Stars Duel in Alamo City

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – On a day when one star was shining bright after a huge recruiting decision, another emerged as a name to know in the Lone Star State in a classic season-opening matchup in the Alamodome that Judson won 46-43 in overtime.

The star that everyone came in looking to see was Converse Judson Rivals250 wide receiver Anthony Evans, who hit the field less than 24 hours following his commitment to Oklahoma.

Evans is well known for his speed and wasted little time putting it on display with a 21-yard touchdown catch in which he simply worked inside of the cornerback and accelerated toward the end zone. He caught the on-time pass in stride and there was little the San Antonio Johnson defense could do about the play.

From there on the Johnson defense made no effort to hide their plan ‘make anyone but Evans make plays’. The Judson offense found a way and kept putting up points and at times even found a way to get Evans involved as his speed and overall athleticism were just too much to be contained throughout.

In the game Evans showed off good hands and a diverse ability to work at multiple levels in the passing game. His route running is a work in progress but with his burst and good feet, it’s a trait he figures to develop with ease.

Beyond all of that, Evans has as much enthusiasm for his blocking as any receiver Oklahoma has landed in recent years. He not only does admirable work but takes real pride in his ability to finish a block with a defender either on the ground or on the sideline.

Though Evans was the star everyone was looking for, it’s hard to argue that that were large portions of the back and forth battle that weren’t stolen by Johnson 2025 quarterback Ty Hawkins.

The sophomore quarterback was little known coming in and got off to a slow start but late in the second quarter he started to settle in and whether it was with his feet or with his arm he just kept making plays.

As he did, other players around him began to respond by making more and more plays of their own. And as he forced the Judson defense to chase him and extended one drive after another he began to wear down a front seven that had been dominant early on.

Hawkins is a true dual-threat quarterback who put up impressive numbers on the night, 22-38 for 317 yards and five touchdowns and has the look of a power five talent. There’s still a lot of unknown but it’s been a few years since a quarterback came from seemingly nowhere in such an opening performance.

In the end it was a pair of stars at very different moments in their recruiting paths but two that may well cross paths again in the college game.

*Two Judson defenders who were able to slow Hawkins at one point or another were 2024 safety Myles Davis and 2023 Rivals250 defensive lineman Johnny Bowens. Davis had a pair of interceptions and a bone-jarring hit, in short he’s another very likely power five prospect who has the frame to grow into a hybrid position if he continues to grow into his body at the college level.

Meanwhile, Bowens was very active and is incredibly powerfully built and early on was an unblockable force for Judson. As the game wore on and after many plays on the field, chasing Hawkins, he wore down a bit but there’s no question that when fresh he’s an absolutely dominant force and one of Texas’ best defensive linemen.