Scoring 5 touchdowns and allowing negative yardage in the first quarter, the Houston High School football team blanked Cabool 56-0 in the annual Battle of Texas County Friday night in Tiger Stadium.
The early offensive outburst in the South Central Association conference matchup on Homecoming Night began when the Tigers turned the game’s first possession into a 67-yard drive concluded by a 2-yard touchdown run by senior running back Bryson Jordan.
Before the period was over, Houston had scored 4 more touchdowns and led by the rare margin of 35-0 going into the second quarter.
After Jordan’s initial TD, the Tigers scored in the period on a 71-yard bomb from junior quarterback DJ Riley to senior Jordan Arthur, a 2-yard run by Riley (made possible by a nifty spin move), a 25-yard pass from Riley to Arthur and a 30-yard scamper by Riley.
“That was pretty wild,” said HHS head coach Eric Sloan. “We were able to execute from the very beginning and it just kept rolling.”
While the Tigers’ offense was conducting a clinic in the first quarter, the Big Red D was firing on all cylinders again, limiting the Bulldogs to minus 15 yards in the period.
Houston kept the pressure on in the second quarter, and scored on a 6-yard run by Riley, a 52-yard dash by senior Brayden Richardson and a 27-yard run by sophomore quarterback Kane Crawford to hold a 56-0 lead at halftime.
The Bulldogs were held to negative yardage in the half.
“We had some pretty explosive plays,” Sloan said, “and defensively we had kids flying around and playing very well, and we were getting a lot of guys to the football.
“I thought the kids executed the game plan very well.”
With the turbo clock running and JV players getting in some valuable snaps, the Tigers coasted home to the victory in the second half.
“It’s nice when you get a little bit of work out or your varsity,” Sloan said, “and then let those guys sit and get to watch the future play. At the end of the night, everybody played, your varsity guys stayed healthy and your young guys get some experience.
“That’s a perfect scenario.”
With help from junior holder Jakob Lee, sophomore kicker Dillon Shelton was a prefect 8-for-8 on extra points in the contest, after going 4-for-4 the previous week at Salem.
Houston’s offense racked up 504 total yards in the blowout, including 376 on the ground. Riley led the onslaught, rushing for a career-high 105 yards on 7 carries and completing 5-of-5 passes for 110 yards and 2 touchdowns. Bryson Jordan had a big night in the backfield, running for 95 yards on 7 carries.
Houston’s defense has allowed only 7 points in the last three games, and the Tigers have outscored the opposition 166-53 in four outings this season.
Lots of players got involved for the Big Red D against Cabool, with five linebackers being in on 5 tackles apiece, including seniors John Jordan and Bryson Jordan, junior Eli Newsome and sophomores Aaron “Tank” McCarthy and Cason Woosley.
Houston was without the services of senior running back and defensive lineman Layne Seago in the game, who was sidelined with a groin injury.
The last time the Tigers posted a shutout was in a 48-0 victory at Cuba in 2019.
“I thought our kids did a good job of focusing during the week,” Sloan said. “They controlled what they could control and took care of business.”
Houston (4-0, 2-0 SCA) hosts a key conference contest against Thayer (3-1, 1-1 SCA) at 2 p.m. this Saturday (Sept. 28).
“The schedule definitely ramps up at this point,” Sloan said, “and we understand what’s sitting in front of us. With that comes opportunity, and we’re excited about that.
“Thayer’s solid; they’re a great ball club and we’re going to have our work cut out for us, so it will have to be a great week of preparation heading into Saturday.”
The 205-pound Seago is expected to be available.
“We sure look better offensively when he’s on the field,” Sloan said. “He runs the ball mad and it takes a lot to bring him down.”
SCA scores:
Houston 56, Cabool 0
Liberty 34, Ava 12
Mountain Grove 37, Willow Springs 0
Thayer 68, Salem 0
