EARLY – Third-year head coach Daniel Price stated earlier in the week he felt the Early Longhorns found their identity in the second half of last week’s 49-40 loss at Comanche, and that certainly appeared to be the case again Friday night.
The Longhorns put an end to a two-game losing streak with a resounding 26-0 victory over the Class 3A Division I Troy Trojans, building on last week’s near rally from 21 points down.
“We talked about it last week after Comanche, how we felt like we had finally come together and found our identity and I think we took great strides in continuing that tonight and getting back in the win column,” said Price, whose team improved to 2-2 overall.
Defensively, Early yielded just 93 yards of total offense to Troy (1-3) – 50 yards on the ground on 34 carries and 43 through the air on 9 of 19 passing. The Longhorns also forced four turnovers – two fumble recoveries and a pair of interceptions, including a 70-yard pick six by Jeremy Brown that put the game out of reach.
“Our defense was lights out,” Price said, whose team was allowing 40 points and 373 yards per game heading into Friday’s contest. “They played amazing, especially seeing an offense that you don’t see a whole lot – under center, down hill coming right at you. Our defense set the tempo in the first quarter and kept it all night. They shut them out all night and had a pick six in the fourth quarter to seal it. They did awesome, it was outstanding.”
On the offensive end, the Longhorns did enough to secure the victory. Early finished with 207 total yards – 150 passing and 57 rushing – and did not commit a turnover.
Quarterback Jaxyn Price completed 16 of 27 passes with two touchdowns – both to Brown, who finished with five receptions for 89 yards along with the two trips to the end zone.
“Those are two seniors have been playing together for a long time, and they found that connection again tonight,” Price said. “We’re missing some receivers that are hurt, but Jeremy has really picked it up. He had a good night, but we’re looking forward to getting some guys healthy to help JB out.”
Colton Allen added four grabs for 39 yards, Reece Middleton caught two passes for 22 yards, and Griffin Cheslock added a pair of receptions for 9 yards.
On the ground, Cheslock rushed for a team-best 35 yards on nine carries while Kaleb Ozuna tacked on 22 yards and a touchdown on seven totes.
“Our defense played so well that our offense didn’t have to do a whole lot to get us through,” Price said. “We drove the ball in the second half but stalled a couple of times and we have to find a way to fix that and clean it up. Then in the fourth quarter we only had only possession because we scored on that pick six.”
Next week, Early hosts Class 4A Division I Burnet (2-2) – which knocked off Giddings, 28-7, Friday night – for homecoming.
“We have a big one next week with Burnet coming to town so hopefully we can get healthy and get ready for them,” Price said.
