Apaches dominate Lanier

As is the case with most run-oriented football teams, ball control is a key to success.

But when a team scores an average of every three plays, ball control can be difficult. The Gonzales football team ran into that situation on Friday as the Apaches scored seven times within their first 20 plays in a 48-7 rout of Austin Lanier in their annual homecoming contest Friday at Apache Field.

In the first half alone, Gonzales (2-1) ran just 18 plays. Among those 18 plays were 15 first downs, including six touchdowns as the Apaches led 42-0 at the half.

“We executed on offense better,” Gonzales coach Ricky Lock said. “Lanier is a fast-start team and we wanted to jump on them early.”

With the lopsided halftime score, the second half featured a running clock, which only stopped when a timeout was called. Gonzales rested its offensive starters in the second half, including tailback Cecil Johnson who had 211 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries by halftime.

“You want to score, but you don’t want to rub it in,” Lock said. “We were able to get a lot of kids into the game. It’s good to get everyone in and get them some experience.”

It didn’t take long for the Apaches to strike as they built an 8-0 lead at the 10:37 mark of the first quarter thanks to a 15-yard touchdown pass from Matt Hillman to Darrance James and a two-point conversion run from Zack Lopez. The score was set up by runs of 18 and 25 yards from Johnson on the first two plays of the contest.

Lanier (0-4) moved into Gonzales territory thanks to a roughing-the-punter penalty and a 30-yard run from Keith Newton. But the Vikings got no closer than the Apaches’ 35-yard line as Lopez intercepted Saul Orton at the 5.

Gonzales wasted little time driving the ball downfield as Johnson had carries of 32 and 31 yards before Lopez scored from 32 yards out to extend the lead to 14-0 with 5:44 left in the opening quarter. Johnson broke the 100-yard mark with his 31-yard run on the drive.

Lanier went on its longest drive of the game – 10 plays – on the ensuing drive, but got no closer than the Gonzales 48 before a pair of false start penalties forced the Vikings to punt from their own 44. The punt went just 21 yards and gave the Apaches decent field position at their own 35.

Gonzales followed Lanier’s longest drive of the game with its longest drive of the first half – six plays. Johnson and Lopez each had a pair of carries on the drive before Hillman connected with James for a 20-yard score to give their team a 20-0 lead at the 9:50 mark of the second quarter.

A turnover on downs gave Gonzales the ball at the Lanier 40 two minutes later, and the Apaches wasted little time striking again as Hillman hit James for a third score – a 40-yarder – on the first play of the drive. Hillman added the two-point conversion run to increase the lead to 28-0 with 7:32 left in the second quarter.

A year earlier, Hillman was 7-of-7 passing against Lanier. On Friday he was 3-of-3 with a trio of touchdown passes – all to James.

“My offensive line does a great job blocking for me,” Hillman said. “The more comfortable I am in the pocket, the better I throw. It also helps that Darrance is fast. If I get the ball to him, he’s going to score.”

James is playing wide receiver for the first time this season. He was a tailback in junior high and last year as a freshman.

“There’s not that big of a difference between running back and receiver,” James said. “In both positions, you have to make sure you have the ball in your hands before you can run.”

The Apaches were not finished scoring after the third Hillman-to-James touchdown. Another failed fourth-down conversion on Lanier’s part led to another short field for Gonzales.

Johnson took matters into his own hands as he reeled off runs of 20 and 17 yards before scoring from 19 yards out to cap a 3-play, 56-yard drive. Hillman’s extra point gave the Apaches a 35-0 lead with 5:39 left before halftime.

A 52-yard pass from Orton to Samuel Charles put the Vikings at the Gonzales 32. But Orton was intercepted by James, who’s return combined with a facemask penalty against Lanier gave Gonzales the ball at the Vikings’ 22.

On the ensuing play, Johnson scored from 22 yards out to give his team a 42-0 lead with 1:53 remaining before intermission. The score also lifted Johnson over the 200-yard mark for the third time in as many games as he now has 656 yards and eight touchdowns on the year.

Disaster struck for Lanier on the opening drive of the third quarter as an errant punt snap set the Apaches up at the Vikings’ 3. A pair of Morgan Martinez carries – the latter being a 1-yard touchdown – gave Gonzales a 48-0 lead with 6:26 left in the period.

Lanier finally got on the scoreboard on the ensuing play as Deron Smith scored from 62 yards out to cut the lead to 48-7. The Vikings had another opportunity to score after recovering a muffed kickoff at the Gonzales 39, but four false starts backed them up before Lopez recorded his second interception of the night.

“I read the tackle and got in the right spot for the interception,” Lopez said. “We took a step in the right direction, but we still have to work on tackling and lining up correctly. We also need to swarm to the ball more.”

In addition to his play on the field, Lopez also had the honor of being the escort of Gonzales’ 2012-13 homecoming queen Lindsey Akers. Akers, an athlete who participates in volleyball, softball and track and field, was crowned at halftime.

“I never imagined I would be homecoming queen, but it’s an honor,” Akers said.

While Akers regularly attends Gonzales football games, Friday night’s game provided a different experience for her. She watched the game in a formal dress.

The Apaches host College Station at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Apache Field.