MAY – The Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Class A Division I No. 5 May Tigers collected their third consecutive victory to begin the James Ball era as head coach, establishing a new season-high in points scored in the process, with a 85-40 non-district triumph over the previously unbeaten DCTF Class A DII No. 10 Rochelle Hornets Saturday night.
In a game moved to Saturday due to a lack of officials, the Tigers (3-0) used a balanced attack of 228 rushing yards and 223 passing yards to generate 451 total yards and nine offensive touchdowns – five on the ground and four through the air.
May surrendered 262 yards to Rochelle (2-1) – with 229 of those yards coming through the air – but scored a defensive touchdown, recorded a safety, and tacked on a special teams score as well.
Ben Harrell completed all three of his pass attempts for 130 yards and three touchdowns, rushed 12 times for 187 yards and three more scores, and pounced on a Rochelle loose ball in the end zone for another Tiger touchdown.
Cayson Dail connected on all four of his pass attempts for 93 yards with a touchdown, while leading receivers included Brody Stice with two scoring receptions totaling 106 yards, Jackson Lusk with two grabs for 37 yards and a 50-yard kick return for six points, Kaden Watkins with a 39-yard touchdown catch, Wyatt Hardy with a 33-yard scoring reception, and Lane Goodson hauled in an 18-yard reception.
Goodson also rushed for 41 yards and a score, and Kobey Morris tacked on a rushing touchdown and intercepted a pass a defense – one of four takeaways by the Tigers.
May fell behind 6-0 on a 1-yard scoring toss from Rochelle’s Merek Howell to Cole Estes at the 6:44 mark of the first quarter, but the Tigers answered with 33 consecutive points to grab control of the contest in the early stages.
First, Harrell connected with Watkins on a 39-yard touchdown, and the one-point pass from Mikey Scheriger to Watkins, after a bad snap, gave May the lead for good, 7-6, with 6:31 left in the opening stanza.
Rochelle’s next drive ended with a fumble in the end zone that Harrell recovered, and Scheriger’s two-point kick increased the lead to 15-6 at the 4:14 mark of the first period.
After May coughed up the ball at the 1 going into the score, the first of two giveaways by the Tigers, the May defense recorded a safety following a bad snap that trickled out of the end zone.
Leading 17-6 with 51 seconds left in the first period, May scored once more before the opening quarter was over on a 68-yard toss from Harrell to Stice, which made the score 25-6.
The two teams then traded 68 points in the second period as the Tigers carried a 65-34 edge into intermission.
A 1-yard plunge by Morris on the first play of the second period boosted the lead to 33-6, then May added touchdowns on an 18-yard carry by Goodson, a 44-yard scamper by Harrell, Lusk’s 50-yard kick return and a 38-yard scoring strike from Dahl to Stice.
Rochelle’s second-quarter touchdowns belonged to Gunner King on a receptions of 45 and 13 yards from Howell, Jayce McCormick on a 6-yard toss from Kelton Williams, and Howell on a 4-yard carry.
Leading 65-34 at halftime, May started the second half with a 33-yard touchdown pass from Harrell to Hardy to increase the edge to 73-34 at the 8:23 mark of the third quarter.
Rochelle answered with a 30-yard scoring strike from Williams to Aries Kafel, then Harrell rumbled into the end zone from 27 yards out to make the score 79-40 at the 6:56 mark of the third.
The Hornets went four-and-out on their next, and final, drive and gave the ball back to May at the Rochelle 13. On the next snap, Harrell again found the end zone to enforce the 45-point mercy rule at the 5:14 juncture of the third quarter.
Next week, the Tigers hit the road to tangle with Newcastle (3-0), which defeated Gold-Burg, 72-36, this week.