The Teague Lions scored the first 22 points of the game and cruised to a 57-19 win on homecoming night in Teague.
The Lions notched their first win in District 9-3A Division one play and even their record at 1-1 and are in the thick of the district race. They will travel to district co-leader Palestine Westwood on Friday night.
CROWNED AS THE 2024 Teague High School Homecoming Queen was Miss Bethanah Owens. Named as her Duchess was Miss Delaney Linscomb. Other Queen nominees were Karlie Paris, Megan Shaw and Grace Smith; and Dutchess nominees included Ady Beaird, Monica Bailon, and Addie Black. Congratulations to these beautiful young ladies.
(Photo by Jessica Risken)
Crockett took the ball first and picked up a couple of first downs and when the drive stalled, the field goal unit entered the field and missed a 36-yard field goal attempt.
Teague took over at the 20 and scored the first points of the game on a nine-play drive. Senior quarterback Zak Leija passed to J’Kybryan Harris for 26 yards to midfield and Jaden Cole ripped off a big run inside the five. He would score on a two-yard touchdown run and the Lions took the first and only lead they would need. Harris caught the conversion pass, and the Lions led 8-0.
The Lion defense held Crockett to a three and out and the second score came on a drive that highlighted the running game. The final seven plays of the drive were on the ground and Ny’Land Coaster scored on the two-yard touchdown and the extension of the lead. Leija ran in the conversion for the 16-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Bulldogs converted a third down but on the second third down of the drive, the Lion defense forced a fumble and Jacob Matthews covered it and they would go back to driving the ground game. Korey Silar finished off the drive with a three-yard run and the lead grew to 22-0 when the conversion was missed.
Crockett was forced into another three and out and Teague got a second touchdown run from Cole to extend the lead to 29-0 when Alex Lopez came on for the extra point.
The Bulldogs would answer in a big way when quarterback Jacorrian Griffin completed a short pass to Ky Walker, and he turned it into an 86-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 29-6.
Cole added a third touchdown run in the half just before the buzzer sounded and the Lions held a 36-6 halftime lead.
Another defensive stop for Teague allowed the Lion offense to score in one play. Harris caught a 77-yard touchdown pass and Lopez point after the lead increased to 43-6.
Jonathon Lockhart scored a pair of short touchdowns to cut the lead to 43-19 which was long after the game had been settled. Teague put a second set of running backs in the game and Brayden Leija scored on a three-yard run and Evan Gilbert, an offensive lineman plunged in from two yards out and the final score would be 57-19.
Palestine Westwood and Fairfield lead the district standings with a 2-0 record and Diboll and Teague are one game back at 1-1. Crockett and Huntington are winless and will play each other on Friday. Fairfield will host Diboll, and the Lions are scheduled to travel to Palestine to battle the sixth ranked Westwood Panthers.
(Photos by Jessica Risken)
(Click here for article about suspension of Westwood head coach and forfeiture of their district games moving forward. No word at press time as to how this will affect our district’s football schedule.)
