Ellis County Sports Your source for Ellis County Sports News
By Travis M. Smith | Ellis County Sports
THE COLONY — The Red Oak defense made the big plays and stops when it mattered most to secure the first win under its new head football coach.
The Melvin Robinson-led Hawks forced two turnovers, returned a blocked kick for a two-point conversion and still managed to muster over 300 yards of offense in Friday’s 19-16 victory against The Colony at Tommy Briggs Stadium.
Senior kicker Joshua Jimenez drilled a 32-yard field goal on the Hawks’ opening drive.
Sophomore defensive back Jaedon Johnson forced the first Cougar turnover on the ensuing drive by The Colony. Johnson’s return set the Hawk offense up inside the Cougar red zone midway through the first quarter.
A few snaps later, Red Oak quarterback Reggie Moody (19-32, 184 yards, TD, INT) connected with Chris Martinez Jr. for an 8-yard touchdown on second-and-goal and a 10-0 Hawk lead.
The senior signal caller later capped an 11-play, 52-yard drive with a 20-yard rushing touchdown on the third play of the fourth quarter. Prior to the drive, the Cougars had outgained the Hawks 276 yards to 194.
The scoring drive forced the Hawk offense to overcome 4 offensive penalties and put the Hawks on top, 19-9. It also came just after Red Oak returned a blocked Cougar extra-point attempt for two points.
Red Oak was ultimately flagged 7 times for 88 yards, while The Colony saw just 36 penalty yards on 3 infractions.
The Colony added a late touchdown and missed the point-after attempt for the 19-16 final and Red Oak win.
Martinez Jr. led the Hawk ground game with 15 carries for 78 yards. Taz Williams Jr. led all receivers with 8 catches for 102 yards, while sophomore sensation Brayden Robinson had five grabs for 46 yards.
UP NEXT
Red Oak will host (1-0) Arlington Sequin in its home opener at Billy Goodloe Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
The Cougars will be fresh off a 21-7 home victory against the (0-1) Midlothian Panthers — a win that saw the Sequin defense limit Midlothian to 144 total yards.
The Hawks defeated Sequin 35-25 in 2022. Red Oak scored three second-half touchdowns and rushed for 218 yards in the win.
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Travis M. Smith, @Travis5mith
tsmith@elliscosports.com
