Paris continues dominance against Texarkana teams, this time over PG

TEXARKANA, Texas — Paris outgained Pleasant Grove by 203 yards and defeated the Hawks, 31-14, in a varsity football game on Friday at Hawk Stadium.

Each team ran the Wing-T offensive scheme, which is run-heavy offense. The Wildcats (2-1) totaled 444 on the ground, while the Hawks (1-2) had 212 rushing yards. Paris finished with 492 yards, compared to Pleasant Grove’s 289.

“We came out on the wrong side of the scoreboard and it’s not where we want to be,” Pleasant Grove head coach Josh Gibson said. “I thought our kids got better

throughout the game; and that’s what it’s all about — growth. That team is in a division above us and they are a top-10 team. It’s going to make us better in the long run.”

Keilin Benton had the biggest play for the Hawks in the first half with a 73-yard kickoff return early in the second quarter. His return set up an 8-yard touchdown run by Jaylen Boardley to give PG a 7-3 lead. Boardley was the game’s leading rusher with 114 yards on 17 carries.

The Wildcats’ run attack was led by senior Lyric Tredwell and JohQuan Caldwell, who each rushed for 112 yards. Tredwell averaged 8.0 yards per touch on 14 tries, while Caldwell averaged 9.3 on 12 attempts.

Paris’ Paul Torres legged in a 28-yard field goal for the first score of the game with 8:57 to go in the second. Taydrick Dawson capped a

Wildcat drive as he found the end zone from 7 yards out. Paris grabbed a 10-7 edge with 2:30 left until halftime.

Taydrick Dawson scored a 5-yard rushing touchdown with 9:02 left to go in the third to pad the Wildcat lead, 17-7. Quarterback Luke Hohenberger connected with Jamarcus Savage on a 16-yard pass in the end zone to make it 24-7 late in the third.

Caldwell put the game out of reach on a 2-yard plunge that gave Paris, which defeated Arkansas High earlier in the season, a 31-7 advantage with 6:10 left in the fourth quarter.

Pleasant Grove capped a 10-play, 75-yard drive in 2:44 when freshman Lance Jackson caught a 5-yard pass from freshman quarterback Jarret Halter with 9 seconds left in the game. The score brought the Hawks to within 17, 31-14.

Boardley had 39 yards on eight totes and a TD at halftime for Pleasant Grove, while JoJo Bailey rushed for 32 yards on six carries.

The Hawks and the Wildcats totaled 49 rushing attempts in the first half. Pleasant Grove had 19 attempts and Paris had 30. The time of possession favored the Wildcats.

Tredwell led with 70 rushing yards at the half, and Caldwell had 69 yards for Paris.

Pleasant Grove plays Silsbee at Nacogdoches High School at 7:30 p.m. Friday in a non-district game.