The Galveston County Daily News

HITCHCOCK — Industrial ran right over the Bulldogs.

Hitchcock didn’t have an answer.

The Cobras gained 319 yards on the ground and piled up 23 first downs to roll past Hitchcock, 50-23, on Friday.

Running back Blaine Rozner and quarterback Austin Smalley both tallied more than 100 rushing yards to help Industrial claim at least a share of the District 29-2A title. Hitchcock must win next week at Boling to secure a playoff spot.

“Nothing went right for us tonight,” Bulldogs coach Gary Carney said. “Sometimes you have nights like that.”

Hitchcock kept the game close for at least three quarters. Even though the Bulldog defense never forced a turnover on downs — the Cobras scored on all three of their first-half possessions — Morris Tuck and the Hitchcock offense moved the ball.

Tuck threw for 117 yards passing to four different receivers in the first half. Tuck scored on a 1-yard sneak at the start of the second quarter to put Hitchcock up 8-7 while Devante Provost tied the game at 15 on a 12-yard reverse.

Industrial, though, answered just before the half. Micah Montes took a reverse, and Hitchcock sniffed it out. But Montes shed a tackler and fired to an open Jake Schultc in the end zone. The score put Industrial up 21-15 and started a string of 22 unanswered points.

“That was a big play because it gave us separation and the momentum going into the half,” Industrial coach Dough Kuhlmann said. “It also gave our defense some nice rest against a powerful offense.”

Smalley opened the third quarter with a seven-yard touchdown to Lucas Gaspard. It was Smalley’s third score of the game — he had a 1-yard run earlier and an 11-yard pass to Schultc.

Hitchcock’s offense had no answer and caught the turnover bug. The Bulldogs defense finally stepped up and got two stops in a row. But Morris Tuck threw his second interception of the game after the first stop and then coughed up a fumble. Industrial’s Charles Hill picked up the ball and ran 12 yards to the house to put the Cobras ahead, 36-15, and secure the game.

“Turnovers really hurt us,” Carney said. “We played them close for a while.”

Provost added a 76-yard reception, but the Hitchcock defense could no longer hold its ground. Smalley added two more touchdowns of 11 and 25 yards in the fourth quarter.

Industrial put together long drives all night, including: a 14-play, 91-yard march that took 7:31, a 9-play, 49-yard drive that lasted 5:06 and a 11-play, 66-yard drive that took 4:13 off the clock.

“We’re going to try to overpower you,” said Kuhlman. “The (Hitchcock) defense gave us a lot of looks, and we finally started to figure them out and wear them down. I can’t say enough about our offensive line and backs.”