Powered by a speedy and prolific ground game, Mountain Grove beat Houston 46-13 in a South Central Association conference high school football game Friday in Tiger Stadium.
The visiting Panthers led 33-7 at halftime and coasted home after the break. Houston scored one touchdown in the first quarter and another in the fourth.
“We knew they were really good, obviously being state ranked in Class 3,” said HHS head coach Eric Sloan. “We were able to compete at times, but didn’t play good enough to compete for four quarters.”
Before the game, a Senior Night ceremony took place recognizing HHS seniors in fall sports, cheerleading and band.
Houston (4-4, 3-3 SCA) will wrap up the regular season with an SCA game against Liberty on Friday (Oct. 24) in Mountain View.
HHS junior Dillon Shelton punts the ball during the first quarter.Houston junior Aaron “Tank” McCarthy runs the ball during the first quarter. McCarthy ran 33 yards on the play and scored a touchdown.HHS senior running back Caden Guerra (21) loses control of the football on a running play in the second period. Guerra recovered the fumble himself and the Tigers maintained possession.HHS senior quarterback DJ Riley throws a pass during the Tigers’ loss to Mountain Grove. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Riley threw a 29-yard pass to junior Dillon Shelton for the second of Houston’s two touchdowns in the game.Pursued by Houston defenders Carter Allen (35) and Tucker Venn, Mountain Grove senior quarterback Aden Estep runs in open space Friday in Tiger Stadium. Estep led the Panthers’ offense in the game by scoring four rushing touchdowns and throwing one TD pass. He also recorded an interception at defensive back.The Tigers’ eight seniors played their last home game last Friday night. From left: DJ Riley, Elliot Greiner, Caden Guerra, Eli Newsome, Mason Dodson, Jakob Lee, Toby Head and Aron Flores.
To view photos from the game, with the option to purchase, click here.
Doug Davison is a writer, photographer and newsroom assistant for the Houston Herald. Contact him by phone at 417-967-2000 or by email at ddavison@houstonherald.com.
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