Powered by and active and potent passing game and stifling defensive play, the Houston High School football team defeated Willow Springs 49-6 in a South Central Association conference matchup last Friday night in Tiger Stadium.
Houston took control of the game from the outset and never relented, leading 20-0 after the first quarter and 42-6 at halftime.
“We started fast and played better in all aspects of the game,” said HHS head coach Eric Sloan.
After the visiting Bears’ offense came up empty for the first of many times during the contest, the Tigers began their early scoring binge at the 8:07 mark of the first quarter when junior quarterback DJ Riley tossed a 21-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Maleki Morgan, who was wide open over the middle. All the points the host squad would ultimately need were on the board after sophomore Dillon Shelton connected on the first of five extra points he booted on the night.
Before the period was over, Houston added two more touchdowns set up by long passing gains involving Riley and senior Jordan Arthur.
The first came on a 9-yard run by sophomore Aaron “Tank” McCarthy that was set up by a 46-yard Riley-to-Arthur bomb and the second came on a 5-yard run by senior Layne Seago two plays after Riley and Arthur hooked up on a 33-yard pass.
The second quarter opened with HHS senior lineman Chris Swallow intercepting a pass and returning it to the Willow Springs 21-yard line, and three plays later, Riley ran for a 2-yard touchdown.
With 3:51 left in the period, Houston’s lead increased to 34-0 on a 2-yard TD run by junior Jacob Lee and a 2-point conversion run by Arthur.
Then with 2:02 to go in the first half, the Bears avoided a shutout when senior quarterback Jace Rodgers scored on a 5-yard keeper.
But the Tigers responded by quickly moving the ball from their own 26-yard line and adding yet another touchdown with 22 seconds remaining on a 5-yard run by senior Bryson Jordan.
With the turbo-clock running, the second half went by in a hurry.
Houston got the only points in the half when Riley completed a couple of passes midway through the third quarter, including a perfectly thrown 32-yarder to Arthur (who made a leaping catch between a pair of defenders) and a 20-yard scoring toss to junior Caden Guerra.
The Tigers racked up 356 yards of total offense in the game.
Riley completed 10-of-12 passes for a career-high 215 yards, with Arthur hauling in 5 for a career-high 129 yards receiving.
“I thought DJ made very good reads this week,” Sloan said. “We didn’t really do anything fancy; we just took what they gave us and didn’t try to do too much. We hit some pretty big plays and were able to move the chains, and we got a lot of different people in the end zone by the end of the night.”
Meanwhile, 11 different players carried the ball at least once as Houston gained 141 yards on the ground. Seago led the way with 61 yards on 7 tries, while Riley and senior Bryson Jordan gained 25 yards apiece.
“That was fun to see,” Sloan said. “Nobody’s stats looked incredible at the end of the night, but when you spread the wealth along the way and you have a lot of people who are capable of doing different things, that sure makes it harder to defend.”
At linebacker, Bryson Jordan led the Tigers in tackling with 9 (all solo), while Arthur (at defensive back) and senior John Jordan (at linebacker) each notched 6.
During the fourth quarter, the Tigers’ Big Red Defense twice stopped the Bears on fourth-down plays at the Houston 2-yard line, including on the final play of the contest.
“I thought our defense played really well,” Sloan said. “We made them throw the ball a lot, and I don’t think that’s what they want to do. But if you’re forcing a running team to throw the ball, that’s a good night.”
This Friday, the Tigers (5-2, 3-2 SCA) travel to Mountain Grove. The Panthers (4-3, 4-1 SCA) have won four straight games and are part of a three-way log jam at the top of the conference standings, along with Thayer and Liberty.
“I think the conference is wide open and there are a lot of opportunities to be had,” Sloan said.
Mountain Grove will employ an option offense piloted by junior quarterback Aden Estep.
“It’s going to be assignment football again,” Sloan said. “Their quarterback is dangerous and does a lot of good things with his legs, and now he’s able to throw the ball as well. It’s definitely going to be a challenge, but we’re just going to have to show up and play the way we’re capable of.
“If we do that, we have a chance.”
