There was lots of scoring in a South Central Association conference football game Friday night in Tiger Stadium.
Unfortunately for the host Houston High School squad, visiting Ava did the bulk of it, as the Bears beat the Tigers 59-31.
Ava built a big lead before Houston got on the board, as sophomore quarterback Aiden Lane scored on runs of 3 and 54 yards in the first quarter and threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to junior fullback Hunter Adams on the first play of the second quarter. The Bears added 2-point conversions on the first two TDs and led 22-0 after failing on the third.
Houston closed the gap midway through the second period when senior running back Grayson Mitchell ran 58 yards to the Ava 4-yard line and then followed up moments later with a 2-yard touchdown run. After senior quarterback Wyatt Hughes tossed a pass to junior wide receiver Jordan Arthur for a 2-point conversion, the deficit was 22-8 with 6:35 left.
The Bears responded quickly with a 61-yard scoring run by Adams and another 2-pointer.
The Tigers then retaliated when Mitchell broke loose from traffic and dashed 56 yards down the right sideline for another touchdown at the 3:21 mark of the period. After Hughes and Arthur hooked up on another 2-point pass, Ava was up 30-16 and the score remained that way at the break.
The Bears increased their advantage midway through the third quarter when Lane finished a sustained drive with a 3-yard scoring run, and they led 38-16 after a successful 2-point run.
The Tigers struck again with 4:53 left in the period when Hughes hit Arthur with a pass, and Arthur ran about 20 yards before entering the end zone for a 42-yard scoring play. After senior Brady Brookshire ran for 2 points, the Tigers trailed 38-24.
But the Bears’ high-octane offense added two more touchdowns before the quarter was over, as senior Rylon Dixon scored on a 49-yard run on an option play and a 10-yard run through traffic. Dixon added a 2-point run on the first TD, but was stopped on the second and the Bears were up 52-24 going into the fourth quarter.
Then with 6:29 to go in the contest, Dixon scored on a 77-yard run and junior Malachi Williams booted an extra point, and Ava held a commanding 59-24 lead.
Houston finished out the scoring with 1:34 to go on a 40-yard touchdown run by junior Bryson Alexander and an extra point by senior Stone Jackson.
The Tigers (3-3, 2-2 SCA) travel to Willow Springs next Friday.