By Gabriel Pruett

The News sports writer

CHANNELVIEW — It was not the strumming it was in 2014, yet the Port Arthur Memorial Titans in 2015 still had no answer for Channelview and quarterback Jalen Hurts.

Hurts rushed for 170 yards and threw for 223 as the Falcons defeated the Titans 56-28 in both teams’ District 21-6A opener. The Alabama commit finished with two rushing and two passing touchdowns.

It was not solely the Hurts show, either, on Friday. Running back Demontre Tuggle showed his worth as well with 234 yards on 21 carries for Channelview. He scored on runs of 55, 68 and 29 yards.

The Titans are now 1-4 overall, tied for the worst start through five games for any Memorial team with the 2008 squad. That team went 3-6 on the year.

Channelview put up 609 yards on Friday at Ray Maddry Stadium on Memorial, a year after gaining more than 700 yards.

This year’s Titans team did show a lot of fight in the first half against the Falcons.

A Fabian Scott 10-yard touchdown reception with 8:33 left in the third pulled the Titans to within 21-14.

It was the first of six combined touchdowns in the third quarter as the two teams started to put on a show.

The Falcons answered right back on a 55-yard touchdown scamper by Tuggle, and soon the teams started to trade scores.

“Defensively we played well in the first half and came back in the second half against an explosive offense and gave them too many opportunities,” Memorial coach Kenny Harrison said. “Just a complete overall loss on our part. When you play an explosive team like that, you have to make every possession count. We have to make every possession count.”

The Titans clearly did not do that in the first half, especially the first quarter.

Memorial got the game going exactly how Harrison would have liked by stopping Hurts and the Falcons on its first possession and forced a punt.

The Titans did nothing with the ball and had to punt. Channelview then drove all the way down to the Memorial 11  before the Titans forced a turnover on downs and gave the ball back to their offense.

Memorial only ran three plays before having to punt and this time the Falcons took advantage.

Hurts threw a 37-yard touchdown to Anthony Means to give Channelview a 7-0 lead.

Memorial did answer right back on a 20-yard touchdown catch by Scott, his first of two on the day.

The turning points in the game started to come on the next few series as Memorial got back-to-back sacks by Braydon Williams and Odis Mack to get the ball back again on downs yet settled for another punt.

Hurts would drive his team down field for a score and then on the ensuing kick, the Titans fumbled the ball back to the Falcons.

Three plays later, Hurts hit Davion Gibson for a touchdown and it was 21-7 Falcons.

“Any time you get a turnover on special teams its big,” Harrison said. “We had a kid there (De’Andre Angelle) who was trying to make a play and unfortunately it happened. He made several other plays tonight and that turnover was big.”

Angelle finished with three catches for 74 yards.

Quarterback Kadon Harrison was 11-for-23 passing for 156 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

The interception came on a drive that summed up the Memorial night perfectly. The Titans were driving down 49-28 with 11:22 on the clock in the fourth. The series took 13 plays and ended with an interception near the goal line. There were four different holding penalties called against Memorial in the drive.

Kary Vincent returned a kickoff 66 yards for a Titans touchdown in the third, and Marcus Younger also got into the end zone in the frame.