By Van Wade
LIBERTY — It was smooth sailing for the West Orange-Stark Mustangs as they strolled to Liberty and shut down the Panthers 49-0 in the District 9-4A Division II opener for both squads Friday night.
WO-S quarterback Jack Dallas was a perfect 13-of-13 passing for the night, finishing with 200 yards in the air and three touchdowns.
Meanwhile, the Mustang “Chain Gang Defense” gave the Panthers (3-4, 0-1) no where to run or hide as the Mustangs (6-1, 1-0) held Liberty to a mere 79 total yards and seven first downs. The defense gave the Mustang offense excellent field position throughout the night.
The Mustangs, who are looking to defend their 9-4A Division II crown, finished with
328 total yards.
WO-S left little doubt on who was going to dominate the night during the first quarter as they scored 22 points in the period.
The Mustangs went up 6-0 early in the first quarter as Dallas teamed up with leading receiver Thomas Wallace on a 14-yard scoring strike to cap off a six-play, 57-yard scoring march. Wallace finished with four receptions for 48 yards.
Using a short field, WO-S hit paydirt again to go up 14-0 when running back Melech
Edwards finished off a five-play, 34-yard drive with a three-yard touchdown jaunt.
The Mustangs grabbed a 22-0 edge when running back Jeremiah Shaw hauled in a three-yard touchdown pass from Dallas to end a five-play, 63-yard drive.
WO-S tacked on a touchdown in the second quarter, going four 69 yards in four plays.
Dallas hooked up with Dominique Tezeno for a 56-yard pass for the big play of the series and Shaw finished it when he scored on a 10-yard dart to give the Mustangs a 28-0 halftime edge. Shaw was the Mustangs’ leading rusher with 63 yards on 11 totes.
Liberty had 71 of its yards in the first half but the Mustangs held the Panthers to eight total yards in the last 24 minutes.
The Mustangs found the end zone two more times in the third period.
Receiver Aric Cormier finished off a four-play, 44-yard drive by hauling in a seven-yard touchdown reception from Dallas to make it 35-0.
The Mustang defense got in on the act when Panther Trevor Pierce fumbled at the
Liberty 17 and WO-S senior linebacker standout Steven Tims picked up the loose leather and returned it 17 yards for the score.
Quinton Chargois capped off the night for the Mustangs, ending a two-play, 35-yard drive with a 28-yard touchdown scamper to the end zone.
Liberty running back Alex Brown earned some tough yardage, finishing with 80 yards on 27 carries. Liberty quarterback Tino Briggs struggled, going 0-for-6 with an interception while rushing for just three yards on six carries.
The Mustangs will look to continue their winning ways next week when they host the Orangefield Bobcats in 9-4A play for Homecoming.