Hardin-Jefferson rode the success of their running game and a few big plays to capture a 37-20 victory in the District 10-4A opener at Livingston Friday.
Sophomore running back Eric Pitre ran for 130 yards on 18 carries to pace the Hawks. Backfield mate Drayton Tunley added 89 yards on nine carries with three touchdowns.
Adding to his stat line, Pitre also caught three passes for 41 yards and a touchdown.
Hardin-Jefferson (3-1, 1-0) received a 17-0 head start on a 30-yard field goal, 15-yard touchdown pass and a fumble recovery of 70 yards for a score.
“The things that we have emphasized so much about our culture did not show up tonight,” Livingston coach Tucker Carter said. “That was the most disappointing thing. We had a big emphasis on starting fast and coming out of the gate fast and not struggling in games. We spotted them 17, and we lost by 17. That is extremely frustrating, and we have to quit having guys tap out when something gets hard. It is always going to be hard.
“(In the first half,) it was just negative after negative, and someone's got to step up and make a play when we're drowning a little bit. We've got to keep fighting and push through adversity. That's always been a big focus, really since we've gotten here as a staff. I was a little disappointed in the way that we turned it down at times when it got hard.”
Lion starting quarterback Tyler Soza was injured in the second quarter following a couple of hits, one of them after a play had been whistled dead, drawing a 15-yard flag.
Still, Livingston (2-2, 0-1) had life, converting two long fourth downs on a drive in the third quarter. Both were passes from backup quarterback Roper Wood to Ziekus Garner, the latter going for 22 yards and a touchdown.
The Livingston defense held strong for a second consecutive series, forcing a three-and-out.
A five-play march gave the homecoming crowd reason to cheer, as it ended with a two-yard touchdown run by Brayden Carr, closing the margin to 17-14.
“The adjustment at halftime was that we needed to stop shooting ourselves in the foot and expecting to win,” Carter said. “We were driving it down field offensively and snapping it 100 yards over the quarterback’s head. Defensively, we've got to get to the football and get off of blocks.
“We were running the ball effectively early in the game and had to get away from it because we were creating negative plays and had situations where it wasn't advantageous for us to run the ball. It is frustrating, because I felt like we were physical up front. Roper Wood stepped in and did a pretty good job. It just hurts when your QB1 goes down in the middle of it.”
Though the home team had momentum, it was taken back on the ensuing possession. Pitre scampered for 30 yards and was followed on the very next play by a 43-yard touchdown from Tunley to put the Hawks back up by 10.
The speedy junior added touchdown runs of eight and 26 yards to put the game out of reach.
Wood would connect with homecoming king Garner (8 catches, 113 yards, 2 TDs) late for a final score from 20 yards out.
Though beginning 0-1 in district, there were a few bright spots. The offensive line looked good in the first quarter and second half, opening holes and in pass protection. Deep snapping and penalties were an issue.
Jose Olivares rushed 15 times for 88 yards, with 61 of those in the second half. Without the running threat of Soza, the Lions relied on the quick senior, who found running room.
Wood also performed admirably, thrown into a 17-point deficit. He was 10-18 for 103 yards and two touchdowns.
“I think we did a good job (scheming through formations) in the third quarter, giving them some issues and creating some advantages, but we've got to finish drives. We are better than what we showed tonight. It seems like several times we popped a big run and there was a holding call, which puts us behind the chains again. We've got to stay out of our own way and give ourselves a chance to win.”
