PORT NECHES — Cameron Stansbury, Preston Hughes, Holden Lane and Andrew Hebert each caught a touchdown pass from Roschon Johnson.

Josh Hranicky, a left tackle, took a lateral pass from Johnson and ran into the end zone from a yard out.

“I didn’t know if we were going to run it,” Hranicky said, the play counting as a run because it was not a forward pass. “… They hit me by surprise. I was happy.”

It was that kind of senior night at Port Neches-Groves, a way for this 12th-grade class to win a share of the District 22-5A championship for the third year in a row.

“It’s awesome because us seniors were part of the three-year repeat,” said Stansbury, who caught eight passes for 158 yards, including a 62-yard catch and run early in the fourth quarter. “Next week, we’re going to go after Nederland and try to take it all by ourselves.”

Johnson, a junior, threw for 269 yards and added a touchdown run Friday as PNG blanked Ozen 48-0 to achieve something no team in its history has done since 1977 — win (shares of) three or more district championships.

“That’s a big deal,” PNG coach Brandon Faircloth said. “We have a really tough district, and to win three in a row is really exciting. I’m excited for our players.”

The Indians (8-0, 7-0 in 22-5A) can clinch their first outright district title since Faircloth’s first season in 2009 with a win at Nederland next Friday in the Bum Phillips Bowl. They shared the 2015 title with the Bulldogs, who had won their fifth straight, and the 2016 crown with Port Arthur Memorial and Vidor.

“We have a chip on our shoulder because we really want to win the district championship all to ourselves,” Stansbury said. “It’s Nederland, so we’re going to go out and give it our all.”

Plus, the Indians can win two trophies all to themselves on the same night.

Even with Ozen still to play, Faircloth hasn’t wasted a second preparing for Nederland.

“We’ve already started,” Faircloth said. “We started earlier this week in our free time. They’re a great program, and coach [Monte] Barrow and his staff do a great job. We know what kind of game it’s going to be next Friday night. It’s going to be a playoff game. I told our guys just now after the game; we’re in the playoffs. Next week will be a playoff game, and the week after that will be a playoff game. That’s how we’re looking at it. We’ve got to be at our best to give ourselves an opportunity.”

Johnson, who’s orally commited to the University of Texas, is continuing a remarkable tear of combining for five or more touchdowns in every game this season. He threw for four and rushed for one Friday, finishing with 27 yards on five rushes.

Yet Faircloth was most impressed with the defense. They forced three turnovers including two fumbles, and held the Panthers (1-7, 1-6) to one first down in the first half.

“To get a shutout, that’s a big deal,” Faircloth said. “[Ozen coach Edward] Taylor and his staff do a good job, and to get a shutout, I was really proud of them. We made some good plays at the end to keep it going.”

PNG overcame a turnover on downs when sophomore Santiago Agudelo returned an interception 19 yards to the Ozen 6. Johnson rushed the next two plays to give the Indians a 13-0 lead.

The Panthers nearly ended the shutout late in the fourth quarter, but a 31-yard field goal attempt hit the left upright.

PNG sophomore Gavin Deslatte had 64 yards on 10 carries. Hughes carried five times for 47 yards and a score, and caught four passes for 24.

Ozen sophomore Ja’Marion Eaglin finished with 90 yards on 28 rushes.
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I.C. Murrell: 549-8541. Twitter: @ICMurrellPANews