MUSTANGS CAGE TENAHA’S TIGERS | Tenaha plays it close for a half; Overton breaks loose for a 65-23 win
By SHAWN CHRISTOPHER
For a half, it looked like Tenaha – normally an East Texas 2A football power, but struggling to get wins so far this season – would rise up and give Overton a tussle.
The Tigers had played Overton, prolific offense and all, within a touchdown, 25-17, as the teams went to the locker room after the first half.
But then something happened…
Overton came OUT of the locker room for the second half.
Completely different story.
The Mustangs outscored Tenaha, 40-6, in half No. 2, cruising to a 65-23 win over the Tigers in a Thursday night District 11-2A, Division II game, a rematch of the only regular season game that Overton lost a year ago.
You read that right.
It was also the first time in 19 years that Overton beat Tenaha – almost 19 years to the day. A friend of ETBlitz.com – Havon Russell, of the Kilgore Bulldogs Facebook page – played for that Overton team, and scored a touchdown on a fumble recovery that night, Oct. 7, 2005.
What matters now, though, is that the current group of Mustangs are now 5-1, have won five straight games, and maybe most importantly, they’re 2-0 in district play, as the rest of the district plays Friday night.
Those games: Cushing at Mount Enterprise and Grapeland at Alto. Lovelady has an open date.
Overton’s win last week, by the way, was on the road at Grapeland.
Coach Scotty Laymance’s team got a three-touchdown night from Justin Weir against Tenaha, and even when he wasn’t scoring, he was setting up the Mustangs to do so: he had 48-yard run that eventually led to a 3-yard touchdown run by quarterback Bryce Still to get Overton on the scoreboard, and caught a pass for 11 yards to put the Mustangs in front.
He added a 26-yarder late in the game, after the outcome was really already decided in the fourth quarter.
Ryan Holleman was welcomed back into the lineup after injury and made his presence felt with a 42-yard touchdown in the game. Jayden Edwards – Mr. “Built Ford Tough” himself – had a 10-yard touchdown catch (Edwards was named the BFT Class 2A state-wide award-winner last week). Still would score again on a 5-yard run, and Gabe Miller scored twice for the Mustangs on runs of 4 and 14 yards, respectively.
We mentioned Lovelady – that’s Overton’s next opponent. The Mustangs visit Lovelady next Friday, Oct. 11, a 7 p.m. kickoff. Lovelady is 3-2, and 1-0 in district play.
