HP's win is its 10th over Rockwall in a series that dates back to 1923. The Scots are now 10-2 all-time against the Yellowjackets and have won six in a row. The last three meetings in 2008, 2009 and tonight have been district games.

* HP has now won 59 consecutive victory at Highlander Stadium. The Scots have not lost at home since the 1998 season.

* Dalton Stogner's 187 receiving yards against Rockwall are the most for an HP receiver since Chris Hipps rolled up 260 yards against Carrollton Smith last season. Stogner's 37.40 yards-per-catch is the highest average of the past seven seasons, just topping Josh Francis' 141 yards on four catches (35.25 average) from the 2008 season. Stogner also had three receiving touchdowns, which is the most since Hipps scored three against Royse City last season.

* Jake Howeth scored two rushing touchdowns tonight, marking the third time that an HP back has scored at least twice in a game. Howeth and Preston Miller each ran for two touchdowns against Monterrey Tech.

* It was another low-penalty night for HP. Two weeks ago, the Scots suffered only two penalties for 10 yards against Sherman. HP had only five flags for 48 yards against Rockwall. 

 

 

HP's defense made the stop when it absolutely had to, and the Scots' offense proved it can outscore anyone again in a 37-30 win over Rockwall at Highlander Stadium.

 

The Scots won their 59th consecutive home game with a big offensive push in the first half, and then held on with its defense as a pesky Rockwall team held HP in check during the second half. HP won its district opener for a 12th consecutive season and moves to 4-0 on the season.

 

HP travels to new district mate Wylie East, a first-year varsity program, for a 7:30 p.m. game next Friday.

 

The highlight plays Friday came from Dalton Stogner, who lit up the Rockwall defense for 187 receiving yards on only five catches. The junior helped provide the Scots with a 30-16 halftime lead with touchdown catches covering 52, 72 and 39 yards, two coming from Jake Howeth and one from Brady Burgin, who appears to now be a fixture in the Scots' two-man quarterback shuffle. It was the third consecutive game that Burgin's seen extensive playing time.

 

Stogner's big night was the most yards by an HP receiver since Chris Hipps racked up 260 yards last year against Carrollton Smith, 13 games ago. The teams combined for 46 first-half points, but went scoreless in the third quarter, which only set up a dramatic final period. Howeth ran in from 12 yards out for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter that seemed to put the game away with HP ahead 37-16. 

 

Rockwall wouldn't go away.

 

Yellowjackets quarterback Alan Reed struck immediately and hit the Scots in their Achilles heel of late, the deep ball. Reed found Blake Turner down the sideline for a 76-yard touchdown, a large part of his 301-yard passing night, and Rockwall was back in the game with 8:36 left.

 

Rockwall then recovered an onside kick and got to the HP 11-yard line, but the Scots' defense stiffened and made the stop on a fourth-and-two play. 

 

HP gave the ball back to Rockwall in great field position when Howeth, back to punt after a three-and-out, fielding a low snap with a knee on the ground. Reed threw a 12-yard touchdown pass four plays later to cut HP's lead to 37-30 with 1:28 remaining.

 

Rockwall tried an onside kick again, but HP recovered the ball and ran out the clock with the Yellowjackets out of timeouts.

 

HP rolled up impressive numbers with 416 total yards and a sound ground attack that churned up 126 yards. But Rockwall out-gained HP 487-416. The game was a win for the Scots, but concerns still persist about a defense that in its last two games has given up just under 1,100 total yards, with 856 of it through the air. HP has given up five touchdown passes of 50-plus yards in its last two games.

 

A part of every future opponents' gameplan will surely be to test HP deep. 

 

Which made the Scots' early scores that much more important. Stogner's first touchdown from 52 yards out came on HP's fourth play for a quick 7-0 lead. Rockwall came back with a field goal, but Howeth found Stogner again for a 72-yard touchdown and a 14-3 lead that held through the end of the first quarter.

 

HP answered another Rockwall touchdown with an extended drive ending in Howeth's five-yard touchdown run, and the quarterback also added a two-point conversion run for a 22-9 lead.  

 

The Scots' defense held again by thwarting a Rockwall fake punt as Holt Perlman made the play by breaking up a pass midway through the second quarter. Burgin got into the scoring groove on the next play, connecting with Stogner for a 39-yard pass. Burgin added a two-point conversion pass to Patrick Campbell for a 30-9 lead.

 

Burgin and Howeth provided another two-headed quarterback attack with near-equal results. The duo combined to connect on 69 percent of their passes, with Howeth throwing for 156 yards and Burgin 133. 

 

Preston Miller led the Scots' rushing attack with 82 yards on 10 carries. Howeth ran for 70 yards and two touchdowns plus the conversion. Nick Rose was perfect on his three point-after attempts.

The Scots rang up 30 points in the first half behind three touchdown receptions by Dalton Stogner, then held off Rockwall in the 37-30 win. Stogner ended the first half with 179 receiving yards and had 187 in the game. HP had 437 total yards in the game, while Rockwall had 487.

 

 

Rockwall   3 --  13 --  0 -- 14 = 30

HP 14 --  16 --  0 --   7 = 37

 

HP -- Dalton Stogner 52-yard pass from Jake Howeth (Nick Rose kick).

RO -- Travis Shinn 37-yard field goal.

HP -- Dalton Stogner 73-yard pass from Jake Howeth (Nick Rose kick).

RO -- Alan Reed 3-yard run (kick failed).

HP -- Jake Howeth 5-yard run (Jake Howeth run).

HP -- Dalton Stogner 39-yard pass from Brady Burgin (Patrick Campbell pass from Brady Burgin).

RO -- Reed Loftis 27-yard pass from Alan Reed (Travis Shinn kick).

HP -- Jake Howeth 12-yard run (Nick Rose kick).

RO -- Blake Turner 76-yard pass from Alan Reed (Travis Shinn kick).

RO -- Reed Loftis 12-yard pass from Alan Reed (Ted Gates kick).

 

Total Offense: 437 yards

Rushing: 28 rushes, 148 yards, 5.29-yd. average

Passing: 18-26-1, 289 yards, 3 TD, 1 int., 16.06-yd. average

First Downs: 18

Penalties: 5-48

Fumbles: 0; Lost: 0

Rushing: Preston Miller 10-82; Jake Howeth 13-70, 2 TD; Patrick Campbell 3-16; Brady Burgin 1-(-6); Team 1-(-14).

Passing: Jake Howeth 8-12-0, 156 yds., 2 TD; Brady Burgin 10-14-1, 133 yds., TD.

Receiving: Dalton Stogner 5-187, 3 TD; William Morris 4-41; Colin Stringer 4-31; Preston Miller 2-14; Ben McElroy 2-13; Patrick Campbell 1-3.

Point-after kicks: Nick Rose 3-3

No field goals were attempted.

 

Total Tackles: Reid Oden 15, Peyton Loftis 14, Mauricio Garza 11, Nick Mouch 9, Mark Dowdall 8, Guy Tom Kellogg 8, Blake Poston 8, Jake Howeth 7, Brant Green 4, Holt Perlman 3, Jack Davis 2, Thomas Perry 2, Carson Fronterhouse 1, Joe Lang 1. 

Solo Tackles - Mauricio Garza 9, Peyton Loftis 7, Nick Mouch 7, Jake Howeth 6, Reid Oden 6, Mark Dowdall 5, Guy Tom Kellogg 4, Blake Poston 4, Brant Green 3, Holt Perlman 3, Jack Davis 2, Thomas Perry 2, Joe Lang 1.  

Assists - Reid Oden 9, Peyton Loftis 7, Guy Tom Kellogg 4, Blake Poston 4, Mark Dowdall 3, Mauricio Garza 2, Nick Mouch 2, Carson Fronterhouse 1, Brant Green 1, Jake Howeth 1. 

Tackles For Loss: Holt Perlman 2, Mauricio Garza 1, Peyton Loftis 1, Reid Oden 1, Blake Poston 1.

Passes Broken Up: Jake Howeth 5, Blake Poston 3, Carson Fronterhouse 1, Holt Perlman 1. 

Fumbles Caused: Guy Tom Kellogg 1.

ROCKWALL - Scott Ellerman threw for three touchdowns, and HP rallied from a first-half deficit to win a hard-fought 35-20 win over Rockwall at Wilkerson-Sanders Memorial Stadium. HP improves to 3-0 on the win in its District 10-4A opener.

Rockwall got off to a great start, scoring on an 80-yard pass play on the first play of the game. The Scots recovered quickly, and responded two possessions later behind the running of Alex Keeton, who scord on a six-yard run with 1:18 left in the first quarter. 

Rockwall struck again on a 79-yard pass play where the receiver actually fought off pass inteference from the HP defender, caught the ball, and ran untouched the final 40 yards. Another successful extra-point gave the Yellowjackets a 14-7 lead.

The Scots came back with a two-minute drive capped by another Keeton touchdown run from two yards out. Keeton was a workhorse on the ground for the Scots with 113 yards rushing on 15 carries.

 

Ellerman found a groove late in the first half, completing his last four attempts for 49 yards and a 16-yard touchdown pass on a screen play to Keeton. Dominic Massimilian added a two-point conversion run, and the Scots went into the half with a 21-14 lead.

 

HP's defense clamped down on Rockwall in the second half, allowing only a late touchdown after the game was decided. Meanwhile, the Scots' offense went to work with the running game. The HP offensive line continued to open up holes for Keeton to get to the outside, and for Massimilian to break up the middle. Massimilian also broke the 100-yard barrier with 14 carries for 104 yards in the game.

The offensive line also provided Ellerman plenty of time to throw, and the junior hit Sam Hayward on a 28-yard pass midway through the third quarter for a 28-14 HP lead.

Ellerman would strike again before the quarter was out, connecting with Hunter Feagans on a 14-yard pass with 1:51 left in the quarter. Mason Juhl hit another point-after, and the Scots had established some breathing room at 35-14. Ellerman finished 12-of-18 for 150 yards and the three touchdowns.

HP's defense did the rest. Rockwall's final touchdown came with 1:55 left.

The Scots' next game is Thursday, Sept. 30, against Wylie East at Highlander Stadium.

HP  7 - 14 - 14 - 0 =  35

Rockwall 14 -   0 -   0 - 6 =  20

1Q - ROC - 80-yard touchdown pass (kick good)

1Q - HP - Alex Keeton 6 run (Mason Juhl kick)

1Q - ROC - 79-yard touchdown pass (kick good)

2Q - HP - Alex Keeton 2 run (kick failed)

2Q - HP - Alex Keeton 16 pass from Scott Ellerman (Dominic Massimillian run)

3Q - HP - Sam Hayward 28 pass from Scott Ellerman (Mason Juhl kick)

3Q - HP - Hunter Feagans 14 pass from Scott Ellerman (Mason Juhl kick)

4Q - ROC - 29-yard touchdown pass (kick failed)

Rushing: Alex Keeton 15-113, 2 TD; Dominic Massimillian 14-104; Rob Williams 10-42; Tyler Rentfro 2-7; Scott Ellerman 2-(-2).

Passing: Scott Ellerman 12-18-1, 3 TD; Tyler Rentfro 1-2-0, 1 yard.

Receiving: Sam Hayward 4-75, TD; Alex Keeton 3-41, TD; Hunter Feagans 1-14, TD; Matt Bannon 2-11; Charles Hubbard 2-9; Costa Kell 1-1.

ROCKWALL - HP jumped on top of Rockwall early, and the Scots' defense had its most dominating performance of the season in a 41-0 win at Wilkerson-Sanders Memorial Stadium. The win pushes HP's record to 3-0 on the season with a 137-14 scoring margin. 

 

Jet Tuma threw four touchdown passes to lead the HP offense. But most of the highlights came on defense, where the defensive front of Jonathan Fisher, Harrison Jones, Songbo Cao and Huntington Biggers played havoc with Rockwall's backfield throughout the game. 

 

A sack by Fisher put Rockwall in negative yardage on their first play, and they would never climb back. The Yellowjackets finished with minus-17 yards total offense on 26 plays, and were pinned back to as much as minus-40 yards at one point in the second half. Christopher Mitchell, Ben Salinaro and Rankin Grote also contributed to the sack total and lost yardage, to the point where the Scots' secondary was barely tested.

 

Cornerbacks Hayden Fields and Walker Coffman shut down Rockwall's few passing attempts, and safeties Benton Banowsky and Hayden Greer provided more run support than pass defense.

 

Meanwhile, Tuma diced up the Rockwall secondary. He hit Andrew Richardson for a pair of touchdown passes in the first quarter, and found Anthony Vallera wide open on a 49-yard bomb midway through the second quarter.

 

The defense got in on the scoring as well when Jones broke through the line and blocked a punt at the Rockwall 2-yard line. The ball rolled into the end zone, and Cao beat the Yellowjackets' punter to the ball for a touchdown recovery. Tuma's second two-point conversion run of the game gave HP a 22-0 lead.

 

Vallera's score came four minutes later for a 28-0 halftime lead for HP, with Rockwall yet to cross midfield on its possessions.

 

The Scots' defense kept putting the hurt on Rockwall in the second half while Tuma and the offense continued churning. Tuma hit Kaci Coyle for a 23-yard touchdown pass on HP's opening drive of the second half before retiring from the game with the Scots ahead, 35-0. 

 

HP's reserves took it the rest of the way. Parker Van Dyk ran three times for 29 yards in the final quarter, and Colby Carpenter and Michael Thomas combined for 39 passing yards during their action. Thomas completed a touchdown pass to Pearson McGovern with 3:48 left for HP's final touchdown.

 

Blake Copeland, Mikey Bryant, Parker Fields, Connor Cook were also a part of the nine HP receivers to catch a pass in the game. HP also had seven different players run the ball, including Robert McIntosh and Mickey Landon. 

 

Two of HP's three wins have come against Rockwall by 60-7 and 41-0 margins. The teams are scheduled to play one more time Nov. 4 at Highlander Stadium. The Scots' next game is Thursday, Sept. 30, against Arlington Seguin at Highlander Stadium.

HP 14 - 14 - 7 - 6 =  41

Rockwall   0 -  0-   0 - 0 =   0

1Q - HP - Andrew Richardson 22 pass from Jet Tuma (Jet Tuma run)

1Q - HP - Andrew Richardson 6 pass from Jet Tuma (kick failed)

2Q - HP - Songbo Cao recovers blocked punt in end zone (Jet Tuma run)

2Q - HP - Anthony Vallera 49 pass from Jet Tuma (kick failed)

3Q - HP - Kaci Coyle 23 pass from Jet Tuma (Michael Barnes kick)

4Q - HP - Pearson McGovern 9 pass from Michael Thomas (kick failed)

Rushing: Jet Tuma 8-88; Parker Van Dyk 3-29; Sam Landess 2-16; Hank Howard 2-13; Colby Carpenter 2-11; Robert McIntosh 2-8; Mickey Landon 1-3.

Passing: Jet Tuma 8-15-0, 108 yards, 4 TD; Colby Carpenter 5-8-0, 30 yards; Michael Thomas 1-3-0, 9 yards, TD.

Receiving: Anthony Vallera 1-49, TD; Andrew Richardson 3-37, 2 TD; Kaci Coyle 2-24, TD; Hank Howard 2-21; Blake Copeland 1-14; Mikey Bryant 2-12; Pearson McGovern 1-9, TD; Parker Fields 1-2; Connor Cook 1-2.