Fort Worth Western Hills can’t stop West offense in Cougars’ season opener
Fumbles hurt Fort Worth Western Hills early Friday night and the Cougars were never able to recover as they fell at West, 59-7, in a non-district game.
The Cougars (0-1) were playing in their first game this season and it showed as they fumbled the ball away on three of their first three possessions.
West (1-1) played like a team that already had a game under its belt. The Trojans, who lost at Lexington, 25-14, in Week 1, finished with 347 yards of offense on 46 plays. West averaged 7.5 yards per play.
Western Hills quarterback Keyon Butler threw for 131 yards and a score. Johnavon Polk caught three passes for 85 yards.
The start of the game was delayed one hour and 11 minutes by lightning The teams returned to the field and went through six minutes of warmups before beginning play.
Trent Janek had a big game for the Trojans, scoring on runs of 5, 12, and 16 yards. Janek finished with nine carries for 83 yards. Lawson Kendrick paced West’s running game with 154 yards on nine carries, including one touchdown.
Things spiraled on the Cougars early as they turned the ball over on three consecutive possessions leading to 17 points and a 24-0 West lead at the end of the first quarter.
With the Trojans leading 7-0 following a 5-yard TD run by Janek, the Cougars fumbled the ball away at the West 44. Five plays later, West took a 10-0 lead on a 26-yard field goal by Trey Olvera.
A bad snap on the Western Hills’ next play from scrimmage was scooped up by West’s Billy Gann and returned nine yards for a score. The Cougars fumbled on their next play and the Trojans turned the miscue into a 24-0 lead when Landon Edwards scored on a 3-yard run on the next play.
In the second quarter, Janek added a 12-yard run for the Trojans and Kendrick scored on a 7-yard TD.
Western Hills’ first score of the season came with 3:59 to play in the first half. The Cougars capped a 12-play, 70-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Bulter to Ashon Cooper. The pass converted a fourth-and-goal and cut the lead to 31-7.