Football roundup: Hammond accounts for 5 TDs in Cleburne victory; Burleson defense stout again
Springtown running back Cameron Rickett did everything he could to defeat defending Class 4A Division I state finalist Kennedale on Friday night.
Rickett rushed for two scores, caught a TD pass, and set up another score with a 60-yard halfback pass as the Porcupines rolled over Kennedale 30-0 at Wildcat Stadium in a game that was ended with 6:37 left due to lightning.
It was Springtown’s first win over Kennedale since 1989. Porcupine players erupted when the game was called.
Springtown (4-0) scored on each of its four possessions in the first half. Rickett sandwiched 39-yard and 10-yard scoring runs around a Brendan Hall 27 yard field goal and a 53 yard scoring reception from Sawyer Drewry. The Porcupines led 23-0 at the half.
Kennedale (2-2), which lost five of six offensive linemen off of last season’s team, had trouble moving the ball on offense all night. Springtown’s defense held the Wildcat’s rushing game to 154 yards on 41 carries and 214 total yards.
Kennedale star running back D.J. Kirven was injured with 7:05 left in the second quarter and had to be taken off the field on a stretcher to a waiting ambulance. Kirven had rushed eight times for 29 yards before leaving due to what looked to be a neck or back injury. Assistant coach Matt Munson said after the game that Kirven had feeling in all of his extremities and that the injury didn’t look to be serious.
- Darren Lauber
CLEBURNE 47, WACO UNIVERSITY 3
The Cleburne Yellow Jackets jumped out to a 20-0 lead in the first 5 minutes and never looked back in a 47-3 win over Waco University on Friday night at Yellow Jacket Stadium.
Cleburne improved to 3-0 on the season and started District 5-5A Division II play 1-0 with the win while Waco University fell to 1-4 overall and 0-2 in league action.
On the second play of the game, Cleburne sophomore quarterback Gunner Hammond found a wide open Jamari Bradley for a 56-yard touchdown pass.
Two drives later, Hammond scored on a five-yard touchdown run. University then fumbled the ensuing kickoff — the first of two lost fumbles on kick returns by the Trojans — and Cleburne scored two plays later on a 16-yard pass from Hammond to Isaak Cunningham for a 20-0 lead en route to a 44-point win.
After not reaching the 40-point mark once in 2017, Cleburne has scored at least 40 points in each of its first three games this season.
- A.J. Crisp
BURLESON 24, JOSHUA 0
Burleson’s defense is pretty good.
The Elks shut out the Owls, 24-0, for a District 9-5A Division II victory at Burleson ISD Stadium in a game that was shortened by lightning with 8:11 to play in the fourth quarter.
As they have in the first three games of the season, the Elks’ defense was stout. The shutout was Burleson’s second of the season.
After scoring nine points in the first half, Burleson (4-0, 2-0) got things going offensively in the second half. Playing in a driving rain storm, the Elks turned to their running game and scored twice.
Joshua (1-3, 0-2) had success at times moving the ball but only reached Elk territory once in the game on six possessions.
NOLAN CATHOLIC 43, EASTERN HILLS 0
Unbeaten host Nolan Catholic (4-0) shut out under-manned Eastern Hills, 43-0, in a matchup of private and public schools Friday night.
The game was called at halftime as a steady downpour began.
Four of Nolan’s touchdowns were by virtue of passes. Two were runs. In all, a different player scored for Nolan as the Vikings scored the six touchdowns in 25 plays. Two of the touchdown drives began at the Eastern Hills 19 and 29 yard lines after fumble recoveries by Nolan.
Clay Campbell led Nolan in rushing with 46 yards in four carries. Teammate Emaka Megwa had 37 yards in three carries. Both players scored Nolan touchdowns, a 15-yard run by senior Campbell followed by a 19-yard run by Megwa, a freshman.
Irene Ngabonziza led all receivers with four catches for 60 yards and a touchdown, the third one.
- Tom Curtis
Dallas Madison-FW Polytechnic canceled
Inclement weather on Friday night at Farrington Field in Fort Worth forced the cancellation of the game between Dallas Madison and Fort Worth Polytechnic. Dallas Madison led 20-3 with just under five minutes remaining before the game was called because of weather. The game will not count toward either team’s record and will not be rescheduled.
What’s next? Madison travels to Wilmer-Hutchins to take on Sunnyvale, on Sept. 28 at 7:30 p.m. Fort Worth Polytechnic faces Fort Worth Eastern Hills, at Scarborough-Handley Field, on Sept. 28 at 7:30.