to an already real good group of receivers and you've got something special," Herring said. "We have really good skill kids in Refugio. The last 6-1, 185-pound deep threat I had was Jourdan Ortiz and he graduated three years ago. We have some great receivers, but they're all little bitty guys. Lynx gives us the perfect combination."

Hawthorne played quarterback at Weimar last season. He accounted for 2,483 total yards and 24 touchdowns and made a commitment to attend Baylor before his father stepped down as the school's athletic director and head football coach.

Kent Hawthorne decided to take a position as a defensive coach at Refugio after looking into a number of job opportunities.

Hawthorne teaches technology education at the high school, his wife, Chris, teaches algebra and geometry, and his daughter Lexi is a member of the volleyball team.

"My kids were begging me to get away from the stress the job in Weimar was putting on me," Kent Hawthorne said. "It felt like it was the right time to step away. I wanted him to enjoy his senior year knowing he was going to Baylor. I wanted to give him every opportunity to have some success."

Many Refugio fans assumed Lynx Hawthorne would step in at quarterback.

But Herring went with sophomore Travis Quintanilla under center, which was fine with the Hawthornes.

"When I first moved here there was the whole quarterback situation," Lynx Hawthorne said. "I told my dad I wanted to be whatever coach Herring wanted me to be. There was going to be no animosity or anything and Travis turned out to be one of my better friends."

Kent Hawthorne wasn't surprised to see his son accept his role or fit in with his teammates.

"Being a coach's kid he's had to move and be put out in front of everybody and kind of watched by everybody," he said. "Lynx and (older brother) Brixx have always been really good about that. They come in and they're not cocky or arrogant. They don't try to take over and demand because it's just not their personality. They're going to sit back and whenever it's their time to do what they're going to do, they'll do it."

Lynx Hawthorne hopes to have the opportunity to make an impact in the state championship game before graduating at midterm and taking part in spring drills at Baylor.

"Everybody's got a dream to make it this far," he said. "For this to be actually happening, I've been thinking about it since I started playing football. To be finally here is pretty surreal.

"I watched the Cowboys game last night and to see that stadium and think we're going to be out there is crazy. Not many people are going to play on that field and to be one of the few is pretty awesome. There's no better way to end it than this."

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