The Tigers certainly looked like a new team as they handily beat the Pine Tree Pirates 30-13 tonight at Grimm Stadium. Texas High ran the ball effectively and played excellent defense in their victory.

The swarming Tiger defense forced four turnovers and was able to set their offense up with superb field position. In turn, the offense, namely junior running back Treveon Walker, was able to capitalize on these opportunities.

The offense was electric throughout the course of the game. Walker led the team with 31 carries for a total of about 239 rushing yards and averaged close to eight yards a pop. He also found the endzone twice.

“It feels great,” Walker said. “It’s an honor. I couldn’t do it without my team. It feels good to win. You just can’t lose a home game.”

The rest of the offense was also solid. Junior quarterback Clete Norton went 5-13 and threw a touchdown strike to senior tight end Jackie Allen.

“We fought hard and our offensive line did great and our defense did great,” Norton said. “I think we were a lot more focused coming into district.”

Allen’s reception was off a play-action pass set up by the numerous long-distance runs by Walker and gave the Tigers their biggest lead of the night.

“I was wide open,” Allen said. “I just kind of waved my arm up there and told Clete to throw it to me. He kind of lobbed it in, and it was a touchdown from there.”

The defense played aggressively and disrupted numerous plays. One play in particular was the strip and recovery of the ball by junior middle linebacker Anthony Rhone.

“Anytime your defense can create a turnover from the offense, it’s a big deal,” Rhone said. “I wanted to take it in to score, but we got the ball in the hands of our offense and that’s a good thing.”

The Tigers’ game plan and toughness played key roles in the victory tonight. If the Tigers keep this up, they should have no problem rolling through the rest of their schedule.