The China Spring Cougars (3-0) made quick work of the Mexia Blackcats (0-3) on Friday night, running wild for a 63-7 victory.
Game of Two Halves
While the Cougars rolled in both the first and second halves, China Spring had two separate personnel packages in each half. The first half belonged to the first team, and more specifically, WR/DB Tre Hafford. In the first two quarters, Hafford torched the Blackcat defense for 229 yards on 9 receptions. Three of those receptions found the endzone. Hafford scored from 23, 2 and 78 yards. On the receptions where Hafford didn’t find the endzone, it took a clowder of Blackcats to bring him down.
Hafford received those passes from QB Cash McCollum, and Hafford wasn’t his only target. McCollum finished the first half, and his night, with 341 yards and 5 touchdowns on 13 completions. His longest pass of the night with to Cameron Campos for 84 yards and a touchdown.
Hafford made just as much noise on the defensive side of the ball. The senior defensive back ended two Mexia drives with a fumble recovery and interception. For his efforts, Hafford earned Player of the Game honors.
Cougar Defense
The China Spring defense kept Mexia bottled up all night long. The first teamers held the Blackcats to 88 yards total offense in the first half. Along with Hafford getting the turnovers, DE Greydon Grimes also was able to take the ball away from Mexia on a fumble recovery. The ever present DL Greg Salazar was wreaking havoc in the Mexia backfield and LBs Jacob Mott and Jaeden Davis were not allowing anything past them on the second level.
Second Half
The second half belonged to the second team and RB Miles Reed. On Reed’s first carry of the night, he plunged through the line for a 4 yard touchdown, the first of his career. His next seven carries covered 22 yards, matching his uniform number, and one more touchdown. His final carry came with 2:22 remaining on the clock. Reed took the pitch and swept around the right side through the Mexia defenders and reached the endzone again, 56 yards later.
Next Up
Next up for the Cougars will be a former district rival, the Connally Cadets (3-0). In the fourth game of the season, these two teams already have a common opponent, the Mexia Blackcats. Connally took care of Mexia 65-20 in Week 1, and had an upset victory over the LaVega Pirates last week.
*All statistics are unofficial
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