They rushed for a combined 366 yards, delivering big run after big run to deflate the Tigers’ defense as the Knights roared back from a 19-0 deficit to win 30-19 at Leo Buckley Stadium in the District 12-5A opener for both teams.
“I think they figured out they were going to have success running the football,” Belton coach Rodney Southern said. “I don’t know how good of a job we did tackling in the second half, but we have to make plays offensively and defensively.”
The Tigers fell to 0-4 overall and have lost their last eight games dating to last season. Heights, whose last victory was a 25-22 victory over Belton in last season’s district opener, stopped an eight-game losing skid and improved to 1-3.
“To be 1-0 in district is such a great feeling,” said Knights second-year coach Todd McVey, whose only two wins at Heights are against Belton.
Heights ran for 293 yards on 26 carries in the second half and never punted. Sloan finished with 229 yards on 17 carries, while backup Jones had 137 yards on seven carries, all in the second half.
Southern didn’t point to his defense’s inability to stop Heights or his offense, which went stagnant in the final 21 minutes, for the loss.
Instead, he blamed himself.
“I told them, ‘This one’s on me,’” he said. “It’s my responsibility. They played hard. They’re doing everything I ask them to do. I’ll take responsibility for this.
“In these situations when they play hard and do what I’m asking them to do, we’ve got to get them in position to make plays. We didn’t do that in the second half.”
With the Knights trailing 19-0 after Belton quarterback David Ash scrambled for a 26-yard touchdown early in the third quarter, Sloan and Jones started gashing the defense.
Heights needed just three plays before Jones rumbled 52 yards for a score to trim the lead to 19-7.
On the Knights’ next possession, Sloan took a handoff and went 69 yards on the first play to make it 19-14.
Then, on the opening play of the fourth, quarterback Tommy Seigman waited patiently before finding Daevon Brown in the middle of the field for a 17-yard score to give Heights its first lead, 20-19.
“Our offensive line did a great job,” McVey said. “Our running backs ran hard and our defense stepped up.”
After the Knights took the lead, the Tigers stormed down the field for a possible go-ahead score.
On first-and-10 from the Knights’ 22-yard line, Ash lobbed a pass to the left corner of the end zone, looking for sophomore Kenny Shuler. But Stephon Gary intercepted it to preserve the one-point lead.
After David Tarsa’s 32-yard field goal made it 23-19, Belton had one last shot from its 28. Ash had a 1-yard gain but then was picked off by Divante Goodsby to seal it.
Kevin Thornton hauled in 14 catches for 166 yards, breaking Chad Tidwell’s single-game Belton record of 12 catches set in 1990.
“I think he had a good night all the way around,” Southern said. “He had a good night returning the ball. He’s always had a feel for playing receiver. The way they were playing us early, he got himself open.”
Ash was 24-of-37 passing for a career-high 255 yards, but two costly interceptions were the difference.
“We have to execute for four quarters,” Southern said. “We started well, but we didn’t finish well. We just have to make some plays. I think there were some we didn’t make that we have to make."
Belton will return to Leo Buckley Stadium next Friday to play Killeen Shoemaker.
cmeister@temple-telegram.com
