Pare scores 5 TDs to lead Houston in rout
Houston's Lincoln Pare thought that he’d have some success running against the Bartlett defense. With his offensive line having the size advantage, it would just be a matter of time before the holes opened up and he had some running room.
Setting the tone early, Pare came out on the opening drive and scored the first touchdown of the night.
Little did he know what kind of night he’d be in for.
“I always try to go as big as I can but it’s really about working with the team and getting the win,” Pare said. “This is something that’s really important to us and going 2-0 in the region is something that hasn’t been done at Houston in a long time. We just came out here to have fun.”
Scoring five of Houston’s six touchdowns on the night, Pare led the Mustangs to a 40-14 win and their sixth straight win over their regional rival.
There wasn’t a whole lot separating these two in their last two meetings. Houston picked up a win in both but it was only by a total of seven points. Pare wanted to make sure early on that nothing about this game would be close.
Every time it seemed like Bartlett would come knocking, Pare was there. Even on runs where he didn’t score, it took three to four Bartlett defenders to take him down and as the game wore on, it became clear that it had taken a toll on the Panthers defense. When Pare busted through the line for his fifth touchdown with 20 seconds remaining, it was clear that the Bartlett defense had nothing left.
While Pare may get a lot of the spotlight, his offensive line played one its best games. Time and time again it opened up holes for him to burst through. There weren’t many times when Pare was tackled in the backfield or had to wait on something to open up.
“Lincoln is obviously a special player for us but it all starts with the guys up front,” Houston coach James Thomas said. “I think they did a great job tonight. We had the size advantage and they took full advantage of that.
“Lincoln took advantage of what they were doing and was really patient tonight. He had the hard runs and then he took it to the house a few times and he’s just special.” Pare couldn’t agree more. “Early on it was just being patient and letting my linemen get there,” Pare said. “They’re the biggest line I’ve ever run behind and probably the best line in the region right now if you’d ask me. They opened it up and all I had to do was run straight.”