Hawks repel Raiders, 31-17

Sam Boyd
Senior running back Treyvon Hughes dives for a first down with a defender on his back. Hughes was successful in his attempt and set up field position for a field goal on the drive.

Sam Boyd, Sports Editor

On a chilly Friday night, the Hawks were able to defeat the previously undefeated Denton Ryan Raiders, 31-17.

In the first quarter, senior safety and receiver Jamal Adams and senior quarterback Carson Proffitt connected on a 40-yard touchdown pass to give the Hawks an early lead, 7-0. On the following Raider drive, junior linebacker Clay Holford was able to save the Hawks from a Raider touchdown by tackling a blitzing receiver at the 22 yard line. However, a series of bad Raider snaps resulted in the team moving backwards from the two yard line to the 15. The Raiders settled for a field goal and put the score at 7-3. The following Hawk drive was highlighted by two big runs from senior running back Treyvon Hughes. Also to be noted, one of the Raiders’ cornerbacks was ejected from the game for a late hit on senior receiver Justin Montgomery.

In the second quarter, the Hawks could not capitalize on the drive and settled for a field goal, courtesy of senior kicker Joel Carlos. After a recovered fumble and other failed 4th down conversions on both sides of the field, the Raiders pushed their way down near the end zone, but Adams was able to recover a fumble at the one yard line and brought it back to the 24.

In the third quarter, Adams was able to stop another potential Raider touchdown by stopping the run at the 23 yard line. The Raiders were pushed into a 4th down situation, but a Hawk penalty gave the Raiders a new set of downs. The Raiders used this mistake to their advantage and scored a 12-yard touchdown run to tie the score at 10-10. The quarter ended with senior safety Cedric Dale returning a kick to the 40 yard line.

The fourth quarter started with a bang, with Hughes scoring a 60-yard touchdown rush less than 15 seconds into the quarter to give the Hawks an edge, 17-10. The next Hawk drive was topped by yet another connection between Adams and Proffitt, this time for 76 yards and a larger lead, 24-10. The Raiders seemed to be unable to make any ground after turning the ball over to the Hawks on a failed 4th down attempt. However, a fake punt on a 4th down for the Hawks resulted in junior fullback David Brazil rushing the ball 10 yards for a new set of downs. This new drive was topped by a 24-yard touchdown reception by senior receiver Travis Stone to give the Hawks a strong lead of 31-10 late in the game. The Raiders last attempt at a comeback resulted in a last minute touchdown pass, but the score was then 31-17, and the Hawks ran out the clock.

Final Score: 31-17 (W)