Booker making a Six-Man splash
It’s not unusual to see a team move down from the 11-man ranks and struggle early to adjust to the faster pace of Six-Man ball but Booker has made an early season statement. Behind 118 yards rushing from Adrian Rosales with three scores, the Kiowas spoiled Claude’s homecoming thanks to a 34-8 victory.
After taking down Anton last week, Booker (2-0) led 8-0 at the half and continued to make a name for itself by running away in the final two quarters from the improved Mustangs (1-1) while securing their second win on the season.
The Kiowas now get their toughest test of the season Thursday night when they take on Amherst and talented sophomore Joel Garcia in Wildorado.
Silverton nabs second solid win
Sawyer Francis was a top the Press Pass Sports watch list for a reason in early August and he’s backed up why in a major way. The 6-foot-3 sprinter racked up 160 yards on the ground with six touchdowns to lead Silverton to a 64-46 home victory over Paducah on Thursday night.
The Owls are now 2-0 on the season as Francis backed up his 259 yards last week against Petersburg with those 160 against the Dragons. Carlos Alanis and Jace Alvarado took advantage of a Paducah defense designed to stop Francis by combining for 128 yards and three scores. Alanis also racked up 11 tackles along with teammate Zaden Ortiz and Francis added a sack for safety as the Owls finds themselves in the top ten of Division II.
Happy holds off Panthers in final minute
Happy nearly squandered a 26-point first quarter but was able to hang on in the final minute of the game to fend off a pesky Follett squad, 46-42, on the road on Thursday night.
After Happy (1-1) grabbed a commanding 32-8 first quarter advantage, the Panthers (0-2) relied on the arm of sophomore quarterback Wyatt Terrell and his 232 passing yards and track standout Julian Barton to close that deficit to 32-24 by halftime.
That duo of Terrell and Barton hooked up once again to begin the third for their third score of the game knocking Happy’s lead down, 32-30. The Cowboys answered right back on a Joey Blackmon 2-yard plunge and was poised to expand the lead on their next possession but a fumble at the goal line gave the Panthers the ball back.
However, Quay Hodges racked up a safety giving the Cowboys breathing room at 40-30. The two teams exchanged scores in the fourth before the Cowboys marched the length of the field sitting at the doorstep of a three-possession lead with 1:18 to go.
That’s when Happy’s Cutter Hodges coughed up the ball at the goal line and Follett recovered. Two plays later Osiel Ventura found paydirt and the Panthers were looking to pull off a major comeback win. The ensuing onside kick took a favorable bounce, but Happy’s Noe Juarez rose high in the air to snare the ball and victory for Happy. Jared Stoker paced the Cowboys offense with 125 yards rushing while Barton netted 158 yards on five catches for Follett.
News and notes
Nazareth bounced back in a big way after last week’s loss to Whiteface by drubbing Hart at home 57-8.
The third meeting in 12 months between Groom and Amherst was never in
doubt as a talented Bulldogs squad waxed the No. 10 Tigers 49-0 Friday night.
Wildorado lost a shootout to Azle Christian 70-46 as Andy Wisniewski’s 315 yards passing and six touchdowns was too much for the Mustangs to overcome.
Miami has opened the season with two straight mercy-rule victories as they took out Lefors 54-0. Quarterback Haiden Thompson had three passing scores and a rushing touchdown while Luke Wheeler made 10 tackles.
White Deer grabbed a win over Anton 31-22 as Brodie Weathers racked up 116 rushing yards and 75 passing with four combined touchdowns to lead head coach Justin Rucker’s squad to their first win of the year.
McLean was the second Amarillo-area team to find the road a tough one in Benjamin as Grayson Rigdon scored seven times to lead the Mustangs to a 74-12 beating of the Tigers.
In a battle of two teams needing a win, Holy Cross Catholic Academy took down Darrouzett 52-32 on Saturday afternoon. The Mustangs were paced by quarterback Andrew Britten’s 149 yards passing and three TDs.
Statewide recap
After being upset in Week 1, No. 7 and two-time defending UIL Class 1A Division I state champion Westbrook bounced back in a big way picking up a 64-14 victory over No. 4 Jonesboro Thursday night. Keegan Gilbreath led the way for the Wildcats rushing for 110 yards and three scores.
Jayton and Klondike squared off Friday night in a battle of top five teams for an early season showdown. The Jaybirds took advantage of an early 35-6 lead to hold off the Cougars 56-34.
Barrett Jackson piled up four rushing touchdowns as the second ranked Red Devils of Rankin defeated No. 8 Buena Vista 59-20.
The stat of the week likely belongs Joel Valdez of No. 5-ranked Cherokee. Valdez went 13-of-18 through the air for 348 yards with an eye-popping eight touchdowns while racking up 21 tackles on the defensive side of the ball.
Week 3 brings big time matchups
We noted earlier that Booker takes on an Amherst team next week in a great early season matchup. The Kiowas have surprised many with two straight wins and the Bulldogs and their spread offense will likely be ranked in the top ten of Division II when they meet.
Happy doesn’t get a breather as Springlake-Earth heads to the Cowboy Corral riding a 46-21 win over Valley in Patriot territory on Friday night.
Claude makes the long road trip to Borden County where the Coyotes are tough to beat at home and Groom heads south to take on Nazareth looking to avenge a loss at home last year.
No matchup, however, will top the 100th meeting between Strawn and No. 1-ranked Gordon on Saturday. The two towns are separated by eight miles of road on Highway 108 and the dislike between the two small towns is epic. To get a feel for the feelings of each town just check out Texas 6 on the Paramount Network which chronicles two seasons of Greyhound ball in Strawn.