Jenks 2025 RB/DL Hudson Ball adjusting quite well in second season with the team

JENKS, OKLAHOMA – Hudson Ball scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter that lifted Jenks to a 24-10 victory over Edmond Santa Fe last Friday night in a quarterfinal victory. 

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That advanced the Trojans (7-4) to another trip to the Class 6AI state semifinal and another matchup against rival Tulsa Union (10-1).

Ball, a junior, (6-foot-3, 235 pounds) scored on TD runs of 10 and 4 yards, respectively, in the fourth quarter which broke a 10-all score. He also had one sack, two tackles for loss, and a couple of assists on defense.

“I don’t know if it was really special (to be scoring). I wasn’t really expecting that (to get the call),” Ball said with a smile. “(Fellow running back) Kaydin (Jones) usually gets the touchdowns. I just never expected to get two touchdowns in a game.”

But Ball did and that was all his team needed to get the win.

BALL'S BACKGROUND

Ball came to Jenks last season prior to his sophomore season from Shiloh Christian, a Class 4A program out of Springdale, Ark.

He embraced the Trojan tradition once he arrived.

“The coaching is so much better than what it was there,” Ball said. “I’ve grown from what I was to what I am now, and it is such a big difference.

"The competition is a lot better here, and I wanted to see how I would be in competition that was better than 4A. So that’s what I like about being here, the competition and the coaching.”

Ball will be back for this senior year next season, but he already has a Division I offer from UNLV, where Oklahoma native Barry Odom is the head coach. Ball added he is hoping for more offers to come.

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GAINING REVENGE

In last Friday's win, Simian Gilkey put Jenks up 7-0 with 5:58 left in the first quarter on a 6-yard TD run. That came on a drive set up by a Trojan fumble recovery on the Santa Fe 46-yard line.

An exchange of field goals brought the score to 10-3 at halftime.

The Wolves tied the score with their only TD – a fumble return by William Shoemaker for 52 yards on defense, early in the second half. But Ball's two TDs in the fourth quarter proved to be the difference.

With the win, Jenks avenged a 27-26 loss to Santa Fe on the same field back in its season opener on Aug. 25. Wolves’ running back Demarius Robinson rushed for 181 yards that night and entered the game with more than 2,100 for the 2023 season.

But against the Trojan defense this time around, Robinson was limited to 37 yards on 19 carries.

“We game-planned all week for him,” Ball said. “We really stopped him by executing every play. That was the main guy on offense.

"That’s what we game-planned all week; stop the run.”

Jenks finished with 362 yards of offense while Santa Fe could only generate 119.

Owen Jones finished with 215 yards on 15-of-17 passing attempts and Kaydin Jones totaled 176 yards, with 93 on six catches and 83 on the ground.

UNION AGAIN

Next for the Trojans is "Backyard Bowl" rival Tulsa Union in the 6AI state semifinals this Friday evening at Sand Springs. That game is scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m.

The other semifinal Friday pits defending 6AI champion Bixby and Owasso, set for 1 p.m., also at Sand Springs.

Jenks beat the Redhawks, 31-24, on Sept. 8 at Allan Trimble Stadium.

Ball and company know it won’t be easy to win a second time.

“I think they’ll (Union) come out swinging,” Ball said. “Obviously, we beat them last time. It’s kind of hard to beat a team twice.

"(Union quarterback) Shaker (Reisig) is back (from an injury), so we got to do well against the pass. Last time we played them, we did well against the run. But we are going to have to execute better than we did last time.”

Photo of Jenks' Hudson Ball from his X page

-- Mike Moguin | @SBLiveOK