PORT NECHES — One minute, 36 seconds remained before halftime. Port Neches-Groves led Vidor 14-0, an unbeaten team leading a once-defeated team in a crucial District 22-5A team.

PNG had the ball on its own 45, facing fourth-and-1. Vidor could not take the lead on its next possession; only pull within six points at best.

“On fourth-and-short, we practice it almost every day, just personnel and knowing who to block,” junior quarterback Roschon Johnson said. “I just read my blocks and they make it easy.”

That fourth-and-1 turned into a 55-yard sprint up the middle for Johnson into the end zone. The Indians led 21-0 at the break and won 42-14.

“Every game is different,” PNG coach Brandon Faircloth said. “We’ve punted on fourth-and-1 this year. It kind of depends on how we feel, how the game is playing out, how our defense is playing … there are a lot of factors involved.”

Some coaches will never punt as long as their team is out of their own red zone, while some rely on conventional wisdom. Faircloth, an offensive guru, makes his fourth-down decisions depending on the situation of the game, but the Indians (6-0, 5-0 in 22-5A) have made some big gains, to say the least, in big games when risking a turnover on downs.

Against Port Arthur Memorial, PNG made two big conversions on fourth-down after punting on its first two series. Facing fourth-and-5 at his own 40, Johnson gained 9 yards to keep a drive alive, his Indians trailing 17-7. PNG scored four plays later.

Johnson had rushed 62 yards for a touchdown on third-and-2 the series before.

PNG recovered an onside kick early in the second half and trailed by eight when, on fourth-and-14, Johnson threw a 34-yard pass to Preston Riggs that set up Johnson’s 1-yard TD sneak.

“Especially with me being a dual threat, it throws the defense off-balance having that ability to throw them off both ways,” Johnson said. “It’s pretty cool.”

Faircloth didn’t want to give the ball back to Memorial or Vidor, two teams PNG shared the 2016 district title with that are known for powerful rushing offenses.

“You just kind of weigh the option of, if I punt it to them, or on fourth-and-1 what are my chances of getting a first down?” Faircloth said. “Obviously with Roschon, we feel pretty confident in him picking up fourth-and-1. We practice fourth-and-1. There’s not a situation we don’t practice. We’ve told our kids numerous times, we have confidence in you. If it’s fourth-and-1, I don’t mind calling the plays we’ve practiced. We’ve watched you kids execute. It has to do with some factors in the game, but also it has to do with how we practice. When they come up, I’m not afraid to put those kids in those situations.”

PNG’s offense ranks atop the district in total yards at 501.8 per game, but they’ll face off against a Beaumont Central team (3-2, 3-2) that’s a half-game behind Vidor for fourth place in 22-5A. The top four teams at the end of the regular season make the 5A playoffs.

The Jaguars are playing with a sense of urgency, having beaten Ozen, Nederland and Lumberton the past three weeks and counting on their own run-pass playmaker in Dessane Davis.

“He’s done a good job of scrambling and creating some plays,” Faircloth said. “He’s a playmaker. We’re going to have to do a good job of staying in front of him, and our secondary’s going to have to do a good job of covering longer than we’re used to because he can make some plays and he does a good job of finding receivers.”
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I.C. Murrell: 549-8541. Twitter: @ICMurrellPANews