WOS Mustangs enter third phase with lots of fans, lots of points to no points

For The Record- Meri Elen

The third phase of the season for the West Orange-Stark Mustangs began like the other two did. With a stand full of fans…a lot of cheering…excited Mustangs….lots of points to no points.

The Mustangs faced the Tarkington Longhorns for the first time ever and left a brand to the tune of 73-0.The victory advances WO-S to the second round to take on the Waco Robinson Rockets Friday night at 7:30 at Woodforest Bank Stadium in Shenandoah.

“Congrats to the Mustangs for being Bi-District Champs,” Head Coach Cornel Thompson said. “They were a good first round opponent but the price of poker goes up this week. The weaker programs have lost out. Our main concern is to get well so we can perform at full force.”

The Mustangs dominated the game from the first snap, forcing Tarkington to punt in the first two minutes. Three plays later, KJ Miller hit pay dirt on a 37 yard reception from quarterback Jack Dallas. And WO-S never looked back, with ten Mustangs scoring on the night, two touchdowns scored by the defense and two scores by Jarron Morris on punt returns.

Dallas connected with Keion Hancock for a 32 yard touchdown in the first quarter and Dominique Tezeno to start the second quarter from 8 yards out. Jeremiah Shaw scored on a 55 yard run and finished the game with 6 carries for 105 yards. Short-yardage specialist Mandel Turner-King, who normally anchors the defense, scored from 1 yard out. Kavyn Cooper scored on a 24 yard scamper to close the third quarter scoring. Justin Sibley scored on a 55 yard run on the Mustangs last offensive play of the game. Kicker Chad Dallas made three out of five PAT’s and freshman Paulino Santos made four out of five.

The two defensive touchdowns were put up by Ronald Carter, who fell on a Keyshawn Holman blocked punt, in the end zone. Corey Skinner intercepted Tarkington’s Cody Pettit and returned it 10 yards for six.

“On defense, we swarmed to the ball and they just couldn’t block,” Thompson said. “Keyshawn (Holman) did a great job playing in the Willie linebacker spot. The O-Line is a concern with too many mistakes and not staying with the blocks and we are still working on our kicking game with PATs.”

The Mustangs will now turn their attention to a very potent offensive team in the Waco Robinson Rockets. The Rockets beat Caldwell, 77-59, to advance to the second round. They are 9-2, scoring 602 points this season but allowing 416 points from their opponents. The Mustangs have scored 594 but the defense has only allowed 30.

Led by senior quarterback Chase Allison, the Rockets run a spread offense, with Allison throwing for over 4000 yards and 51 touchdowns. His favorite targets are Braxton Ashcraft, who has over 2000 yards receiving, Rhett Roznos and Taten Wiley. The Rocket defense is led by linebacker Blake Crain. They base out of a 50 front and occasionally a 3-3 stack.

Tickets will be on sale at the WO-S athletic office Thursday, November 17 from 9-12 and 1-3pm and Friday, from 9-12 only. Prices are $6 for adults and $4 for students with all tickets at the gate $8. The Mustangs are the visiting team. The stadium address is 19115 David Memorial Dr., Shenandoah, TX 77385.