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Saturday, May 26, 2012

High School Sports

Posted 12:40 am  Sunday, August 30, 2009


Irving The Highlands Runs Past All Saints Trojans
By TRAVIS YOESTING
Staff Writer

All Saints coach Mark Ackerman was looking forward to the challenge of playing a "smash-mouth" running team like Irving The Highlands School.

The Blazers didn't disappoint.

Chewing up the Mewbourne Field turf for 359 yards rushing, The Highlands shut out All Saints, 35-0, in game three of the Tyler Football Classic Saturday afternoon.

Junior Alex Pier amassed 168 yards on 14 carries and two scores to lead the Blazers, who averaged 7.3 yards a carry. He also had a touchdown reception and an interception.

Both teams struggled offensively early on as flags and turnovers characterized the first 18 minutes of play. The Trojans were penalized three times for 15 yards on their opening drive. The Blazers fumbled four times on their first two drives, losing the last one late in the first quarter.

Pier finally put The Highlands on the board with a 47-yard dash up the middle of the field with 5:42 to play in the second quarter. Pier took both carries on the drive, the other a 17-yard gain.

Pier then set up his next score with an interception returned 13 yards to the Trojan 34 with 23 seconds remaining in the half. Three plays later, Patrick Gonzalez rolled out on play action to find Pier for a 27-yard strike as time expired, giving the Blazers a 14-0 halftime lead.

All Saints managed 49 total yards in the first half and were hampered by two interceptions. The Trojans added just 40 more in a second half that was spent primarily on their half of the field.

All three quarterbacks on the All Saints roster threw at least two passes. In his first game under center, sophomore Benjamin Taylor led the aerial attack with 54 yards on 9-of-18 passing, tossing one interception. Freshman William Young went 0-for-2. Junior Jack Skeen, a late arrival to the squad, had two passes go through the hands of receivers, finishing 2-of-5 for six yards.

Freshman Ruben Delong caught six passes for 40 yards and sophomore Hale Buckley rushed for 38 yards to lead the ground game for the Trojans.

The Highlands upped the score to 21-0 with a minute left in the third quarter on a one-yard keeper by Gonzalez that capped an eight-play, 45-yard drive.

The Blazers tacked on two more scores late in the fourth quarter. Pier and Alexander Hannis both scored from six yards out. David Figy -- who rushed for 60 yards -- kicked all five extra points.

-- -- --

Irving The Highlands 35, All Saints 0

At Mewbourne Field

The Highlands 0 14 7 14 -- 35

All Saints 0 0 0 0 -- 0

Second Quarter

THS -- Alex Pier 47 run (David Figy kick), 5:42.

THS -- Pier 27 pass from Patrick Gonzalez (Figy kick), :00.

Third Quarter

THS -- Gonzalez 1 run (Figy kick), 1:02.

Fourth Quarter

THS -- Pier 6 run (Figy kick), 4:40.

THS -- Alexander Hannis 6 run (Figy kick), 1:40.

THS ASE

First Downs 19 7

Rushes-Yards 49-359 24-29

Passing Yards 34 60

Comp.-Att.-Int. 2-8-0 11-26-2

Punts-Avg. 1-25 7-24.6

Fumbles-Lost 6-2 1-0

Penalties-Yards 8-78 5-30

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING -- The Highlands,

Alex Pier 14-168, David Figy 8-60, Patrick Gonzalez 10-53, Josh DeLaTorre 7-38, Ricky Martinez 8-26, Alexander Hannis 2-14.

All Saints, Hale Buckley 14-38, Benjamin Taylor 5-2, Ruben Delong 1-0, Jack Eltife 2-(-4), William Young 2-(-7).

PASSING -- The Highlands,

Gonzalez 1-5-0 27, DeLaTorre 1-3-0 7.

All Saints,.

Taylor 9-18-1 54, Jack Skeen 2-5-0 6, Young 0-2-0 0, John Norton 0-1-1.

RECEIVING -- The Highlands,

Pier 1-27, Jordan Hamblen 1-7.

All Saints,

Delong 6-40, Buckley 2-3, Tyler Grabski 1-7, Norton 1-7, Jay Hardin 1-3.



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