By David Thompson | Beaumont Enterprise
Updated 11:38 pm, Thursday, September 1, 2016
BAYTOWN
Behind another dominant offensive performance, Port Neches-Groves moved to 2-0 on the season with a 42-7 win Thursday at Stallworth Stadium in Baytown over a struggling Goose Creek Memorial team.
WHAT HAPPENED
In their final tune-up before a district-opener at Lumberton, the Indians made quick work of a Patriots team that has found the end zone once in their first two games. After dropping 54 points on Silsbee the week before, PN-G
continued its impressive start with 36 points behind five combined touchdowns from sophomore quarterback Roschon Johnson and junior running back Preston Hughes. PN-G took a 27-0 lead into halftime before adding a five-yard touchdown pass from Johnson to senior Dylan McGough to push the score to 33-0 in the third quarter. Junior kickerPreston Riggs added a 33-yard field goal late in the third for a 36-0 lead. Goose Creek senior quarterback DeAndre Herman scored on a 61-yard run with 4:46 left in the game to end the shutout and give the Patriots their first score of the year. PN-G senior running back Gage Carreon scored the final points of the game on a four-yard run with eight second left.
TURNING POINT
Up 7-0 midway through the first quarter, PN-G faced a 3rd-and-4 on their side of the field. A bad snap went over the head of Johnson, who recovered the fumble and avoided three would be tacklers to gain eight yards and extend the drive. Three plays later Johnson finished the drive with a 46-yard touchdown run to put the Indians up 14-0 with 3:10 left in the opening quarter. Johnson and Hughes would combine 314 total yards and four touchdowns to give their team a 27 point halftime lead. Hughes finished the first half with 135 rushing yards on 10 carries with scores from 11, 38 and 31 yards.
WHAT STOOD OUT
The PN-G defense held Goose Creek to four total rushing yards in the first half, including six negative plays from the line of scrimmage.
Junior defensive back Cameron Stansbury recorded his first interception of the season with 5:12 left in the first quarter while the defense withstood a Patriots passing game that gained 92 yards by halftime.
BY THE NUMBERS
Hughes finished the game with 13 carries on 172 yards after seeing limited action in the second half. Johnson threw two interceptions in the game, but finished with 155 yards on 9-of-16 passing, adding 81 yards on the ground. Senior tight end Keynel McZeal led the Indians with five catches for 58 yards while Riggs hauled in the longest pass play of the night, a 58-yard catch in the second quarter. Senior Mason Pitts led Goose Creek with 100 yards passing in the loss.
RECORDS
Port Neches-Groves (2-0); Goose Creek Memorial (0-2)
