By Chris Moore
Special to The News

BEAUMONT — All three phases of the game came together for Port Neches-Groves as the Indians routed the Beaumont Central Jaguars 62-27 at Thomas Stadium on Thursday.

On the opening kickoff, PNG’s Preston Hughes took the opening kickoff 73 yards to the Jags’ 20. Two plays later, Roschon Johnson found the end zone on a two-yard run.

With just 23 seconds off of the game clock, the Indians (7-0, 6-0 in 22-5A) led 6-0 after a missed extra point. That would be about the only mishap of the night for the team in purple as they went on to score the most points PNG has scored in over two decades.

“Really, it came down to our defense tonight,” Indian head coach Brandon Faircloth said. “We had a lot of turnovers. Our defense did a great job of bending and not breaking and getting some turnovers and our offense was ready to capitalize. It was a great team effort. I’m really proud of our guys.”

On the ensuing drive, Central (3-3, 3-3) started off with an effective rushing attack, with Theo Foster gashing the Indians 46 yards on his first three carries. The drive abruptly ended when Matthew Phoenix was picked off by Tyler Jackson, who returned it for an 80-yard touchdown.

Phoenix ended the game with three interceptions on 5-of-17 for 44 yards.

The Jaguars found some success on the ground, rushing for 222 yards on 36 attempts. Faircloth said that he knew stopping them would be difficult.

“We’re playing good defense right now,” he said. I have to give (the Jaguars) credit. They have a great offensive team. They have two great tailbacks and a good offensive line. They’re tough and our defense stepped up tonight.”

The Indian offense didn’t let the defense and special teams steal the show completely. Roschon Johnson finished the game with 175 yards passing, completing an efficient 11 of 15 pass attempts. He also tacked on 71 yards rushing and five total touchdowns.

Even with the big win and a playoff spot clinched, Faircloth said his team has plenty to work on.
“There is plenty to get better at,” he said. “We’re nowhere near where we need to be. We’re still making a lot of mistakes. We’ll go watch the film tomorrow and get back to work on Monday. We’ll try to correct the things we have to get better at.”

The Indians have two games left on the season against Ozen and Nederland, respectively. Even though they have their spot in the playoffs locked down, Faircloth said that his team can’t be complacent against two tough opponents.

“If you’re not focused, you’re going to lose,” he said. “That’s all there is to it. Our guys know it. If they don’t play well, they can lose. We’re going to play two good football teams. We’re going to have to play well to win. Our guys know that every week in our district, we face good coaches and we face good players. They know how focused they have to be to be successful.”

The Indians take on Ozen on Friday at home. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.