The Tigers defeated the Hallsville Bobcats in their district opener with a score of 42-7 Friday, Sept. 22, 2023.
The Bobcats started off with two long completed passes to move them downfield early in the first quarter. Senior TJ Gray ended the Bobcat drive with a pick-six, giving the Tigers the early lead of 6-0 after a missed point-after kick.
“[Senior Trystan Powell] tipped the pass and it bounced into my hands, then I just acted off my instincts,” Gray said. “The only thing that went through my head was to go score.”
“I feel like TJ played really well overall,” Head Coach Gerry Stanford said. “I thought he did a great job out there. He played a lot of snaps for us and made some plays.”
The Texas defense kept the Bobcats locked down for the remainder of the quarter, however, things slowed for the Tigers offensively.
After the quiet quarter came to a dragging close, the Tigers led 6-0 going into the second.
Junior running back Javari Johnson scratched off his first rushing touchdown of the night early in the second second quarter, giving the Tigers the 13-0 lead with 8:53 remaining in the half.
The Tigers quieted on offense once again for the majority of the quarter, however, the Bobcats managed to slightly close the gap with a double pass play, resulting in a touchdown of their own. With 3:16 left in the second quarter, the Tigers led 13-7.
Sophomore quarterback Kam Wrightner completed a long pass downfield to senior wide receiver Brandon Hall. Unable to gross the goal line, the Tigers settled for a field goal with 35 seconds remaining in the quarter, making the score at half 16-7.
Johnson scratched off his second touchdown of the night with 9:10 remaining in the third quarter, making the score 23-7 in favor of Texas. Johnson scored his third and final touchdown of the game with 7:16 remaining in the third, furthering the Tiger lead to 30-7.
“We settled down as a whole right there in that second half. Defensively, I thought we played exceptionally well all night long,” Head Coach Gerry Stanford said. “TJ got us going early with that interception play, in the second half we just did everything we wanted to do.”
Wrightner completed a pass to Hall in the back corner of the endzone, spreading the lead to 36-7 with 3:11 left in the third, followed by a touchdown run from sophomore Ahmad Moore, leaving the score at 42-6.
The fourth quarter proved quiet for both sides, with no one scoring for either team. Ultimately, the Tigers bested the Bobcats with a final score of 42-7, making their district record 1-0 and overall record 5-0.
