Sports Update
No sweat: Titans shut down elusive Lobos for victory
BY CHRIS O'DELL, codell@starlocalnews.com
FRISCO -- Little Elm senior running back Keaun Kinner entered Thursday night's game against Centennial with 842 yards rushing in just three games.
The Lobos also returned elusive starting quarterback Devante' Pullum for the first time this season after the senior suffered a strained hip flexor in Little Elm's final scrimmage of the offseason.
Centennial found a way to contain both players Thursday, holding the Lobos to just one offensive touchdown in a 38-13 victory from FC Dallas Stadium in Frisco.
"That was the goal going into the game," said Mark Howard, Centennial head coach. "My biggest concern was the kids overlooking Little Elm because they have a good football team."
The Titans set the tone for the entire night on the game's opening possession, putting together a 78-yard drive that was capped off by a 27-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Lamar Jordan to senior receiver Cody Bagwell.
"This was the first time we've had everyone healthy," said Donald Stowers, Little Elm head coach. "Now we have to improve and get better with the players we just got back."
The play was the first of four touchdowns from Jordan, who threw for 131 yards and two scores after completing 12-of-16 pass attempts. The senior also added 142 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
"We really felt like we could run on these guys," Howard said. "I think [Jordan] really started to find his niche in the second half and you could see what happened when he did."
Little Elm stalled on its opening drive and was forced to punt the ball back to Centennial with 3:10 left in the first quarter.
The Titans then put together another scoring drive with Jordan finding the end zone on an 11-yard zone-read run with just 19 seconds remaining in the quarter.
"That's one of the plays we felt like we needed to work on," Stowers said. "It's something we know now that we have to work on and get better at."
Defense was the key in the second quarter, with neither team scoring in the final 12 minutes of the half.
However, it didn't take long in the third quarter for Little Elm to trim the deficit to a one-score game.
Senior Jaylen Price took out the opening kickoff of the half from two yards into the end zone and returned it 102 yards for a touchdown.
"We got a little momentum with that play," Stowers said.
The Price return made it a 14-7 contest with 11:44 left in the third and plenty of time for the Lobos to mount a comeback.
Centennial then showed why it won the District 9-4A crown last season and responded with a crucial scoring drive that saw junior running back Chris Johnson punch it in from seven yards away.
Johnson, who ran for 63 yards and one score on eight carries, gave the Titans a 21-7 advantage with 10:35 remaining in the third.
Little Elm had an answer of its own on the team's ensuing possession.
The Lobos mounted a 62-yard scoring drive that featured a dazzling 9-yard touchdown run from Pullum to put the Centennial lead back within one score. However, a failed extra point kept the Lobos in an eight-point hole with just 6:01 left in the quarter.
"[Pullum] was our biggest fear heading into the game," Howard said. "We knew he was a lethal weapon for them."
Pullum's run would be the final points Little Elm would score in the game though, as the Centennial defense clamped down for the final 18 minutes.
That dominance allowed Jordan to extend Centennial's lead later in the frame when the senior hooked up with junior receiver Kelly Cordova for a 6-yard touchdown strike.
Cordova gave the Titans a 28-13 lead that would remain until the fourth quarter.
Little Elm had an opportunity at answering Cordova's scoring reception but a fumble from Price put the Lobos into a deeper hole after the Titans recovered the ball and returned it to the Little Elm 23-yard line.
Senior kicker Shoemake then made up for an earlier miss by booting in a 23-yard field goal with 10:07 left in the fourth to make it a 31-13 Centennial lead.
The dagger came later in the quarter after a turnover on downs by the Lobos gave Centennial another shortened field.
Jordan took advantage of the field position and sprinted 49 yards for a touchdown on the drive's first play, widening the lead to 38-13 with just under five minutes remaining in the game.
"Our philosophy going in was to bend and not break," Howard said. "We did that tonight."
After averaging more than 280 yards per contest in Little Elm's first three games of the season, Kinner was held to just 122 yards and no touchdowns on 29 carries.
Pullum added another 43 yards on the ground while completing 5-of-6 pass attempts for only 15 yards.
"[Centennial] loads up the box like most people do and we expected that," Stowers said. "They did a good job of making their tackles."
The loss drops the Lobos to 1-3 on the season and puts added importance to next week's district showdown against Liberty.
"All the district games are important," Stowers said. "We have to move past this loss and bounce back and hopefully take the Liberty game."
The 38-13 victory marks the fourth win in as many games for Centennial after an undefeated regular season a year ago. The Titans will go for five straight Friday with a road meeting against Prosper.
"It's good to get the district-opening win out of the way," Howard said. "Our district is so competitive that you have to play your best game every week."
Both teams are slated for 7 p.m. kick offs Friday.
The Lobos also returned elusive starting quarterback Devante' Pullum for the first time this season after the senior suffered a strained hip flexor in Little Elm's final scrimmage of the offseason.
Centennial found a way to contain both players Thursday, holding the Lobos to just one offensive touchdown in a 38-13 victory from FC Dallas Stadium in Frisco.
"That was the goal going into the game," said Mark Howard, Centennial head coach. "My biggest concern was the kids overlooking Little Elm because they have a good football team."
The Titans set the tone for the entire night on the game's opening possession, putting together a 78-yard drive that was capped off by a 27-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Lamar Jordan to senior receiver Cody Bagwell.
"This was the first time we've had everyone healthy," said Donald Stowers, Little Elm head coach. "Now we have to improve and get better with the players we just got back."
The play was the first of four touchdowns from Jordan, who threw for 131 yards and two scores after completing 12-of-16 pass attempts. The senior also added 142 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
"We really felt like we could run on these guys," Howard said. "I think [Jordan] really started to find his niche in the second half and you could see what happened when he did."
Little Elm stalled on its opening drive and was forced to punt the ball back to Centennial with 3:10 left in the first quarter.
The Titans then put together another scoring drive with Jordan finding the end zone on an 11-yard zone-read run with just 19 seconds remaining in the quarter.
"That's one of the plays we felt like we needed to work on," Stowers said. "It's something we know now that we have to work on and get better at."
Defense was the key in the second quarter, with neither team scoring in the final 12 minutes of the half.
However, it didn't take long in the third quarter for Little Elm to trim the deficit to a one-score game.
Senior Jaylen Price took out the opening kickoff of the half from two yards into the end zone and returned it 102 yards for a touchdown.
"We got a little momentum with that play," Stowers said.
The Price return made it a 14-7 contest with 11:44 left in the third and plenty of time for the Lobos to mount a comeback.
Centennial then showed why it won the District 9-4A crown last season and responded with a crucial scoring drive that saw junior running back Chris Johnson punch it in from seven yards away.
Johnson, who ran for 63 yards and one score on eight carries, gave the Titans a 21-7 advantage with 10:35 remaining in the third.
Little Elm had an answer of its own on the team's ensuing possession.
The Lobos mounted a 62-yard scoring drive that featured a dazzling 9-yard touchdown run from Pullum to put the Centennial lead back within one score. However, a failed extra point kept the Lobos in an eight-point hole with just 6:01 left in the quarter.
"[Pullum] was our biggest fear heading into the game," Howard said. "We knew he was a lethal weapon for them."
Pullum's run would be the final points Little Elm would score in the game though, as the Centennial defense clamped down for the final 18 minutes.
That dominance allowed Jordan to extend Centennial's lead later in the frame when the senior hooked up with junior receiver Kelly Cordova for a 6-yard touchdown strike.
Cordova gave the Titans a 28-13 lead that would remain until the fourth quarter.
Little Elm had an opportunity at answering Cordova's scoring reception but a fumble from Price put the Lobos into a deeper hole after the Titans recovered the ball and returned it to the Little Elm 23-yard line.
Senior kicker Shoemake then made up for an earlier miss by booting in a 23-yard field goal with 10:07 left in the fourth to make it a 31-13 Centennial lead.
The dagger came later in the quarter after a turnover on downs by the Lobos gave Centennial another shortened field.
Jordan took advantage of the field position and sprinted 49 yards for a touchdown on the drive's first play, widening the lead to 38-13 with just under five minutes remaining in the game.
"Our philosophy going in was to bend and not break," Howard said. "We did that tonight."
After averaging more than 280 yards per contest in Little Elm's first three games of the season, Kinner was held to just 122 yards and no touchdowns on 29 carries.
Pullum added another 43 yards on the ground while completing 5-of-6 pass attempts for only 15 yards.
"[Centennial] loads up the box like most people do and we expected that," Stowers said. "They did a good job of making their tackles."
The loss drops the Lobos to 1-3 on the season and puts added importance to next week's district showdown against Liberty.
"All the district games are important," Stowers said. "We have to move past this loss and bounce back and hopefully take the Liberty game."
The 38-13 victory marks the fourth win in as many games for Centennial after an undefeated regular season a year ago. The Titans will go for five straight Friday with a road meeting against Prosper.
"It's good to get the district-opening win out of the way," Howard said. "Our district is so competitive that you have to play your best game every week."
Both teams are slated for 7 p.m. kick offs Friday.
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