ST. JAMES –– The Houston High School football team has shown it can be competitive. A third-quarter lead at St. James proved as much.
Now comes the difficult next step, according to coach Billy O’Neil.
“Now we need to go beyond competing,” he said. “We need to get the win.”
The Tigers were on the brink of breaking their long losing skid last Thursday night. After senior Kaden Miller bulldozed his way into the end zone, Houston had a third-quarter lead and was mere minutes away from its first win in three seasons.
But St. James answered with a fourth-quarter score and held off the Tigers. The 25-20 defeat was the 22nd in a row for HHS.
“We’re heading in the right direction,” O’Neil said. “We’re going to get over that hump. I can feel it. It’s coming.”
Momentum appeared to be on the Tigers’ side when Miller scored from four yards out –– his third rushing touchdown –– with 3 minutes, 56 left in the third. Drake Bell ran in the two-point conversion to give HHS a one-point lead and send the sidelines and HHS crowd into a frenzy.
The Tigers (0-2) forced a punt on St. James’ next possession and took over with the lead and the ball. But on the next play, quarterback Weston Walker’s long pass down the middle of the field was intercepted by St. James’ Jake Ford.
Ford returned the ball to the HHS 19-yard line and seven plays later, St. James took a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.
Turnovers have been an early-season issue for the Tigers. Their seven miscues have led to 41 points by the opponent. St. James converted three interceptions into 13 points.
O’Neil took responsibility for going after a big play with lead and deep in his team’s own territory.
“I’ll take responsibility for that one,” O’Neil said of the interception that led to the eventual game-winning score. “I thought the defense would suck up to stop the run, and we could go over the top of them. Unfortunately, they had their best player at safety, and he made a play.
“I thought I’d catch them by surprise and get a big play, and it backfired on us.”
Houston controlled the clock with its running game that netted 259 yards on 53 carries. Miller led the way with 82 yards. Nathaniel Alkire had 77 rushing yards, highlighted by a 46-yard scamper that was the Tigers’ longest play from scrimmage this season.
St. James (2-0) did its damage in the air. Quarterback Dusty Snelson completed 14 of his 23 passes for 174 yards and a pair of scores. Ford added another 67 yards with a halfback pass for a first-quarter touchdown.
Four plays after Bell picked off a Snelson pass over the middle, Miller scored from four yards out to put Houston ahead 6-0 in the first.
St. James answered just 43 seconds later with Ford’s halfback pass to Braxton Ubben, who was wide open in the secondary.
Snelson added touchdown throws of 20 and 14 yards to give St. James a 19-6 second-quarter advantage.
The Tigers responded with a methodical drive down the field. Beginning on the HHS 25, the Tigers marched down the field in 13 plays. Miller capped the drive with an impressive 10-yard carry as he shed three tacklers and dragged another across the goal line.
“He dragged kids along,” O’Neil said. “If it was one-on-one, he’d go over them.”
Miller, a fullback, has the first responsibility of opening holes for the wing backs in the Tigers’ offense. But he led the team with 17 carries –– five more than Walker.
O’Neil said he prefers to have an even distribution of carries among his running backs. But he found himself continuing to put the ball in Miller’s hands.
“They couldn’t stop him, so I kept going back to him,” O’Neil said. “And he was up to the challenge.”
A competitive game –– but a loss nonetheless –– behind them, the Tigers will attempt to end their slide in Friday’s home opener against winless Cuba.
“I told the kids that teams probably prepare for us as much as they do a rival because they don’t want to be the team that loses to us,” O’Neil said. “It’s not going to be given to us. We have to want it more than they do and take it way from them.
“I think they’ve received the message and will be up for the challenge.”
Week 2 scores
St. James 25, Houston 20
Strafford 36, Cabool 6
Springfield Central 37, Willow Spgs 35, OT
Mountain Grove 66, Hollister 20
Salem 48, Confluence Prep 0
Liberty 32, Springfield Catholic 16
Ava 14, Logan-Rogersville 12
Highland, Ark. 46, Thayer 6
Week 3 games
Cuba at Houston, 7 p.m.
Mountain Grove at Ava, 7 p.m.
Willow Springs at Cabool, 7 p.m.
Thayer at MV-Liberty, 7 p.m.
Owensville at Salem, 7 p.m.