BALLINGER – With their sights set on the program’s first district championship in 15 years, the Early Longhorns kicked off 2-3A Division II action Friday night with a resounding 36-0 road victory over the winless Ballinger Bearcats.
Ballinger (0-6, 0-1) finished with negative-33 yards of total offense against Early (3-3, 1-0) as the Bearcats completed just one of eight pass attempts for 10 yards, and rushed the ball 30 times for negative-43 yards. The Longhorns also pounced on one fumble and force seven Ballinger punts.
On the offensive end for the Longhorns, the night ended with 361 yards of total yards, including 200 on the ground.
Griffin Cheslock led the way with 130 rushing yards and a touchdown, Kaleb Ozuna finished with 50 yards and two scores, and Cedrick Morelan chipped in a 1-yard touchdown carry.
Through the air, Jaxyn Price connected on 12 of 21 passes for 161 yards with one touchdown to Caleb McCullough, who finished with three receptions for 68 yards and a trip to the end zone. Jeremy Brown caught a team-best four passes for 36 yards, Ki Houston added two receptions for 38 yards, Cheslock chipped in two catches for 14 yards and Morelan added a 5-yard reception.
Next week, the Longhorns are back on the road at Brady (3-3, 1-0), which started its district slate with a 49-6 win over San Angelo TLCA. Ballinger will be venturing to Wall (5-1, 1-0).
