SAN ANGELO, Texas – The second-ranked Angelo State football team locked up the 2022 Lone Star Conference Championship on Saturday, defeating Central Washington 22-12 at LeGrand Stadium at 1st Community Credit Union Field.
 
It is the fourth LSC championship in program history and the first outright title since the 1984 season. The Rams improve to 10-0 on the season and 8-0 in conference play.
 
ASU tallied 395 yards of total offense, putting up 22 points in the second half while holding the Wildcats to one touchdown and two field goals in the game.
 
Central Washington was on the board first, collecting a tipped pass before going 76 yards for the touchdown to take a 6-0 lead after missing the PAT.
 
The Wildcats' defense held to Rams to a punt on the following two possession before adding a field goal from 25 yards out to extend their lead.
 
With under two minutes to go in the first half, the Rams drove to the goal line before coming up just short as the Wildcats took a 9-0 lead into the break.
 
In the second half, the Rams moved the ball into the red zone on a 28-yard run by Zach Bronkhorst. He followed that up with a 20-yard pass to Kel Williams for a touchdown to bring the score to 9-7.
 
Nate Omayebu III collected 104 yards on the ground to lead both teams while surpassing the 1,000-yard mark for the season.
 
CWU added three more points with just over two minutes to play in the third quarter, converting a 42-yard field goal attempt.
 
In the very next drive for the Rams, Bronkhorst connected with Zorhan Rideaux on a 66-yard touchdown pass to give the Rams their first lead of the night. ASU made the two-point conversion to go up 15-12 at the end of the third.
 
Bronkhorst finished with 228 passing yards on 11 completions and three touchdowns. Rideaux was the leading receiver with 69 yards and a touchdown followed by Kason Philips and Kel Williams with 45 and 44 yards.
 
After CWU started its drive inside ASU territory, Micah Flowers forced a fumble to give the Rams back possession with 11:09 to go in the contest.
 
With time winding down, the Rams extended their lead as Bronkhorst threw his third touchdown pass of the game, finding Matthew Carter from two yards out to secure the title.
 
Amieh Williams and Jordan McKinney led the Rams with seven tackles each while DeShaun Douglas and Micah Flowers both grabbed an interception.
 
The Rams will close out the regular season on the road next week as they travel to Midwestern State on Saturday, Nov. 12.