Published 10:09 pm Friday, October 13, 2023 By Pat Murray PA News
DAYTON — Isaiah Nguyen rushed for 172 yards and three touchdowns to power a strong Port Neches-Groves ground attack as the Indians remained unbeaten in district play with a 41-14 win over the host Dayton Broncos on Friday night.
The Indians (6-1 overall, 4-0 district) piled up 274 rushing yards to spoil Dayton’s annual homecoming game.
Quarterback Connor Bailey threw for 200 yards and two touchdowns as the Indians piled up 494 yards and 17 first downs on the evening.
The Indians never trailed in this one. PNG needed just 2:13 to take the lead on the opening possession as Blair Chatagnier raced 61 yards to the end zone.
That would be the only scoring in the opening quarter.
Dayton (4-3, 2-2) evened the score at 7-7 on a 10-yard run by quarterback Denim Foster with 11:08 remaining in the second quarter.
The Indians responded just 16 seconds later as Bailey connected with William Poole on a 75-yard TD pass.
Nguyen scored on runs of 19 and 5 yards before the half ended as the Indians took a 27-7 lead into the locker room, much to the delight of the huge throng of PNG supporters, who appeared to outnumber the Dayton supporters inside the stadium.
Bailey threw his second TD pass of the game, this one a 60-yard aerial to Noah Washington for the only scoring play of the third quarter.
Dayton’s Foster scored his second TD of the game on a scintillating 9-yrd run that saw him break several tackles to cut the PNG lead to 34-13 early in the fourth quarter before Nguyen closed out the scoring on a 68-yard run.
The PNG defense limited the Broncos to 193 yards of total offense, with only 91 of those on the ground.
Foster threw for 102 yards but was intercepted three times by the PNG defense.
Chatagnier added 111 rushing yards for PNG.
Poole had 83 yards to lead the Indians’ receivers.
PNG returns to The Reservation to host Santa Fe in a battle of Indians in a district game at 7 p.m. Friday before heading to Nederland for Mid-County Madness on Oct. 27.
The Indians close out the regular season by hosting Galena Park at 7 p.m. Nov. 3.
Scoring
PNG 7 20 7 7 — 41
Dayton 0 7 0 7 — 14
First Quarter
PNG – Chatagnier 61 run (Oceguera kick), 9:43.
Second Quarter
Day – Foster 10 run (Montes kick), 11:08.
PNG – Poole 75 pass from Bailey (Oceguera kick), 10:52.
PNG – Nguyen 19 run (Oceguera kick), 9:45.
PNG – Nguyen 5 run (kick failed), 2:41.
Third Quarter
PNG – Washington 60 pass from Bailey (Oceguera kick), 7:19.
Fourth Quarter
Day – Foster 9 run (Montes kick), 11:13.
PNG – Nguyen 68 run (Oceguera kick), 10:13.
