Livingston football kept the good times rolling from their ending in Anahuac to the beginning of opening night in Lion Stadium, defeating Kirbyville 34-6.
The team treated a home crowd that has waited for four weeks to one of the most complete games Livingston has played in the past decade.
The Lion defense held Kirbyville to just 80 total yards in the first half. Meanwhile, the offense utilized several big plays to score touchdowns on four of their first six possessions.
“We've got to stop the run here, and we kind of made some adjustments schematically on defense,” Livingston coach Tucker Carter said. “I thought we did a good job of that. I felt like the kids were really locked into the game plan this week, and we wanted to pin them deep in the kicking game, get stops, and try to get short fields and score early. I thought we did that and put a ton of pressure on them in the first half, so I was happy with that.
“A lot of kids stepped up on defense, and we thought they were physical up front, which they are, and they've got some bigger kids. So, we wanted to get some hats in the box and try to make them throw it.”
Sophomore quarterback Jax Ruiz hit a streaking Zayden Martin for 30 yards in the end zone to open the first-half barrage.
Having a little fun, Ruiz tossed back to backup quarterback Brax Smith, who then threw to a wide open Zyleer King for another 30-yard touchdown.
Taylor Haynes rumbled for 106 yards in the first half alone, many on a 70-yard run that gave the Lions a 20-0 advantage.
With six minutes to go in the half, Ruiz pulled the ball on a zone read option that found him around nothing but green grass for 19 yards and a 27-0 lead at the half.
“The defense stopped the run, which was our focal point this week,” Ruiz said. “We stopped the run, because that's what everybody says we can't do. I'm pretty sure we proved that tonight. Then on offense, we played really well. Our main focal point was defense putting the ball in the offense’s hands, because we know we can score. We know we can run it up.”
Livingston made sure the lead would stick with their first possession in the second half. Haynes again was the ball carrier, this time going for 51 yards and a 34-0 cushion.
The junior tailback has become a focal point in the offense. Rushing for 185 yards on a dozen carries Friday, he reached the end zone twice. Last week he was equally impressive, going for 187 yards and two more six-pointers.
“We've been rotating some backs in there, but Taylor just has great balance, great speed, and he takes coaching really well,” Carter said. “He asks intelligent questions, and so some of that stuff is paying off. We talk all the time about smart football players or good football players, and I feel like he's a good example of that right now.”
Two other possessions in the half ended on missed field goals of 30 and 35 yards, but the Lions would not need the points.
The defense played its best game in years, holding the Wildcats scoreless until a few minutes remaining in the third quarter. They surrendered just 204 total yards in the contest, 47 on a rushing touchdown from Kadden Washington. They forced six punts, a fumble, an interception, and a couple of turnovers on downs.
In the past five quarters, the Lion defense has allowed just seven points. That is after they were bludgeoned for 83 in the first seven periods of the season.
“We got a few kids back healthy this week, which helped in the secondary, and so I was happy with that,” the coach said. “We, as a staff, are not scared to make changes and see what it looks like, especially early in the season, so we moved some kids around. I thought that was really good for us.
“We played a little more man coverage than we had previously, so that was good. Then, getting Bryson Davis back in the secondary with his speed and ability to tackle, he played really well. I just feel this year all I talk about is the team, team, team. It's not really offense and defense. Now, we have focal points week to week, but if we can stop the run and run the football, I feel good that we can stay in games and have a chance to win.”
