BEN BOLT, Texas — The Badgers are one of five Coastal Bend high school football teams still undefeated after week 9. Ben Bolt is 8-0 on the season and 3-0 in UIL 2A-DII District 16. Ben Bolt senior quarterback Cristian Chapa was nearly unstoppable in their 84-19 victory over Riviera Kaufer. That’s why he’s our Game Changer of the Week.
"We're all good friends. We go to a small school," Chapa said. "Everybody knows each other, but It helps a lot just having chemistry and just knowing each other."
Chapa completed 15 of 18 passes on Friday, that's 83 percent, for 288 yards and 7 touchdowns. His confidence comes from having experienced teammates.
"The most important thing is the offensive line," Chapa said. "2 sacks through 8 games, that's unheard of. Those guys are the workhorse of the team."
Finding his receivers is nothing new. This fall, Chapa has thrown for 2,306 yards and 27 touchdowns.
"We have some guys at receiver. Those guys are just playmakers. Ryan, I mean over 1,000 yards already. Javi's going for 1,000 yards. Noah in the backfield, I mean you can just hand it off and he'll make a play. Zane, a freshman, he scored his first touchdown this past week," Chapa said. "Then EJ, he's just a weapon out there that you can just have."
Chapa is a leader on and off the field. He is a team captain, 3-year member of Leadership Council and a multisport athlete. His focus is centered on faith. Before the season kicked off, he encouraged a scripture be put on the back of their helmets.
"It was, I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race and I have kept the faith," Chapa said. "So senior year coming up we have a lot of guys, seniors, and we're just trying to finish the race and keep the faith."
The Badgers have two more games before playoffs.
Here's how Ben Bolt stacks up against their next opponents in the UIL 2A-DII District 16 standings. They're (3-0) alongside La Villa. Then the Badgers end the regular season with Agua Dulce.
"This team we can just fight through anything. Any adversity, anything we face," Chapa said. "I mean against Santa Maria we were down 2 times in the first half, 2 times in the second half, and there was never a doubt that we wouldn't come back and come back in that game."
Ben Bolt will look to stay undefeated on the road this Friday in La Villa. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Thank you to Thomas J. Henry for supporting Coastal Bend athletes.
