Houston Academy offense dominates Houston County

Houston Academy coach Jimmy Addison huddled his offense and issued the challenge.

“All right, offensive line, all right LSU signee, let’s see it,” Addison said he told his unit, particularly strong side tackle Josh Williford.

Already leading 7-0, HA was facing fourth-and-goal from the 1 with less than two minutes remaining in the first half.

Andrew Dauphin took the exchange from quarterback J.H. Johnson and charged through a gaping hole behind Williford. The touchdown gave the Raiders a 14-0 lead and sent them on to a 35-14 victory over region rival Houston County at Northcutt Field Friday night.

Dauphin’s touchdown not only sent the Raiders into halftime with momentum, it pretty much summed up the entire game. That capped a 95-yard, 16-play drive that took 9:07 off the second-quarter clock. Dauphin had a 19-yard run on third-and-1 and picked up four yards on fourth-and-1 near midfield on that drive.

The Raiders (2-0) shortened the game and kept the football away from Houston County quarterback Desmond Warren and running back/wide receiver Edward Robinson. HA rushed for 276 yards as a team.

“That’s pretty much what we wanted to do — keep it away from them,” Addison said. “That’s what we’re counting on with that offensive line.”

HA running backs Dauphin and Seth McGowan both had big nights. Dauphin finished, unofficially, with 24 carries and 132 yards, while McGowan had 17 carries and 96 yards, plus a 21-yard touchdown reception on a screen pass.

“If your offensive line can dominate like that, the backs can take it from there,” McGowan said.

“We had a hard time getting them off the field,” Houston County coach Jarrod Wooten said. “They’ve got a great offensive line. We’re still learning on defense. We tried a few things this week to get more guys in the box, but we didn’t execute very well in the first half.”

As dominant as the Raiders were, a defensive stop “may have been the play of the game,” Addison said.

The Lions (0-2) were poised to tie the game late in the first quarter. HA took the opening kickoff and went 65 yards in nine plays, chewing up 4:31 before McGowan scored on a 1-yard run.

But the Lions threatened on their second possession. Robinson took a handoff from the shotgun, raced around right end and gained 62 yards to the HA 15. Two plays later, Warren gained nine yards on a scramble around right end for first-and-goal at the 5.

Pat Smith was thrown for a four-yard loss and the Lions faced fourth-and-goal at the 9. Warren, under pressure, found Josh Silavent across the middle at the 1. HA’s Travis Gardner stopped him right there to stop the threat.

“I saw it wasn’t going to my man, so I came over,” Gardner said. “I tried to knock him back.”

Wooten said it was a key missed opportunity for his team.

“It was close (to a touchdown),” the Lions coach said. “I couldn’t see it, but the ref said he wasn’t close. That was a big play and we missed an open receiver later in the half. We can’t miss good opportunities on offense.

“We had a little revival at halftime and I think our kids responded better in the second half.”

Still, HA churned out yardage on the ground. The Raiders went 75 yards in nine plays and 4:10 on their first possession of the second half. Quarterback Johnson looked to his right, but threw a screen pass in the left flat to McGowan, whose tough run capped the 21-yard touchdown pass with a dive into the end zone.

Johnson finished 6-for-14 passing for 86 yards and the touchdown.

The Lions answered quickly. Cody Rhodes caught a quick screen from Warren, drove hard toward the middle of the field, then broke sharply out to the right sideline and raced 67 yards for the touchdown.

HA responded with another backbreaking drive, a methodical 13-play, 73-yard drive that took 7:10 off the clock.

Dauphin finished the march with a 3-yard touchdown run that ended with 8:48 remaining in the game. HA led 28-7.

The Raiders held on fourth-and-1 at the HC 23. Four plays later, Tory Kirkland scored on a 9-yard run with 5:05 left and a 35-7 lead.

Houston County’s Warren completed a quick screen to Robinson for 17 yards and a pass to Rhodes for 13 to move into scoring position.

He then hit Robinson in stride behind HA reserves for a 17-yard touchdown pass with 2:42 left. Warren finished 11-for-20 passing for 173 yards. The Lions finished with 120 yards rushing.

The Raiders ran out the clock from there.