Canyon football player in white jersey (#3) sprinting with the ball tucked under his left arm, purple helmet visible. — Canyon’s Will Kilgore had a receiving touchdown and an interception return for a TD against Caprock on Thursday night at Dick Bivins Stadium. [Roy Wheeler/ Press Pass Sports]

A lesson in basics was conducted by the Canyon Eagles on Thursday night at Dick Bivins Stadium, and it seemed all the host Caprock Longhorns could do was take notes in the second half.

In a game which was more competitive than the score indicated at halftime, a potential intriguing second half appeared to be brewing when Caprock got the second half kickoff. However, a huge defensive play turned the tide for the Eagles, who simply didn’t give up the ball the rest of the way and rolled to a 37-7 victory to get their record back above .500.

The win was an indication of Canyon’s potential, which was also hinted at a week earlier in a 28-27 loss to Tascosa when the Eagles (2-1) were stopped short of victory on a thwarted 2-point conversion. They’re literally less than a yard from being unbeaten and they showed why on both sides of the ball against Caprock (1-2).

It’s kind of hard to decide whether the offense or defense had a better game. While the defense turned the tide of the game with a third quarter pick six, the offense simply ran the ball down Caprock’s throat, particularly in the second half. The Eagles kept their defense off the field in the second half, as the Longhorns ran only 11 plays after halftime.

“I thought our defense played phenomenal tonight,” Canyon coach Matt Lovorn said. “We had some fourth down stops that were just great after we gave up a few third and longs early. Eventually we settled in. Our run game was very good and we were able to be very efficient with our play action and deep passes.”

Two football players in white and purple uniforms celebrate on the field at night, one jumping with arms raised and the other embracing him. — Canyon teammates Will Kilgore (3) and Reece Baca (10) celebrate after a touchdown against Caprock on Thursday. [Roy Wheeler/ Press Pass Sports]

Canyon really didn’t seem to be in much trouble for most of the evening, but it wasn’t until the second half that the Eagles soared away from the Longhorns. That’s when they ran for 154 of their 247 yards and on defense, they gave up a grand total of 11 yards and no first downs.

The first half was actually closer than the score indicated, as three Canyon touchdown drives were countered by Caprock being stopped on fourth down three times. Riding the momentum of a Hail Mary touchdown pass on the last play of the half, Caprock had the the second half kickoff and an opportunity to cut into a 21-7 deficit.

Three plays into the second half, though, the curtain closed instantly on that momentum. Caprock quarterback KT Medlock threw late over the middle and Canyon’s Will Kilgore picked it off and returned it 39 yards for a score to make it 28-7 and deflate the Longhorns for the remainder of the game.

“Once I caught the ball I thought I was going to get hit pretty hard but it didn’t happen,” said Kilgore, who made an even bigger play on offense in the first half. “I just spun around and as soon as I saw four or five people headed my way I knew I could make them miss and score.”

It erased whatever mojo the Longhorns had built after they scored on the final play of the first half on a 34-yard Hail Mary throw from Medlock to Canon Polivoda for a touchdown. Kilgore’s score amplified the frustration Caprock had experienced up to that point.

“There were a couple of instances in the first half where we gave up third down conversions and we were stopped on fourth down going in to score,” Caprock coach Rowdy Freeman said. “We were close then we hit that big play right before half and we were pretty pumped. We talked at halftime about how the drive coming out was going to be one of the most important drives of the season so far and the last thing we can do there is turn it over and put points on the board for the other team.”

Canyon player in white uniform runs with the football as defenders close in on the field edge. — Canyon running back Austin Turner had 111 yards rushing against Caprock on Thursday night. [Roy Wheeler/ Press Pass Sports]

After another defensive stop, Canyon’s offense took over exclusively on the ground. The Eagles marched down the field and ate up the clock, concluding their first offensive possession of the second half with Jalyn Keith’s 1-yard scoring run to make it 34-7 with 2:17 left in the second quarter and signal the end of the game’s competitive phase.

Canyon pulled the offensive starters to start the fourth quarter, but that didn’t slow down the Eagles forward momentum with the ball. Reece Baca replaced Brox Hacker at quarterback and they moved down the field to drain 7 ½ minutes off the clock, and when the drive stalled, Lane Burton salvaged it with a 24-yard field goal to make it 37-7 and conclude the scoring.

“Those guys are ready to go at any moment because they get a lot of practice reps,” Lovorn said of his second team offense. “When they get in there they take pride in carrying the football.”

Hacker was Canyon’s dominant offensive performer, especially in the first half. He ran for touchdowns from 14 and 6 yards in the first quarter to give the Eagles a 14-0 lead.

Between those two scores, the Eagles stopped Caprock on downs. Caprock then put together a drive and moved to the Canyon 3-yard line on the ensuing possession.

However, on fourth down, Canyon stopped Joe Carrasco after a carry to the Canyon 1. Two plays later, Hacker hit Kilgore on a 97-yard touchdown pass for a 21-0 lead.

Hacker completed 8-of-11 passes for 191 yards and ran for 37 yards.

“I feel like these guys have confidence in me and that means I can go out there and prove myself because they have my back and that’s what I love about it,” Hacker said. “It’s all about trusting coach Lovorn because I know he’s going to get us in the right spots. Whatever the game plan is we’re going to be rocking with it and executing it the best that we can.”

Caprock running back in gray uniform carries the football downfield during a game, pursued by opponents in white jerseys. — Caprock’s Joe Carrasco looks for yards against the Canyon defense during a non-district game Thursday night at Dick Bivins Stadium. [Roy Wheeler/ Press Pass Sports]

No matter what happens the rest of this season, the bomb from Hacker to Kilgore will be featured prominently in Canyon’s 2026 highlight film when all is said and done. That and the interception have cemented Kilgore’s big play reputation, as he also had two long scoring catches from Hacker last week against Tascosa.

“I’m just doing my job and Brox is delivering great balls,” Kilgore said. “The line’s doing a great job holding up and the coaches are calling the right plays. I dropped a a post against Tascosa and I knew it couldn’t happen again.”

In the final two minutes of the half, the Eagles got the ball in their own territory and faced a fourth-and-two at midfield. Hacker threw an incompletion, and with 21 seconds left the Longhorns had one last shot.

With six seconds left, Carrasco was stopped after a 1-yard gain, but officials threw a flag on Canyon for a late hit, moving the ball to the Canyon 34. On the last play of the half, Medlock lofted a bomb in the end zone which Polivoda caught as the half ended to cut the margin to 21-7.

Canyon’s Austin Turner quietly had a big game running the ball with a game-high 111 yards on 18 carries, most of them coming on the third quarter touchdown drive.