The Texas High Tigers extended their win streak to three with a victory over the Red Raiders of Tyler Legacy, making their overall record 3-1. 

The Tigers struck early offensively in the first quarter. 

Sophomore Javari Johnson ran back a 92-yard handoff for a touchdown, followed by a made extra point kick, making the score 7-0 with 8:47 left in the first quarter.

The Tiger defense came out with multiple big stops, not allowing much ball movement from the Red Raiders. 

The game’s pace ultimately slowed down for the remainder of the quarter. 

With 1:47 left in the quarter, the Texas defense forced another stop. Being in field goal range, the Raiders attempted and made the field goal, making the score 7-3 at the end of the first.

Going into the second quarter, both teams got off to a slow start, failing to take control of any momentum.

Tyler Legacy came up with a pass deflection to force the Tigers out on downs. Texas attempted a field goal, however, the Raiders made a big block, turning the ball over to Tyler. 

Shifting to defense, senior Brandon Child’s recovered a fumble forced by a bad first snap by the Raiders on the 11-yard line.

Sophomore quarterback David Potter handed the ball off to Johnson, who ran in his second touchdown of the night with 7:29 left in the half.

The Tigers continued to stop the Raiders on defense, allowing very minimal ball movement.

Potter completed a 35-yard pass to senior Xavier Dangerfield, leaping and reaching over the defender to make the catch.

Converting multiple first downs, Texas continued to move the ball well downfield with help from Dangerfield and freshman Tradarian Ball. 

Junior Brandon Hall received a pass over the middle, stretching back mid-air to pull the ball in, for a touchdown with 2:49 left in the second quarter. 

The Red Raiders blocked the extra point, making the score 20-3.

Tyler Legacy’s offense struggled to make any conversions, forcing them to punt the majority of their possessions of the half. 

After a few throwing errors, the Tigers were forced to punt.

The Raiders were flagged on the punt for roughing the passer, resulting in a 15-yard penalty and a first down for Texas. 

The Tigers converted multiple first downs in their last possession of the half.

After a dime thrown by Potter, Ball ran a fourth touchdown in for the Tigers with 5.1 seconds left in the half, making the score 27-3.

“[David] threw me a dime, nobody can catch me,” Ball said. “I just ran up the sideline and to the [endzone] we went.”

To start the second half, the Tigers forced a three and out. The Raider defense also broke down the Tiger offense in their first possession, forcing them to punt. 

The Raiders managed to block and recover the Tiger punt but handed the ball back to the Tigers in a hurry after senior Ian Crite forced a fumble recovered by the Tigers. 

The Tigers slowed down significantly on the offensive side of things, allowing the Raider’s defense to force them out of possession for the entire second half. 

With offense lacking, the Texas defense significantly stepped up to keep the Tigers’ lead secure. 

Junior Kenneth Merriman came up with a huge interception for the Tigers, along with a fumble recovery, in some important moments late in the game. 

The Tigers played disciplined football, particularly in the first half of the game, executing their initial game plan going into this week. 

“I thought the first half we did a great job of executing,” Head Coach Gerry Stanford said. “I think defensively we executed all night. In the second half, offensively, we just have a few things to work on.”

The Tigers will face the Hallsville Bobcats in their homecoming game Friday, Sept 23, 2022, for their first district matchup at Grim Park.