MOORE — The wait is over for Moore High coach Todd Watters and his Lions. Moore took home its first victory on Homecoming Thursday night by dispatching U.S. Grant handily.
It took just one play for Moore to assert its dominance. Junior tailback Ryan Lujan took the Lions’ first snap of the game on a handoff near midfield and easily broke through the U.S. Grant defensive line. From there, it was off to the races, and 56 yards later Moore found itself up 6-0.
It was only the beginning for the Lions, who dominated from start to finish in a 41-0 victory over U.S. Grant.
The Lions were able to easily roll up 299 yards of total offense, while their defense held the Generals to just 100 yards. It was a complete victory that moved Moore to 1-3 and 1-0 in district play while Grant fell to 1-3 and 0-1.
“I’m happy and excited for these kids,” Watters said after the win. “We are improving week after week and hopefully we got better tonight.”
As has become the norm under Watters’ leadership, the Lions kept the ball on the ground throughout the game. They were wildly successful in doing so, picking up first down after first down.
That is, of course, when they weren’t scoring touchdowns. Lujan and starting quarterback Colin Webb each finished with two touchdowns apiece, and Lujan added 108 yards rushing. Webb finished with 57 yards rushing and another 25 yards through the air.
Playing with just 19 players on the roster, Grant didn’t have the talent or depth to keep up with Moore on Thursday. The Lions put the game out of reach early. The Lions scored 14 points in the first quarter and led 31-0 at halftime, having given up just 8 yards in the half.
Moore scored once more early in the third quarter, then pulled the starters early in the third quarter. Everyone eventually got into the act for Moore. Twelve players took a turn running the ball for Moore, and nearly everyone on the roster got on the field.
“It’s always good for morale to get a lot of guys in,” Watters said. “On the other hand, there’s something to be said for getting these varsity guys more game experience. Obviously Grant’s a little behind the 8-ball, and their guys played hard tonight.”
With a big trip to Putnam City North Thursday, getting off to a winning start in District 6A-3 was an important first step for the Lions, Watters said.
“We needed some confidence, and this gives us some going into next week,” he said. “Our guys are getting a better understanding of the triple option we run, and they’re getting more comfortable in the system. We still need to clean up things and become more disciplined, but we’ll take the win.”
Michael Kinney Follow me @eyeamtruth mkinney@mooreamerican.com
