'Horns corral Raiders thanks to strong start

Gaining only 34 yards and two first downs in the second half isn't normally a formula for victory.

But even though those were the numbers the Caprock Longhorns put up against the Randall Raiders, it meant a Caprock win nonetheless.

Thanks to a first half in which the Longhorns dominated thoroughly on both sides of the ball, with Jamar Johnson running for four touchdowns, they were able to overcome an indifferent second half offensively to beat Randall, 35-21, on Friday in a District 3-4A game at Dick Bivins Stadium.

Most importantly, the Longhorns (4-4 overall, 1-2 in 3-4A) picked up their first district victory and can throw their hat into the playoff ring.

After taking a 25-0 halftime lead, the Longhorns didn't pick up a second-half first down until their final possession as it seemed like their offense spent most of the second half on the sideline.

"We expected (the Raiders) would get to their adjustments on defense in the second half," Caprock coach Seth Parr said.\ "We just had strange things going on. The big thing I was thinking about in the second half was just winning the game."

Randall got on the board midway through the third quarter when Caprock quarterback Gerardo Ruiz threw his only bad pass of the night. Ruiz underthrew Johnson on a safety-valve pass, and Randall safety Bret Scheve intercepted it and returned it 57 yards for a touchdown that gave the Raiders (1-7, 1-2) a needed spark.

However, the third quarter was a dry spell for both offenses as all the points were scored by the defenses. When the Raiders had to punt later in the quarter, the ball was snapped over Tyler Smith's head and rolled into the end zone. Smith couldn't corral it, but Caprock's Damon Weaver did, giving the Longhorns a 32-7 lead.

Despite staying on the field for long stretches in the second half, Caprock's defense stood tough, giving up only 206 total yards.

"Our defense did a great job of stopping the run this evening," Parr said. "They maybe got a bit tired of reading about the 700 yards they gave up (in a 55-42 loss to Palo Duro two weeks ago)."

Johnson had three short touchdown runs in the first half and capped the first-half scoring with a 46-yard touchdown. He finished the half with 90 yards on 12 carries.

But Johnson's performance was only about half of the story in the first two quarters. Johnson's first three scores were set up in large part by Caprock's passing game as Ruiz completed 13-of-18 passes for 172 yards. Ruiz completed passes to six receivers (including three to Johnson for 37 yards), making it difficult for Randall's defense to key solely on Johnson.

"We were having a good night throwing the ball, and Gerardo can pick out the receivers," said Johnson, who had 111 yards on 19 carries. "Watching (the Raiders) on film, I thought they couldn't wrap up too good tackling. I was able to keep my balance."

Randall got a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter from Bryce Ballard, but they were merely cosmetic.

"(Caprock) came out ready to play, and we were a little flat," Randall coach Bryan Wood said. "The kids kept working, though, and that's a positive."

Randall 0 0 7 14 -21

Caprock 6 19 7 3 -35

Caprock _ Jamar Johnson 1 run (kick blocked)

Caprock _ Johnson 2 run (pass failed)

Caprock _ Johnson 2 run (kick blocked)

Caprock _ Johnson 46 run (Addison McCaulie kick)

Randall _ Bret Scheve 57 interception return (Tre Norton)

Caprock _ Damon Weaver fumble recovery in end zone (McCaulie kick)

Randall _ Bryce Ballard 5 run (pass failed)

Caprock _ McCaulie FG 33

Randall _ Ballard 5 run (Tony Chavez pass from Jordan Smith)

Randall Caprock

First Downs 11 16

Rushing 122 134

Passing 84 175

Total yards 206 309

C-A-I 9-19-1 14-25-1

Punts 5-33.2 3-35.3

Fumbles-lost 0-0 2-1

Penalties 5-41 6-43

Individual Statistics

Rushing - Randall: Bret Scheve 2-(-3), Ballard 20-64, Hunter Alford 15-33, Gage Moore 2-4, Team 1-(-27), Smith 2-51. Caprock: Gerardo Ruiz 7-(-4), Johnson 19-111, Kaleed Jones 5-16, Jimmy Maldonado 1-11.

Passing - Randall: Alford 5-14-1-74, Smith 4-5-0-10. Caprock: Ruiz 14-25-1-175.

Receiving - Randall: Scheve 4-28, Skylar Moseley 1-5, Leighton Tapia 1-5, Zack Constancio 1-38, Norton 1-4, Todd Hartley 1-4. Caprock: Jones 1-31, Johnson 3-37, Darrian Sommers 4-33, Oscar Najera 1-21, Maldonado 2-33, Gerardo Arevalo 3-20.