Entering the game with a 4-1 record and hopes of continued success, the Houston High School football team stumbled last Friday night at Ava, dropping a South Central Association conference game 43-7.
The host Bears wasted no time in taking control of the contest, scoring twice within the first 2 minutes on short runs by 6-2, 220-pound senior fullback Hunter Adams.
With less than 2 minutes to go in the first quarter, junior Jacob Laub scored on a 9-yard run, and after a 2-point pass was successful, Ava led 20-0 going into the second period.
Before the first half was over, the Bears added touchdowns by Laub on an 18-yard option play and a 12-yard run by Adams, and by adding a pair of 2-point conversions they led 36-0 at the break.
With the turbo-clock running mercifully, neither team scored in the third quarter.
Ava tacked on another 7 points in the fourth period and led 43-0 after a 22-yard run by senior Thomas Merritt followed by an extra point kick.
Houston avoided a shutout when junior quarterback DJ Riley and senior Jordan Arthur hooked up on a 14-yard passing touchdown with 3:58 left in the contest. The final score was on the board after sophomore Dillon Shelton kicked an extra point.
The Bears’ option offense generated 404 total yards in the contest, including 394 on the ground. Adams finished with 197 yards rushing on 22 carries, while Laub ran for 88 yards on 7 tries.
“We didn’t do a very good job playing assignment football,” said HHS head coach Eric Sloan. “When you play an option team, you have to do your job and only your job. You are assigned to either dive, QB, or pitch. The fullback established himself in the run game early and it was over. We had other guys trying to leave their responsibility and help tackle the fullback and then the QB pulled the ball and we were exposed.”
Meanwhile, the Tigers had 207 total yards. Senior Maleki Morgan led Houston in rushing with 32 yards on 1 carry.
“Ava is a state ranked team with a four-year starter at fullback,” Sloan said. “We knew we would have to play great defensively and stay on the field offensively, and we didn’t do a good job of either one. We had some costly turnovers during the game; it’s hard to do that against a really good opponent.”
One bright spot for Houston was the effort of sophomore linebacker Cason Woosley, who was among the team leaders in tackles in his first career start.
“We feel like he has a very bright future ahead of him,” Sloan said.
This Friday (Oct. 11), the Tigers (4-2, 2-2 SCA) host Willow Springs (2-4, 1-3 SCA).
“We’re focusing a lot on fundamentals right now,” Sloan said. “We have to clean up some things. We have to be better on the O line, we have to make better reads and play catch when throwing the ball, running backs have to do a better job following blocks and taking care of the football and receivers have to make catches.
“We have to have a short memory and understand that we’re 25 seconds away from a great play.”
Ava will play this week at Thayer. Both teams will enter the matchup at 5-1 overall and 3-1 in SCA play.
