Falcons’ defense stars in district opener

Jersey Village’s defense helped guide the Falcons to a 24-7 win over Memorial in both teams’ District 17-6A opener Saturday afternoon at Pridgeon Stadium.

The defense had five sacks, one fumble recovery and a 93-yard interception return for a touchdown to help the Falcons remain undefeated.

Jersey Village coach David Snokhous thought his defense stepped up today tonight to set the tone for district play.

“We told our team that they’re going to have to play well because their a great team over there,” Snokhous said. “We stepped up and made plays. That’s what it was tonight. Give credit to coach (Gary) Koch over there. He has been there for a while, and they do a great job.”

Memorial’s (2-2,0-1) defense came up with the first turnover when senior linebacker Marshall Bregenzer made an interception.

Jersey Village’s (4-0,1-0) defense stopped Memorial on a third down, but the Falcons were called for a facemask penalty that gave the Mustangs a first down on their second offensive possession of the game.

Shortly after, Memorial running back Carson Zahn had a 2-yard touchdown run with 4:41 left in the first quarter to give the Mustangs a 7-0 lead and the only points Memorial would score in the game.

Jersey Village outscored Memorial 17-0 in the second quarter and went into the locker room with a 17-7 halftime lead over Memorial.

Sophomore quarterback Adam Tran threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Arbrie Carter and an over-theshoulder 58-yard touchdown pass to Grant Wiltz. Kicker Antonio Blanco addis ed a 27-yard field goal.

Tran finished the game 16 of 26 for 216 yards and two touchdowns. His favorite target was Quinci Jones, who finished with seven receptions for 69 yards.

Snokhous liked the way his sophomore signal caller handled the district opener and moved the chains.

“He will be the first to tell you he didn’t make enough plays,” Snokhous said of Tran’s play. “Overall, he does a good job, and Adam a good leader. He’s a smart kid, very understanding of what we do. Hats off to him. He’s a competitor and a winner.”

Jersey Village’s defense was active all game in the first half with four sacks and got its fifth sack in the fourth quarter.

Memorial finished the game with a total of 110 yards of offense. Zahn, the running back, finished the game with 17 carries for 63 yards.