SANTA ANNA – Blanket head coach Jalen Helms wanted to see an improved defensive effort after his squad surrendered three touchdowns in a 45-point victory over Evant last weekend, and the Tigers obliged Thursday night by allowing a mere 61 yards and forcing three turnovers in a 68-0 triumph over the Santa Anna Mountaineers.
In a game that ended at halftime, the Blanket (3-1) defense yielded 2 rushing yards on 20 carries as Karter Keel and Brayden Caine recovered Santa Anna (1-3) fumbles, while the Mountaineers completed 6 of 11 passes for 59 yards with an interception by Tiger Mason Beck.
“I felt like we played much better than last week,” Helms said following the contest. “Defensively, last week, I felt like we came out a little slow and that was a big emphasis this week. I feel like we definitely came out and improved where we needed to improve.”
Offensively, the Tigers amassed nine touchdowns and 390 yards in a half – 283 rushing yards and five touchdowns on just nine carries, while completing a combined 7 of 9 passes for 107 yards and four more scores.
“In a game like this I really try to run some of the things we don’t normally run and try and get some of the younger kids in,” Helms said. “We have a pretty big senior class so next year those younger guys are going to be the ones for us, and tonight I felt like they stepped up and played a good role.”
Kannon Kensing finished with 185 rushing yards and four touchdowns, scoring on all four of his carries from 51, 44, 57 and 33 yards out. Beck added 63 yards and a touchdown on two carries and also caught two passes for 24 yards. Alex Valdes tacked on 35 yards on the ground.
Through the air, Leo Valdes connected on 4 for 5 passes for 38 yards with touchdowns of 18 yards to Cole Furry and 2 yards to Karter Keel. AC French completed 2 of 3 passes for 34 yards with a 23-yard scoring toss to Brian Shannon, and Beck hurled a 35-yard touchdown to French. Kade Russell added a 5-yard reception as well.
The Tigers raced out to 38-0 lead after one quarter and tacked on 30 more points in the second period to enforce the 45-point mercy rule at halftime.
For Santa Anna – which was coming off its first victory, 41-0 over Ranger, last week – Brock Brown completed 6 of 11 passes for 59 yards, as Kain Watson led the team with three grabs for 42 yards, Donovan Jackson caught two passes for 9 yards, and Jordan Diggs pulled down a 5-yard reception.
Brown hit Watson for a 27-yard gain on the first play from scrimmage, but the Mountaineers manufactured just 34 yards on their remaining 30 snaps.
On the ground, Jayden Gibson produced 16 yards on 15 carries and Jordan Diggs added 8 yards on three rushes. Two other carries for the Mountaineers resulted in 22 yards lost.
Next week, Blanket heads to Throckmorton (0-3), which has a bye this week, while Santa Anna welcomes Priddy (1-2), which hosts Gustine (2-1) Friday night.
Looking ahead after the latest Tiger triumph, Helms said, “I feel much better after this week. We had some things we needed to fix defensively, but we’re still not completely satisfied. We have to keep getting better each week, but I feel a lot better right now.”
