Week 5 Recap Bobcats, Mustangs win homecomings

LC-M beats Pirates

The Little Cypress-Mauriceville Battlin' Bears came away with a huge win to open District 10-4A Division 1 play this past Friday night as they held off Vidor, 16-12, at Pirates Stadium.

Vidor took the lead when quarterback Daigan Venable hit receiver Landon Jones in stride for a 46-yard touchdown and a 6-0 lead after the failed extra point attempt.

LC-M responded midway through the second quarter when the Bears made the most of a short field and only needed two plays to score. Starting at the Vidor 23-yard line, LC-M quarterback Braylon Lewis ran for 17-yards to the Pirates 6-yard line. From there running back J'Lynn Morris finished off the drive with a 6-yard scamper into the end zone and a 7-6 Bears lead.

Vidor (1-3, 0-1) opened the second-half with a long, time consuming drive. Running back Skylar Stankovich pounded the ball in from the 1-yard line to put Vidor back on top, 12-7. However, the Bears blocked the Pirates extra point kick and Jakson Struwe ran the kick back for two points for the Bears to cut the lead, 12-9.

The Bears (2-2, 1-0) scored again early in the fourth quarter when Lewis scored on a 19-yard touchdown run to give LC-M a 16-12 advantage. The LC-M defense would stand strong following a Bears fumble deep in its own territory late in the game and came up with a takeaway to secure the 16-12 win.

Orangefield roars to homecoming win

The Orangefield Bobcats (3-2, 1-0) celebrated homecoming this past Friday evening with a dominating 59-0 victory over the previously undefeated Hardin Hornets to start the District 10-3A Division 1 campaign.

The Bobcats recovered the opening kickoff at the Hornets 1-yard line and quarterback Carson Gonzalez converted that into a 1-yard sneak for the touchdown for an early 7-0 lead, and the Bobcats never looked back.

Gonzalez and the Bobcats offense was firing on all cylinders, on the ground and in the air. Gonzalez finished the night with three rushing scores and two passing touchdowns, while running backs Mason Manning and Jose Lecea each had more than 100 yards on the ground and a rushing touchdown. Manning would add a touchdown reception, as did receiver Zach Morrow.

The Orangefield defense terrorized the Hornets (4-1, 0-1) offense all game long and held the previously high-powered Hardin offense to 104 total yards on the night. Morrow added a 60-yard punt return for a touchdown in the first half, and kicker Ty Butler booted a field goal in the second half.

Mustangs run by Chargers

The West Orange-Stark Mustangs took care of business on Friday night to claim a 34-14 homecoming win over the visiting Fort Bend Crawford Chargers at Dan R. Hooks Stadium.

The Mustangs running game dominated the Chargers from the start as the WO-S offense churned up more than 450 yards of total offense on the night. Quarterback Marcus Turner Jr. passed for 112 yards on 10 completions and a touchdown, while rushing for 134 yards. Running back Khelvy Jefferson rushed for 190 yards and three scores on the night.

West Orange-Stark (4-1) will be on a bye this Friday ahead of opening District 9-4A Division 2 play against the Jasper Bulldogs (2-3) on Friday, Oct. 10 in Jasper. The Mustangs have become quite the road warriors, as the team will be looking for its sixth consecutive regular season victory away from Dan R. Hooks Stadium.

Cardinals stay undefeated

The Cardinals continue to take care of business and this past Friday was no different as Bridge City defeated the Lumberton Raiders, the 2023 District 10-4A Division I champs, 28-7, in Lumberton.

Bridge City (4-0, 1-0) and Lumberton slugged it out for a half, but the Cards, led by quarterback Hutch Bearden, pulled away in the second half. Bearden powered the offense to more than 280 yards for the game and helped expand the Cardinals 14-7 halftime lead into a 28-7 victory.

The high-flying Cardinals look to keep the momentum rolling as they host Vidor this Friday.