Oak Ridge scores early, often in rout of Aldine

HOUSTON – The Oak Ridge War Eagles once again, showed the rest of District 16-6A, that they are a team to be reckoned with by trouncing the hapless Aldine Mustangs 48-3 in a non-district football game on Friday night at Thorne Stadium.

The War Eagles (2-0), who opened the season with a thrilling 25-21 win over Morton Ranch, scored three times in the game’s first 7:13 and never looked back.

Oak Ridge forced a fumble, took advantage of a 6-yard punt, and came up with an interception, to set up shop inside Aldine’s 40-yard line on its first three possessions of the game.

The first drive started at the Aldine 19-yard line after John Williams recovered an Aldine fumble. Three plays later, quarterback Riley McKnight hit sophomore slot receiver, Kyle Townsend, with a 4-yard score to give the War Eagles a 7-0 lead with less than three minutes into the game.

Oak Ridge’s next march started at the Aldine 37-yard line after the Mustangs managed only a 6-yard punt after the punter bobbled the snap and barely avoided the rush.

This time, the War Eagles’ drive took four plays before McKnight hit lightning quick Lamar Handy, with an 11-yard score to up the ante to 14-0.

After the ensuing kickoff, Oak Ridge’s Daylon Johnson intercepted an Andrew Davis pass and returned it to the Aldine 27, on the Mustangs’ first offensive play.

Tristan Gomez then put the game almost out of reach with a 27-yard touchdown burst on the War Eagles’ next snap, to give the visitors a commanding 21-0 advantage with 4:47 left in the first quarter. Townsend had the key block on the play.

Aldine cut the lead to 21-3 on Javier Rojas’ 45-yard field goal, with just 23 ticks left in the first half. But the War Eagles quickly turned the momentum back around as Gomez returned the kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown after bobbling the ball near his goal line; scooping it up, he burst straight up the middle untouched into the end zone.

McKnight, who hit 11-of-13 passes for 103 yards and three touchdowns, scored on a 64-yard run and hit tailback, Kwame Etwi, with a 44-yard scoring strike in the second half. Etwi and McKnight combined for 165 rushing yards, while Etwi also caught four passes for 68 yards.

Jimmy Moore rounded out the scoring with a 3-yard run.

Oak Ridge finished the game with 360 total yards, including 257 on the ground. The War Eagles’ defense held Aldine (0-2) to only 98 total yards and six first downs.