Freshman QB stars in high school debut as Eastern Hills shuts out Diamond Hill-Jarvis
Davionte Collins had himself a high school debut on Thursday night as the freshman quarterback rushed for three first-half touchdowns and Fort Worth Eastern Hills dominated Fort Worth Diamond Hill-Jarvis, 36-0, in the season opener for both teams at Farrington Field.
Eastern Hills dropped to Class 4A in February and was realigned with Diamond Hill-Jarvis in District 6-4A Division I, but Thursday’s game served as a non-district contest.
The two teams will face off in district at a date to be determined because 6-4A DI was split into zones to help modify the season because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Collins, who is listed at 5-9, scored on runs of 13, 6 and 24 yards in the first half as the Highlanders (1-0) led by 30 at intermission. The third- and fourth-quarter clocks were reset from 12 to 10 minutes.
After both squads punted on their first possession, Eastern Hills hit the scoreboard with Collins’ 13-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-7 with 4:25 left in the opening quarter.
It didn’t take long for the Highlanders to score again. While lining up for a punt, the snap sailed over the Diamond Hill-Jarvis punter that resulted in a 17-yard loss to the 3-yard line.
On the next play, DeJuan Lee scored on a 3-yard run and a 2-point attempt made it 14-0 at the 2:53 mark of the first quarter. Collins’ second score, from the 6, came with 9:29 left in the second quarter. It capped off a 8-play and 65-yard drive. After another successful 2-point attempt, the Highlanders led 22-0.
Diamond Hill-Jarvis (0-1) fumbled away the ball on the ensuing play from scrimmage and it took Eastern Hills two plays to find pay dirt and a 30-0 lead on Collins’ 24-yard run with 9:06 left in the first half.
After a quick and scoreless third quarter, the Highlanders scored on the first play of the fourth when the Eagles had another miscue on a punt attempt. The ball hit a DHJ player following the kick and Brian Faggans scooped the loose ball at the 8 and scored to give Eastern Hills a 36-0 lead with 9:49 to play.
EHHS gained 204 of its 210 yards on the ground. Collins had a team-high 52 yards on seven carries while sophomore running back Jayden Curry added 50 yards rushing. The Highlanders held the Eagles to minus-17 yards of total offense.
Both teams will begin district play in Week 4. Diamond Hill will play Western Hills at Clark Stadium Sept. 17 while Eastern Hills plays Dunbar at Farrington Field Sept. 18.
It was the first football game at a Fort Worth ISD facility this season. Spectators wore masks and stayed 6 feet apart. Tickets were only sold online. Diamond Hill-Jarvis had cheerleaders that wore masks, however, neither schools’ band or drill team were in attendance. Players on the sideline kept their distance from one another.
This story was originally published September 10, 2020 at 9:07 PM.
