Photo by Undre of ossports
No. 4 state ranked Mustangs flexed
its muscle
Klein – Coach Kay made it clear his team has a long way to go. The
inexperience on the offensive side of the ball prompted Kay to view four
different quarterbacks and several running backs, among other positions. What
he witnessed alleviated some concern.
Trying to convince the Tigers of Kay’s situation is more like telling a
funny joke. With nearly 12 minutes left in the second quarter, North Shore led,
20-0, and eventually walked away with a 34-7 victory on the strength of its
defense on Friday evening at Klein Memorial Stadium.
With the wealth of experience returning on defense, the Mustangs had its way
most of the evening, barring Klein Collins’ lone score.
Senior linebacker Kent Battle led a charge that included defensive linemen
Jacoby Brass, Jaylon Joseph, Tai Leonard, Kris Ross, Ronald Wilson, linebackers
PJ Douglas, and Josh Garrett. The Mustangs stunned Klein Collins’ offense with
cornerback bliss and upfront pressure from a host of talented pass rushers
factoring several stops for loss yards and no gain.
“We have a lot of experience returning on that side of the ball
(defense),” says North Shore coach Jon Kay. “They are really playing
well together. We got some high expectations for those guys.”
Despite junior receiver David Amador started at quarterback, the search for
leaders continued as Coach Kay threw three other quarterbacks into action,
including Aubrey Broussard, Derrell Jean, and Wendell Mitchell. Running backs
who saw action, Damon Ford, Treyventa Hilliard, Rashaad Johnson, and Xavier Owens
all shared time carrying the ball.
“We are trying to get better now,” Mustangs’ coach Kay said.
“I thought our kids took the next step, but we still have a long, long way
to go. We saw some kids settle in at quarterback, and that’s what we are
looking for.”
The Mustangs (1-0) opened the contest with a 74-yard scoring possession.
Amador’s 14-yard swing pass to Xavier Owens gave North Shore a first down at
the 44. Then Amador put the final touches on the drive, blasting up the middle
and sprinting 56 yards. After the extra point kick from Andres Montez, the
Mustangs led, 7-0, with 11:08 left in the first quarter.
On the ensuing drive, Tigers’ quarterback Tucker Parks had his throwing arm
jolted under a heavy rush, causing the ball to go airborne as Battle caught the
loose ball and returned it 38-yards for a touchdown. The extra point try
failed, but North Shore increased its lead, 13-0 at the 8:08 mark of the first
quarter.
“They (North Shore) popped a big one on us,” Coach Mitchell
declared. “Then we threw a pick-six in the first six minutes of the
football game. We tried to bounce back, but we got hit in the mouth. You recoil
and try to hit them in the mouth.”
After a couple of stops, junior quarterback Jean saw his first action of the
game. The possession eventually halted after Tigers’ defensive back Tarik Demby
sacked Amador at the Klein Collins 37, who returned to quarterback on fourth
and two, resulting in a turnover of downs.
Ford and Logan gave the ground game a boost. Ford found running room up the
middle while breaking a pair of arm tackles to reach the end zone, pushing the
lead, 20-0.
Two series later, Klein Collins avoided the first-half shutout when it used
a turnover to springboard to its first score. Following Brass’ five-yard sack
of Tigers quarterback Tucker Parks, Parks fired a 47-yard touchdown strike to
junior receiver Ethan Wyatt who escaped the grasp of a defender to bounce in
the end zone with 1:09 left in the second quarter. That made the score 20-7
after Carter Carr-Walls’ extra-point kick.
“We are being challenged right now, and as a team, I feel like we made
some strides in the right direction, coming from week one to week two, and
that’s what you want,” Tigers coach Adrian Mitchell explained. “In
non-district, you want to improve. If you win, you win, but ultimately you are
trying to be district champions to set up a playoff position so you can
continue to move forward.”
After, the Mustangs’ defense continued to suffocate Klein Collins’ offense
and dominate the line of scrimmage.
The Mustangs wasted little time using a third quarterback, Mitchell, to
execute a 70-yard drive in five plays. Receiver Jhalyn Bailey’s 14-yard reverse
set the tone. The next three plays comprised of two rushing and one pass play
to gain the 45-yard line of Klein Collins before junior quarterback Mitchell
delivered a bullet to Bailey, who walked into the end zone with 19 seconds
remaining in the first half.
North Shore opened the third quarter as it did in the first by marching to
the end zone. The possession featured tailback Johnson who rambled 15 yards to
the Tigers 43. Jean, which started the third quarter, spotted receiver Messiah
Dunham at seven, but a false start infraction followed. It did not stop Johnson
from taking over and bullying his way into the end zone from a yard away. That
made the score 34-7 and capped the scoring.
“We are getting it now after playing Atascocita and North Shore,”
Mitchell quoted. “You have to grow, and you can’t start off in the
hole.”
Things continued to snowball for the Tigers (1-0) in the second half. It had
no answer for the Mustangs, who watched Battle’s busy evening end with a fumble
return for a score, three sacks, and three tackles for no gain. North Shore
finished its day with six sacks and forced five turnovers.
The Mustangs also held an advantage in first downs, 16-8, and yards, 358 to
105.