Owls steamroll Panthers
CABRERA Examiner photo by Carter Benton Kevin Cabrera breaks loose for a big gain against the Danbury Panthers. Cabrera had a rushing touchdown in the 50-0 win. The Owls remain undefeated on the season.
ANDERSON - The Anderson-Shiro Fighting Owls continue their early roll this season with a decisive 50-0 homecoming victory over the Danbury Panthers Sept. 1, in front of a near capacity crowd at Fighting Owl Stadium.
The Owls showed their depth, speed, and power early. Stout defensive play stopped the Panthers in their tracks all night.
At the 6:32 mark of the first quarter, senior running back Jarvis Haynes took a handoff and rumbled 88 yards to the endzone. Quarterback Connor Daley scampered in for the conversion giving the Owls an early 8-0 lead.
Following another impressive stop by the Owl defense, the offense showed their depth at running back. Kevin Cabrera ran through a big hole created by the offensive line to put the Owls up 14-0. First quarter fireworks continued as Daley hit Kagan Stephens in stride from 28 yards out for the Owls third touchdown to end the quarter. Ta’Colby Calhoun plowed over a few Panthers to add the conversion extending the lead 22-0.
The second quarter was equally as entertaining for the home crowd. Daley connected with Kieran Gill for a 9-yard score at the 8:16 mark. Calhoun again followed great blocking for the conversion. Anderson- Shiro’s offensive line bullied the Panthers for the final score in the half. Pierce Goodwin bulldozed his way through the right side of the defense into the endzone. Daley completed the score on a fade to Christian Schroeder to give the Owls a 38-0 halftime lead.
The home crowd erupted at halftime when senior captain Jordan Coronado and senior volleyball leader Taylor Howell were named homecoming king and queen.
Anderson-Shiro returned from halftime festivities still in gear. The defense forced a fumble late in the third, one of the Owls six turnovers in the game. With a commanding lead, the Owls inserted sophomore Logan Jackson to lead the Owl offense. He handed the ball off to Calhoun for a 7-yard score, capitalizing on the turnover.
Ta’Colton Calhoun may have been given a ticket if he sped on the roadway the way he sped downfield for a 65-yard run to finalize the scoring 50-0.
This was a total team win for the Owls. Their Defense only allowed 34 total yards. Their six takeaways included five interceptions and a fumble recovery. Offensively six different players scored on the ground offensively. Three different Owls caught passes that led to points.
This week the Owls head north to face the Snook Bluejays for their first road test. “Snook is aggressive on defense and will get after us,” said Owl Head Coach Brad Hodges. “They are hungry for the win. We will have to execute again. They have new facilities, and it will be a hostile environment. It will be an early test for our guys. We need the Owl Family to be there in force!”
The road game is set for a 7 p.m. kick Sept. 8. As always, if you cannot make the road trip, follow the Navasota Examiner Sports Facebook page for live updates and short videos and read the full recap each Wednesday.