December 17th, 2025 2:00am
Super Region 4 Final and Heritage Bowl Recap
Super Region 4 Final
#2 Harding wins at home over #11 Texas-Permian Basin 34-28
One of the things that Kris McCullough has become known for during his time at UTPB was going all-out on offense, pushing the tempo and taking plenty of chances, especially on fourth down. So in a game where UTPB was trailing the entire way with the exception of about 5 minutes in the second quarter after UTPB tied the game at 21, it was a surprise to me what UTPB chose to do with 8:44 left in the game. The Falcons, with new kicker Diego Chavarria, lined up for a field goal on fourth down and goal from the Harding 6-yard line down 34-28. While the UTPB defense must have felt confident they could get yet another stop since they’ve already held Harding to just 3 points in the second half, there had to be the thought on the UTPB sidelines that the Bisons could conceivably run out the clock if they get the ball back while ahead.
Chavarria hooked the field goal wide to left and Harding took over at their 20-yard line. UTPB was about to get the most demoralizing aspect of the Harding Experience.
17 plays, all runs, later, Harding took to the victory formation at the UTPB 20-yard line, having bled away the game’s last 8:44 and taking the game away from the Falcons. The Bisons, who jumped out to 14-0 and 21-7 leads, could never hit the knockout punch on UTPB, who tied the game at 21 and got to within 34-28 with 3:34 left the third quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run by Kanon Gibson, who (like pretty much the entire UTPB team) gave it his all on this day. The Flacons kept coming for the heavily-favored Bisons and came closer than any team did all season to springing the upset.
Gibson threw for 312 yards, a touchdown, and was intercepted twice on 30-of-41 passes. He also ran for 38 yards and 2 touchdowns. Three Falcons had more than 60 receiving yards, led by Jace Wyatt, who had 85 yards and a touchdown. Tristan Exline, in what would end up being his final game for UTPB (he’s in the transfer portal with several Division 1 offers already), had 20 tackles to lead all defenders. For Harding, three Bisons had over 91 rushing yards, led by quarterback Cole Keylon with 148 yards and a touchdown. Braden Jay also had 95 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. Harding broke their all-divisions rushing record with 389 rushing yards, finishing the game with 6308 yards.
Harding improves to 14-0 and advances to the National Semifinal. Texas-Permian Basin falls to 11-3 and their season concludes.
Heritage Bowl
West Texas A&M wins over Arkansas Tech 28-27
West Texas A&M’s defense must have had zero trouble getting to sleep after 91 Arkansas Tech plays and 38:38 of possession time. But they made the one play that mattered in the end when they successfully forced an incompletion on Dominic Feliciano’s two-point pass with 9 seconds left in the game. The Wonder Boys nearly came all the way back from a 28-13 deficit, which was powered by WT’s (what else?) RJ Martinez and his 407 passing yards, 27 rushing yards, and 4 combined touchdowns (3 passing).
WT owned the middle two quarters, scoring all four of their touchdowns on six drives in those quarters with no drive going longer than 3:22 (WT held the ball for just 21:22 of the game). ATU kept it close with their deliberate offensive attack. Sean Johnson had his best game as a WT wide receiver, catching 16 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown. Jayden Hibbler gained 90 key yards on the ground for the Buffaloes to keep the ATU defense honest.
For ATU, Carter Hensley completed 20 of 42 passes for 235 yards and 2 touchdowns. Bryson Roland ran for 87 yards on 17 carries and Carldell Simmons helped keep ATU close with 72 yards on 6 catches and a touchdown.
West Texas A&M improves to 8-4 and Arkansas Tech falls to 7-5. Both teams’ seasons have concluded.
And with that, the LSC season is now over. There have already been many changes that will be addressed in the end-of-season recap, including some huge coaching changes and the ever-present transfer portal. Look for that once the playoffs have concluded.