EARLY – Similar to their meeting last year, the Bangs Dragons hung close through halftime and beyond, but the Early Longhorns eventually pulled away late for a 35-18 season-opening triumph over their rivals.
In their first game under head coach Marvin Wilson, the Longhorns trailed 6-3 after one quarter, surged in front 9-6 at halftime, then the two teams combined for 37 points over the final two periods as Early carried a 21-6 advantage into the fourth quarter.
The Longhorns generated 452 yards of total offense – 191 passing and 261 rushing – with one turnover.
Quarterback Caden Wilson connected on 11 of 13 passes for 191 yards with a pair of touchdowns, while rushing for 83 yards and two more scores for Early.
Andrew Reedy recorded three receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown, Brennen Rasor caught three passes for 45 yards and booted a 23-yard field goal, Cameron Love caught a pair of passes covering 68 yards, Stone Ratliff hauled in two receptions for 16 yards with a trip to the end zone, and Jaxson Stockman caught a 7-yard pass.
On the ground, Brandon Walker led the way with 89 yards and a touchdown, Reedy rushed once for a 35-yard gain, Ratliff contributed 33 yards, Love finished with 21 yards rushing.
The Dragons produced an even 300 yards – 205 on the ground and 95 through the air – and turned the ball over once.
Cason Tidwell rushed for 148 yards and a touchdown for Bangs, Jackson Edmisten tacked on 44 yards, Eliseo Rivas rushed for 10 yards, and Brennan Mendieta finished with 3 yards and one touchdown.
Jaxon Duncan completed 5 of 6 passes for 62 yards with a touchdown, while Hunter Withers went 4 of 5 through the air for 33 yards with an interception.
Connor Bible pulled down four receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown, Rex Guerrero grabbed four passes for 13 yards, and Tidwell contributed a 9-yard catch.
Defensive standouts for the Longhorns included Angel Marquez with 18 tackles and one for loss; Brayden Schafer with 16 tackles; Rhett Williams with 10; Aiden Driskill with nine and two for loss; and Mario Vasquez and Weston Harrison with eight apiece.
Early (1-0) hits the road for the first of three straight contests away from home next week at Hamilton (1-0), which knocked off Millsap, 35-6, in its season opener.
Meanwhile, Bangs (1-0) will attempt to secure its first victory of 2025 next week in its second straight road outing at Merkel (1-0), which downed Ballinger, 38-26, to kick off the season.
