KILLEEN - A couple of fumbles were the only things that even kept this one close.

Otherwise, the Killeen Kangaroos were too much for the Harker Heights Knights to handle in a 42-21 victory at Leo Buckley Stadium on Thursday night.

“We knew this was going to be a game of emotions,” Killeen coach Sam Jones said. “We felt the team that settled down first and the team that made the least mistakes would win.”

The Roos (2-1) were the ones who settled down after trailing 14-13 at halftime.

Killeen kicked off to start the second half, and Heights (0-3) failed to field the ball. Each deep man assumed the other was about to catch it, and ultimately the Knights had to start at their 6-yard line. They ended up punting from the 5 and Killeen began to take over.

“We just can’t make mental errors,” Heights coach Todd McVey said. “That’s what pre-district is for, so hopefully we can get this crud out of our system.”

Killeen took full advantage of the situation. The Roos got the ball back on the Heights 35 and had little problem moving downfield, capping a six-play drive with a 2-yard touchdown run by Marcus Tillman. With a two-point conversion, the Roos took a 21-14 lead with 7:08 to go in the third quarter.

“I told our guys at halftime, ‘Forget about the first half - it’s over. Just go out and play our game in the second half,’” Jones said. “Our defense came out and stopped them, then our offense scored and it was on.”

Killeen held the Heights offense to a second three-and-out series. Then quarterback Michael Cummings, who rushed for 114 yards and passed for 61, ran it in from 5 yards out to put the Roos up by two touchdowns late in the third.

The Knights answered on their next drive. Kerry Sloan took a handoff up the middle, bounced off his line and ran for 52 yards to give the Knights a first-and-10 from the 15. Two plays later, quarterback Tommy Seigman connected with Alex Long for a 14-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead back to one touchdown with 18 seconds left in the third.

But the Knights had nothing after that.

“We made one mistake the second half,” Jones said. “We got a linebacker blocked and their kid popped one. But after that we settled back in and came out and scored again.”

So dominant were the Roos that they held the Knights to 212 yards in the game and never had to punt.

But Killeen did have two first-half turnovers - one on a muffed punt and the second on a botched lateral, both of which led to Knights touchdowns.

But in the second half the Roos played nearly flawless football, keeping the Knights off-balance with a solid mix of Cummings, Tillman (91 yards rushing) and Jaquail Haskins, who had 123 yards on the ground.

“They were giving us that,” Jones said of the strong running game. “They kept a lot of guys back, so we thought if we kept running they’d start to bring guys up to open up the passing game.”

The Roos improved to 5-2 against Heights and will play their first game of the season away from Killeen next week when they travel to Pflugerville for their final non-district matchup.

“We’re just proud of the offense and these kids,” Jones said. “The line did a great job and Cummings grew up today. He’s not a complete player yet. I mean, we have yet to see all of his ability.”

The Knights have next week off and will start District 12-5A play in two weeks against Belton.

“I’m very proud of our effort,” McVey said. “Our kids had great focus and never quit. But it still comes down to what you do Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and we have to get better. But all the things tonight are fixable.

“My hat’s off to Coach Jones and the Killeen program. They have a great program and I know a lot of those kids, so I wish them nothing but the best in Class 4A."

mhood@temple-telegram.com