By Caleb Adams

Leader Correspondent

 

JASPER — The Jasper Bulldogs muscled past the West Orange-Stark Mustangs 34-24 in non-district action Friday night at Bulldog Stadium behind a monstrous night by Jasper running back Montavien Hunt.

Hunt tore through the Mustang defense for 373 yards on 23 carries and four long touchdowns runs as Jasper (6-0) remains undefeated on the season.

The Bulldogs piled up 439 total yards of offense.

The Mustangs (2-4) grabbed 389 total yards of their own, 251 of it via the air as both teams moved the ball well.

Mustang quarterback Tyrone Wilson completed 10-of-20 passes for 251 yards. Jay’zn Robinson had six catches for 70 yards while Brettlin Wiley hauled in a catch that went for 82 yards. Senior tailback Kavyn Cooper had 86 yards and three TDs on 18 carries while Wilson had 46 yards on five totes.

Bulldog quarterback Colton Womack completed 2-of-4 passes for 62 yards.

It was hard to ignore the monster that was Hunt was all night long for the Bulldogs. He absolutely lit up the Mustang defense and was never slowed down.

Jasper took advantage of a long pass from Womack to score on their first drive. Womack connected with Reggie Shaw with a short route, but he took off for 58 yards after the catch. The Bulldogs couldn’t find the end zone, but kicker Alex Mijares was good for three points from 29 yards out as Jasper led 3-0 with 7:20 left in the first quarter.

The Bulldogs main man in the backfield was Hunt in the first half as he had 234 yards rushing all by himself. With three rushes for over 60 yards apiece as he put up video game numbers.

The Bulldogs took just one play to score again, making it a two-score game. Jasper’s Hunt took off on a long 67-yard scoring run. After a two-point conversion the Bulldogs took a strange 11-0 lead in the first quarter.

The Mustangs responded after a strong drive with points of their own. Quarterback Wilson found a hole and broke off for a long 50-plus yard run to get in scoring position. Unable to capitalize, the offense settled for a 36 yard field goal from kicker Angel Ibarra as the Bulldogs led 11-3 at the end of the first quarter.

Hunt would do it again, but this time he sprinted for 80 yards to score for the Bulldogs. His explosive breakaway speed let him glide past the Mustang secondary. After Majares put the PAT through, the Bulldogs went up 18-3 with seven and a half minutes left.

The Mustangs would find the end zone, thanks to a long pass from Wilson to Sibley. The 28 yard pass set up Cooper for a run into the end zone from inside the 10, making it 18-10 with five minutes left in the half

The Bulldogs answered right back with the legs of Hunt, who churned out another long touchdown gallop, this time from 70 yards out on the first play of the next series to help up the margin to 25-10.

The Mustangs score again thanks to a long pass from Wilson to Wiley from 83 yards, that got to the Bulldog 1. The Mustangs went for the two-point conversion but coughed it up and Bulldog Tony Beatty picked it up and ran it all the way back for two more points for Jasper to make it 27-16 with about a minute left in the half. The Mustangs took advantage of a forced fumble by the defense and made it a one-score game late in the third quarter. A pass to obinson for 15 yards from Wilson helped set up a superb Cooper run as the senior back broke loose on a 34-yard scamper for a score. Wilson ran in the two-point conversion to trim it to 27-24 .

However, Hunt had another answer as he responded with another long run, this time from 77 yards out, brushing off several defenders, to make it 34-24 with 4:26 remaining in the third.

Neither team would score during the fourth quarter, even though they both found themselves in the red zone multiple times. Both teams had trouble scoring in the end, but Jasper was able to play keep away from the Mustangs long enough to secure the win.

The Mustangs will finally crank up District 10-4A Division II action next week when they welcome in the Silsbee Tigers. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, will open up District 9-4A Division II play at home against Shepherd.