Defense and zero turnovers are the keys to victory.
On their first possession the Paris Wildcats ran 4 plays and had minus 29 yards, 2 fumbles and gave up a touchdown to the tough Jackrabbit defense when Nick Tanner recovered the ball in the Wildcats end-zone after pressure caused the Wildcat punter to fumble with 10:14 left in the 1st quarter.
Thomas Moreland kicked a 27-yard field goal with 9:59 left in the second quarter to give the Jackrabbits a 10-0 lead.
Paris responded with its only scoring drive of the night, a five-play, 62-yard march that included a 47 yard end-around. Rod Brooks rumbling into the end zone from three yards out with 8:56 left in the second period for the Wildcats only score.
Forney threatened to score again before halftime, but on second-and-10 at the Paris 10, Landon Hartwick was intercepted in the end zone. Late in the 4th quarter the Jackrabbits scored on a 4 yard run by Andre DeRosier. The Jackrabbits were in a position to score at the end of the game but chose to run out the clock.
The Jackrabbits defense held Paris to 65 yards total offense in the first half and 146 total yards in the game, including 78 yards rushing and 68 yards passing. The Jackrabbits gained 126 yards in the first half and finished with 246, including 146 rushing and an even 100 yards through the air. Landon Hartwick completed passes to 6 different receivers.
Forney's defense turned up the pressure in the second half shutting out the Wildcats and allowing only four first downs in the final two periods of play and just a total of 9 in the game. Chace Cathey was outstanding for the Jackrabbits.
Mekelle Webb punished the Wildcats and rushed for 121 yards on 21 attempts.
Paris was penalized 9 times for 90 yards, while Forney was penalized 5 times for 55 yards.
Forney
7
3
0
7
--
17
Paris
0
7
0
0
--
7
FOR - Nick Tanner fumble recovery in end zone (Thomas Moreland
kick)
FOR - Moreland 27 FG
PAR - Rod Brooks 3 run (Austin Cunningham kick)
FOR - Andre Derosier 4 run (Moreland kick)
Statistic
FOR
PAR
First downs
16
9
Rushing yards
35-146
28-78
Passing yards
100
68
Comp-att-int
7-18-1
7-19-1
Punts-avg
5-38.4
6-37.3
Penalties-yards
5-55
9-90
Fumbles-lost
0-0
3-1
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing – FOR: Mekelle Webb 21-121, Andre Derosier 7-23, Landon Hartwick 6-2, Josh Pope 1-0. PAR: Rod Brooks 12-48, Ladarrius Gunn 2-39, Ryan Southworth 3-25, Quin Ashley 8-(-1), Rodicus Johnson 1-(-3), Team Stat 2-(-30).
Receiving – FOR: Bobby Lind 2-31, Josh Pope 1-21, Andre Derosier 1-15, Matt Smith 1-15, Tony Trotter 1-15, Tyler Monroe 1-3. PAR: Dewey Hale 4-44, Dereginald Twitty 2-15, Rod Brooks 1-9.
Things could not have started any worse for the Paris Wildcats on homecoming night at Noyes Stadium against the visiting Forney Jackrabbits.
Paris not only gave up a touchdown on its first offensive possession of the game, but also fumbled the ball twice during that drive and had a minus 29 yards after four plays.
It was the beginning of the end for the Wildcats, who went on to fall to the Forney Jackrabbits. 17-7, at Noyes Stadium.
Mekelle Webb rushed for 121 yards on 21 carries to help Forney (1-4) record its first victory of the season. Paris dropped to 1-3.
On the game's opening drive, Paris punter Tyler Higgins could not get a handle on the ball on a fourth-down punt attempt, fumbling the ball into the end zone where Forney's Nick Tanner recovered it for a touchdown with 10:14 left in the first quarter.
The night didn't get in better for the Wildcats, who had been a second half team all season. But for the first time this season, the Wildcats were held scoreless in the final two periods of play. Paris' defense or special teams also failed to score in a game for the first time this year.
Paris coach Brent Southworth was especially disappointed with the Wildcat’s aerial attack, which has been the bread-and-butter of the spread offense that he installed four years ago. Paris quarterbacks Quin Ashley and Matt Shores passed for only 68 yards against Forney.
"Our vertical passing game was what they were giving us, but we just couldn't hit the receivers. We didn't execute very well," Southworth said.
A 27-yard field goal by Thomas Moreland with 9:59 left in the second quarter gave Forney a 10-0 lead. Paris, however, responded with its only scoring drive of the night, a five-play, 62-yard march that ended with Rod Brooks rumbling into the end zone from three yards out with 8:56 left in the second period. Austin Cunningham added the extra point.
Brooks led Paris' rushing with 48 yards on 12 carries, while Dewey Hale caught four passes for 44 yards.
Paris' scoring drive was highlighted by the biggest offensive play of the night for Paris, a 47-yard end around run by sophomore Ladarrius Gunn.
Forney looked as though it would score again before halftime, but on second-and-10 at the Paris 10, Forney quarterback Landon Hartwick was intercepted by Paris' Thurman Taylor in the end zone.
The Wildcats were limited to 65 yards total offense in the first half and 146 total yards in the game, including 78 yards rushing. Forney gained 126 yards in the first half and finished with 246, including 146 rushing.
Forney's defense turned up the pressure on Paris in the second half, as the Wildcats managed only four first downs in the final two periods of play and in in the game.
Paris was also penalized nine times for 90 yards, while Forney picked up five for 55. Several of the Wildcat penalties aided in Forney continuing drives, including a 15-yard personal foul penalty that sent Forney into the Red Zone on its final scoring drive.
Paris tries to rebound Friday at Liberty-Eyleu in Texarkana. Liberty-Eylau (2-1) was schedule to play at Navasota Saturday afternoon, but that game was canceled because of Hurricane Rita. Liberty-Eylau coach Pat Brady then scheduled Dibol for 1 p.m. on Saturday at Tyler's Rose Stadium, but that game was also later canceled because of the path of the hurricane.
