With the offense firing on all cylinders and the defense operating as a collective wall, the Houston High School football team beat Salem 54-12 Friday night in a South Central Association conference game in Tiger Stadium.
The host Tigers took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter with a pair of touchdowns following fumble recoveries.
The first came with 7:10 left in the period when freshman linebacker Tucker Venn caught a loose ball in the air and returned it 78 yards into the end zone. The second occurred with 3:29 remaining when senior quarterback DJ Riley finished a 29-yard drive with a 1-yard TD run. The score was made possible thanks to a 15-yard pass from Riley to junior receiver Kane Crawford on a fourth down play at the 27.
PHOTOS: HHS vs. Salem game
Junior Dillon Shelton booted extra points after both touchdowns.
Salem got in on the fumble action by recovering one at the Houston 17-yard line with 1 second to go in the quarter. The visiting Tigers then scored on the first play of the second quarter on a pass over the middle from senior quarterback Hayden Ragsdale to sophomore tight end Titus White.
Houston’s defense stopped a 2-point conversion run and the score was 14-6 in favor of the home squad.
The host Tigers then took control of the game with three more touchdowns before halftime.
The first came with 10:59 to go in the second quarter on a perfectly executed 64-yard hook-and-ladder play, with Riley tossing the ball to Crawford, who flipped it to Venn, who raced down the right sideline into pay dirt.
The second was recorded with 6:32 left when junior running back Aaron “Tank” McCarthy ran 36 yards after blockers created an opening for him and he rambled through the right side of the line into open territory.
The third came with 3:25 on the clock when Riley threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to senior Caden Guerra, who was wide open behind the middle of the Salem secondary and ran untouched into the end zone.
Shelton connected on extra point kicks after all three scores, and Houston held a commanding 35-6 advantage at the break.
Houston added two more touchdowns in the third quarter.
The first came early in the period when Riley broke tackles for a 10-yard scoring run on a fourth-and-3 play and the second happened when senior linebacker Mason Dodson caught another fumble in midair and returned it 67 yards for a score.
Shelton booted an extra point after Riley’s TD, but his kick was blocked after Dodson’s, leaving the host Tigers with a 48-6 lead.
Houston extended the margin with 7:42 left in the final period when sophomore running back MJ Morgan ran 58 yards down the left side of the field for a touchdown, breaking four tackles on his way to the end zone. Shelton had a rare miss on the point-after kick, but the host Tigers were up 54-6.
With JV players on the field for both teams, Salem added a token 6 points with 4:31 left on a 41-yard scoring run by sophomore Rylan Renaud.
The game was played in front of a huge homecoming crowd. Before the opening kickoff, the game ball was delivered by an Air Evac crew that landed a helicopter in the center of the Tiger logo at midfield. It was presented to HHS student Cash Copley and 1945 HHS alum Oneta Aldridge Farris, who is the oldest living alumni residing in Houston.
Next week, Houston (2-1, 1-0 SCA) travels down U.S. 63 for the annual Battle of Texas County at Cabool.
VIDEO: Oneta Farris, oldest Houston High School graduate, honored after Air Evac landing.
