Posted: Saturday, August 29, 2015 10:01 pm
By Ted Dunnam
LEAGUE CITY – If for some reason anyone thought Port Neches-Groves might be a bit weary after a lengthy bus ride Saturday, the Indians put those concerns to rest early and often at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Scoring touchdowns on four of their first five possessions, experienced and talented PN-G rolled to a 52-0 win over an inexperienced Clear Lake squad in the season opener for both teams.
“We had a lot of kids playing for the first time against a very good and very well-coached football team with a lot of starters back,” Falcon head coach Sam Smith said.
“Any misstep, they’ll make you pay big, and that’s what happened on both sides of the ball.”
Clear Lake managed only three first downs against the suffocating Indian defense while PN-G quarterback Adam Morse connected on 23 of 37 passes for 298 yards and five touchdowns with most of that coming in the first three quarters.
The Falcons were playing without four starters, who suffered injuries in Lake’s scrimmage last week.
“We sputtered on offense all night long,” Smith said. “We’d have a bad snap or a miscommunication or a turnover.
“We threw three picks, too.”
The Indians, who return 13 starters from a playoff squad which is projected to win District 22-5A this season, scored the only points they would need on their first possession.
A five-play drive covering 68 yards ended with the first of Morse’s TD passes, this one being a 20-yard hook-up with Jack Giblin with 9:56 left in the first quarter. Gunnar Nicholson kicked the first of his seven successful PATs.
The Falcons went three-and-out on their first three possessions, and didn’t get their initial first down until just 2 minutes remained in the opening quarter on Cody Turner’s 15-yard run.
By then, the Indians had built a 14-0 cushion on a 24-yard scoring pass from Morse to Keynel McZeal.
With 9:13 left in the half, PN-G opened a 21-0 advantage with Morse teaming up with Kody Cropper on a 30-yard TD pass.
The Indians’ bevy of wide receivers and Morse’s ability to find them kept the Lake defense off-balance in the opening half.
Cropper scored on a 20-yard run with 5:03 left in the second period for a 28-0 cushion before Morse hit the senior running back on a 36-yard TD pass 59 seconds before halftime to build the advantage to 35-0.
PN-G’s scoring barrage relented until the final 16 seconds of the third quarter when the Indians scored touchdowns on consecutive plays.
More hit Caisen Sullivan with a 26-yard TD pass, and following the ensuing kickoff, Indian defensive back Nathan Vidrine returned an interception 40 yards for another score to make it 49-0 on the final play of the third period.
“Nobody likes getting beat 52-0, but there are so many bright spots we can build on,” Smith said. “The protection by our offensive line was good, and at times, our tailback (Turner) ran well. For the most part, the receivers caught the ball.
“Defensively, I thought the line was solid. I saw some kids step up there.”
Three of Lake’s four starters who missed the game will be available next week.
“We get everybody back except the left guard,” Smith said. “The biggest improvement a team makes is from week one to week two.
“If the weather holds for us next week, we’ll see how much improvement we can make. Our kids never gave up, and we’ll just keep fighting. If we stay healthy, we’re going to get better.”
