Rams win first SAC championship since 1941

The Rams took home the Sooner Athletic Conference championship trophy for the first time in 81 years.
The Rams took home the Sooner Athletic Conference championship trophy for the first time in 81 years.

 

The Texas Wesleyan University Rams football team beat the Lyons College Scots with the score of 64 to 21, earning the Rams their first contemporary Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) championship win since 1941.  

The first half of the game started strong with Rams running back Ernest Cesar III scoring a touchdown after a 67-yard rush within the first minute of the game. The Rams and Scots then traded possession after possession with few points scored and the Rams leading 21-15 by halftime. 

After halftime, the Scots scored a passing touchdown tying the game, only for the Rams to pull ahead with an 83-yard kickoff return touchdown by Rams wide receiver Jaysen Price. The Rams then scored touchdown after touchdown, extending their lead while their defense denied the Scots any more scoring drives for the rest of the game.  

Rams Defensive back Jamarrion Reed celebrates winning the championship.
Rams Defensive back Jamarrion Reed celebrates winning the championship.

“It’s really history that we made this year,” said Rams player and senior Ty Williams. “It’s a beautiful thing.” Winning the SAC championship has set a new precedent that future Rams will have to beat in the future, and Williams is confident that they will. “[These] younger dudes, they’re real big playmakers,” he said. “[The record is] going to get broken in the future.”  

“[I’m] really proud of the seniors” said Rams offensive lineman Wyatt Hail. “They’ve been here through the ups and downs, but we’re finally on the up and up and it’s fantastic. [The seniors] stuck with it through the years, congrats to them and the program.” 

Fans of the Rams were excited to watch the game play out. Andrea Lafrance, defensive back Vondrice Lafrance’s mother, said that she was excited about her son’s performance during the game.  

She also expressed her love for the whole team, stating “Vondrice [is] my son, but I’ve got a lot of other sons on the team too.” 

Soon after being drenched in Gatorade by his celebrating players, Rams Head Coach Joe Prud’homme said, “We were slow in the first half, but we sure played better in the second…I was happy with how we finished it out.”  

This win marks the last game the Rams will play before the playoffs, and while there has not been an official announcement revealing that the Rams made it, Prud’homme is optimistic. “I think we’re ready for the playoffs If they’re ready for us.” 

Rams players drenched head coach Joe Prud’homme in celebration after the game. The Gatorade used was iced and the temperature at the time was 46 degrees Fahrenheit.
Rams players drenched head coach Joe Prud’homme in celebration after the game. The Gatorade used was iced and the temperature at the time was 46 degrees Fahrenheit.