Photo by Andre Odums/ossports
C.E. King – Last season’s preparation limited what the Hornets faced as it traveled to Northeast Houston. The Panthers pressed the accelerator early and often.
C.E. King’s defense surrendered a touchdown, and its offensive used a balanced attack to subdue Huntsville, 49-6 at Sheldon ISD Stadium on Friday night.
“I knew they would be heavy senior-laden with 6A numbers, but they are also extremely talented, and they physically whipped us on both lines of scrimmage,” Hornets coach Rodney Southern admitted. “But we also have gotten spoiled in Huntsville. We’ve won many football games over the last four years.”
The pre-district matchup watched the Panthers avenge last season’s 17-12 loss.
C.E. King’s defense pressured all phases of the game. Led by defensive ends Jo’Lacey Bernard, Brylon Jackson, and linebacker Roy Morris, its defense forced five turnovers and two sacks in a dominating effort.
A few plays into the game, C.E. King’s relentless defense forced a fumble after laying a lick on Huntsville’s quarterback AJ Wilson at the Hornets 46.
C.E. King’s tailback Jerrell Wimbely carried the ball three times, finishing the series with a 38-yard scoring run which gave the Panthers the early 7-0 lead after Christopher Bonilla’s kick.
The Panthers piled up 439 yards in total offense as opposed to 154 for Huntsville.
“I felt we got better from last week,” Panthers’ coach Derek Fitzhenry explained. “We eliminated some mistakes. All in all, we’re really happy with the win. We still have stuff to work on.”
After trading possessions, C.E. King cashed in its second turnover after defensive back Ja’Kobe Crawford intercepted Wilson at the Panthers 22 with 4:49 left in the first quarter.
Wimbely, with help from backfield mate DK Hammond, proved to be runaways behind an aggressive offensive line. Later, Wimbely broke free on a 36-yard touchdown run to conclude a seven-play 78-yard drive to help increase the Panthers’ lead, 14-0.
Hammond broke several arm tackles on the Panthers’ third scoring drive while rambling 77 yards to the Huntsville four-yard line. His four-yard touchdown run capped the frame after Bonilla’s bonus kick, pushing the deficit 21-0.
Huntsville punted three of its five second-quarter possessions. On its second series in the second quarter, the Panthers snuffed out Christian Avelar’s fake punt while escorting him out of bounds at the Hornets 34 yard line with 9:46 left in the second quarter.
Six minutes later, C.E. King added to its lead when junior quarterback Nehemiah Brousard went up top, finding wide-open speedster senior receiver Britt McKinney. That made the score 28-0.
“Sometimes, when you get one like this, you get humbled a little bit,” Southern said. “We got to make some corrections because we have to get ready for district.”
Brousard ended his evening 9-of-14 for 137 yards and two touchdowns. Hammond carried the ball 11 times for 155 yards and one score. Wimbely added 11 rushes for 109 yards and a touchdown, and Britt caught two balls for 66 yards and a touchdown.
As the game proceeded, the Panthers’ defense pressured Huntsville’s offense and its special teams. But the Hornets’ defense took advantage of an opportunity when C.E. King’s punter Efren Jasso mismanaged the snap from center, giving Huntsville a first down at the Panthers’ 19. Wilson rolled to his right two plays later and threw a strike to tight end Tre Taylor, with 2:47 left in the second quarter. The two-point conversion failed, and Huntsville trailed, 28-6.
“I think they had eight coming back on offense and a great quarterback that’s explosive,” Fitzhenry mentioned. “We want to play a team like that before we go into this district and thought the kids rose to the occasion.”
Wilson passed for 110 yards on 13-of-24 attempts, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Receiver Kameron Cole had six receptions for 75 yards.
C.E. King’s defense challenged the Hornets throughout the game.
The half would not settle until C.E. King captured the momentum as Brousard hurled a rope at Marque William, who got behind Hornets secondary in the end zone with no time left in the second quarter. Bonilla made good on the extra point kick, expanding the score 35-6 with six seconds remaining in the second quarter.
C.E. King similarly began the third quarter, marching 75 yards in four plays. Brousard’s 16-yard pitch to receiver Malachi Boles spurred the drive, giving way to Hammond’s highlight touchdown run, bringing the home crowd to its feet. He split the middle, bounced off a defender, used a spin move to avoid a pair of defenders, and sprinted to the end zone.
When the Hornets believed it witnessed the worst, Taylor muffed the kickoff while signaling a fair catch. The turnover gave C.E. King excellent field position on the Hornets 35 yard line.
Once again, Brousard’s big-play pass found McKinney at the eight-yard line. Two plays later, backup sophomore running back Tyrone Scyrus scored, reflecting the final score, 49-6 with 9:04 to go in the third quarter.
Both teams traded turnovers on downs five times in the fourth quarter before Panthers’ backup sophomore quarterback Jesse Shelton, Jr. took the final snap as the clock wound down to zero.
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