Hurricanes breeze past the Mustangs
Matthew Golden hauled in a screen pass from Carson Roper and sped 75 yards for a Klein Cain touchdown on the first play from scrimmage just 14 seconds into the game.
It was a sign of things to come. The Hurricanes worked fast and scored faster, sprinting to a sizable halftime lead in a 63-28 victory against Katy Taylor on Friday at Rhodes Stadium.
Klein Cain finished non-district play 3-1, rebounding from a blowout loss to Bridgeland in the season opener with three straight wins, including 56-21 against Cypress Creek and 49-14 against Cypress Ranch.
Golden had Klein Cain on the board almost immediately. The Hurricanes maintained the momentum, scoring on their first four possessions, including an eight-play, 83-yard drive for a 21-0 lead.
“We preach playing fast all the time. It’s just a part of our culture and how we go about doing things,” Klein Cain coach James Clancy said. “Obviously with the weather situation this week, only being able to practice on Wednesday and Thursday, we had some concerns about not having our normal routine. I was really proud of our kids and our coaches making it happen, coming out and starting the way we like to start against a good football team.”
Ramir McCray, who finished with 130 yards on 12 carries, almost singlehandedly finished the Hurricanes’ second possession, carrying defenders to the 1-yard line on a 22-yard run. Roper scored easily on a keeper for a 14-0 advantage.
Taylor picked up two first downs on its second drive before a sack by Eric Solomon and plays by Lukia Rawls, who had an active half, forced another punt.
Golden, who had 150 yards by halftime, struck again for the Hurricanes, catching a slant and sprinting 48 yards to spark another scoring drive. McCray provided a highlight-reel finish, hurdling a defender on his way to a 10-yard touchdown.
Taylor answered, finding success with multiple backfield looks. Michael Whitaker III converted a fourth down with a 16yard run and added a 21-yard rush to set up Joe Jefferson Jr.’s 7-yard scoring run early in the second quarter.
Taylor almost caught a break on the ensuing kickoff as Patrick Batiste opted to bring the ball out from nine yards deep in the end zone. Batiste, however, almost broke it, reaching the Hurricanes’ 27 to set up another scoring march.
Jonathan Rosette stiff-armed a defender running off tackle and sped away for a 38-yard touchdown and a 28-7 lead for Klein Cain.
Taylor pulled to within 28-14 on a 76-yard drive, keyed by a 23yard catch and run by Tyler Irving and capped by Whitaker’s touchdown with 2:50 remaining.
Klein Cain needed only 57 seconds to respond on the strength of a 59-yard catch and run by Jaelen Smith. Roper and the offensive line pushed in from 9 yards on the next play.
The Hurricanes were not finished, with Connor Been recovering a fumble at the Taylor 28. Drew Stokes juked a defender three plays later on his way to a 10-yard touchdown and a 42-14 halftime lead.
Roper completed nine of 14 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns for the Hurricanes, including a 38-yard connection with Golden to open the secondhalf scoring. McCray showed his speed on a 44-yard scoring burst.
Rosette added his second touchdown for a 63-14 third-quarter advantage, set up by his own 48-yard run on a night Hurricanes ball carriers made the most of running room.
“We knew anytime you play Taylor, you have to be physical,” Clancy said. “They have big strong kids. You knew were we going to have to play well on both fronts. We’ll watch the tape and make some corrections, but I thought we played physical.”
The Mustangs ran the ball effectively on many of their drives, including two fourth-quarter possessions that ended in touchdowns by Dante Archie. Whitaker finished with a team-high 108 yards, with Archie adding 99 on 10 carries.
Taylor fell to 1-3 and looks to bounce back in its District 19-6A opener against Morton Ranch. The Mavericks were 2-2 entering league play.
The Hurricanes begin District 15-6A play Sept. 24 against Klein, which was 2-1 entering its non-district finale with College Park.
“They have a Hall of Honor head coach (Shane Hallmark), good staff, good players,” Clancy said. “15-6A, top to bottom, is a very quality district. We know we’re going to have to play our best football. We’re going to have to improve and take it week by week.”