When the Westlake Rams marched 60 yards for a touchdown to open Friday’s game at Crowley High, little did the visitors know that the impressive drive and score would wind up being their lone highlight of the night.
That became evident when the unfazed Gents (2-0) responded by reeling off seven unanswered touchdowns, including five in the first half, and dominated play the rest of the night.
The result was a 45-6 victory for the Gents and a night of big plays and disappointment that the Rams would just as soon forget.
“They (Westlake) came out on that first drive and just kind of punched it down our throat. But I think our speed just kind of overwhelmed them after that,” said Crowley coach Jeptha Wall said afterward.
The Gents racked up 511 yards of total offense on the night, the bulk of those, 475 to be exact, were on the ground.
Obadiah Butler rushed for 152 yards and three touchdowns on nine carries and Jai’Rece Lewis, who was sidelined with an injury in Week 1, racked up 103 yards and a touchdown on four carries.
“We just kept gashing them on the ground and we really didn’t have to throw the ball that much, which was nice,” said Wall. “Our offensive line did a great job and those guys (Butler, Lewis) had some gaping holes to run through. And even when we didn’t, Jai’Rece and Obadiah made them pay. They (Westlake) just couldn’t handle that speed.”
Having both Butler and Lewis available for the contest was the key according to Wall.
“Last week, we were worried about keeping Obadiah fresh and not having him die out,” said Wall. “We didn’t have that problem tonight with both of those guys in the game.”
Not to be outdone, Crowley’s defense also had a stellar night for the second straight week.
The unit allowed just 110 yards in the first half, most of which occurred on that opening drive. Overall, the Gents defense gave up just 201 total yards and 11 first downs.
“I thought our defense really played well,” said Wall. “Westlake’s backs are really good and I thought we did a good job of slowing their fullback down; he usually picks up a big gain every time he touches the ball. And I thought we did a good job of boxing him in.”
That defense had a tough time containing running back J.J. Ross and fullback Jasia Simien on the first series of the game as the duo pounded the ball down the field before Ross scored on a 24-yard run to give the hosts a 6-0 advantage.
Crowley’s speed took over immediately after that, however.
After taking over at their own 20-yard line following the Rams’ scoring drive, Lewis popped a 43-yard run and quarterback Marquis Garrett followed that up with a 27-yard touchdown on the very next play.
The scoring drive took just 23 seconds and knotted the score at 6-6.
Possibly the biggest play of the game occurred right after that on the defensive side of the ball when lineman Josh Richard intercepted a pass and returned it 34-yards to put the Gents up 12-6 with just under five minutes remaining in the opening frame.
“They threw the ball right to Josh and a defensive touchdown like that.... That just kind of blew it open and we never looked back,” said Wall. “He ran that touchdown back like a mad man. Linemen don’t get that too often, so he made it count.”
From there, the rout was on.
After forcing the Rams to punt on their ensuing possession, the Gents needed just four plays to hit paydirt again. Lewis had the honors, crossing the goal line from 36 yards out to push the lead to 20-6 late in the first quarter.
The Gents then caught a break on the kickoff when a squibbed kick was muffed and recovered by Crowley near midfield. A big pass from Garrett to Demarcus Dioron put the Gents near the red zone and Butler took over from there, scoring from 21 yards out on the first play of the second quarter to push the lead to 26-6.
And Butler wasn’t nearly finished.
On the Gents’ next offensive possession, Butler broke free for a 14-yard run and then caught a seam on the next play and outran Westlake’s entire defense for a 54-yard touchdown as the lead ballooned to 32-6.
The starters returned to the field to start the second half and Butler took advantage of his final carry of the game on the very first play of the half.
After a failed on-side kick attempt gave the Gents the ball at midfield, Butler took the handoff from Garrett, hit a hole and turned on the jets en route to a 50-yard touchdown.
The final score of the night was impressive as well and it occurred with the reserves on the field.
Facing a third-and-long situation from their own 1-yard line, the Gents marched down the field and scored yet again (a 44-yard run by freshman Jonkeyvon Marks).
Camron Dugar also had some big runs in the second half and finished with 83 yards on four carries. Tyron Goodley gained 45 yards on six carries and Garrett had two carries for 31 yards.
Garrett completed two of six pass attempts for 36 yards, connecting with Dioron once for 21 yards and Rapheus Joseph once for 15 yards.
For the Gents, their attention turns to Cecilia, next week’s opponent. The Bulldogs enter that matchup with an 0-2 record after falling to Sam Houston Friday, 47-30.
“You know, we feel a little good right now and we’re going to enjoy this a little and then get back to work because I’m sure Cecilia is chomping at the bit,” said Wall. “But I thought we did a good job of handling ourselves all week (at practice) so if we can continue that, I think we will start putting together some solid performances.”