Texans run district win streak to 56 games
Lamar brought an unfamiliar record into its District 18-6A opener against Westside on Friday night at Delmar Stadium.
The Texans were already assured of their first three-loss season since 2011 and, barring a state championship, the most defeats since 2004.
One would not know it by their return to district action.
The Texans hit their stride in the second quarter and pulled away for a 41-10 victory over the Wolves to improve their district winning streak to 56 games.
“There’s a lot of pride, because every year the expectation is somebody’s going to knock us off,” Lamar coach Michael Lindsey said. “We’re not ready to be knocked off yet. We want to stay on top. So our kids are motivated. It certainly feels good to be back home after traveling for three weeks.”
Lamar played its first game at a Houston ISD venue in more than a month and looked comfortable after a slow start.
Westside seized an early lead by taking advantage of excellent field position. Sebastian Orrego kicked a 31-yard field goal to break a scoreless game with 3:50 left in the first quarter.
Lamar had its own optimal field position for its next two drives, both ending fairly quickly. James Johnson beat man coverage and Troy Tisdale found him for a 32-yard touchdown to put the Texans ahead for good just 50 seconds after Westside scored.
The Texans had a punt return for a touchdown called back to due a celebration penalty, then had a touchdown pass called back. The third time was the charm as Tisdale found Zane Knipe for 19 yards and a 14-3 second-quarter lead.
Trouble continued for Westside.
Sacks by Cameron Hudson and Amieh Williams helped thwart separate drives by the Wolves. Then, Westside quarterback Akeem Benjamin was pressured into making a desperation heave down the sideline, and it was picked off by Jalen Emery and returned 35 yards for a touchdown.
“We had a really good game plan coach (Ernie) Saldivar had installed,” Lindsey said. “The kids were more disciplined tonight than any game this year, so I’m proud of that. We made some plays and the guys played well.”
Tisdale carried the Texans on their longest drive of the half on their next possession, which Jaquon Marion’s 4-yard touchdown finished for a 28-3 lead.
Westside drove to the red zone in the final seconds of the half, but a 37-yard field-goal attempt was blocked by Alex Hogan, who in doing so made up for a dropped interception bid.
In the second half, Lamar added a touchdown catch by Syncere Green and a 26-yard touchdown run by Isaac Diabate. Westside (2-3, 0-1) broke its end-zone drought with a 27-yard run by Benjamin in the fourth quarter.
The Texans improved to 2-3 overall after a challenging nondistrict schedule.
“We know we’re very close,” Lindsey said. “We played all four non-district games against topranked teams that are doing extremely well. We know we’ve been battle tested. We’ve hung together. The coaches have done a good job of keeping kids’ spirits up after a couple close losses. We’re right where we need to be.”