The Friendswood Mustangs got their first win of the 2022 football season with a solid 34-0 over the Willowridge Eagles to even their season record at 1-1.
Friendswood displayed a balanced performance on offense and defense in shutting out the Eagles.
“A shutout is an awesome thing,” Friendswood head football coach Robert Koopmann said. “Our main guys who we need to play well on defense played well, and I think that’s going to carry us forward.”
It was important to get the first win as the Mustangs begin District 10-5A Div I competition this week when they face the Fort Bend Kempner Cougars on Saturday, September 10 at Hall Stadium at 7:00 p.m.
The Mustangs scored on their second possession of the game on an 11-play, 60-yard drive as Jackson Rhodes capped off the scoring march with a 6-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 lead with 2:37 left in the opening quarter. Friendswood converted two crucial fourth downs to keep the drive alive.
Friendswood would score again just before the first quarter ended when quarterback Brock Foster hit WR Hunter Smyrl on a 17-yard scoring toss to push the lead to 13-0 with four seconds on the first-quarter clock.
Foster hit Gabriel Armstrong for 20-yards and RB Walker Winters had a nice 27-yard run to help the scoring drive.
The next scoring drive came with 7:19 remaining in the first half when Rhodes scored on a 9-yard run to complete a 9-play, 49-yard scoring drive to increase the lead to 20-0.
Friendswood got help from their special teams as Landon Davis blocked a Willowridge punt and then scooped it up to run 22-yards for a score for a 27-0 advantage at intermission.
With 1:15 remaining in the third quarter, Friendswood would score their final touchdown of the contest when Winters scored on a 6-yard run. The five-play drive was set up after the Mustangs recovered a Willowridge fumble at the Eagles 39 making the score 34-0.
Foster was 15-of-28 passing for 142 yards and one TD.
Rhodes was the workhorse on the ground with 16 carries for 102 yards and two touchdowns while Winters had six totes for 58 yards and one TD.
Smyrl had four catches for 53 yards and one score.
As a team, Friendswood totaled 329 yards while holding Willowridge to a total of 169 yards.
Friendswood will face Fort Bend Kempner on Saturday, September 10 at Mercer Stadium at 7:00 p.m. in the District 10-5A Div I opener for both teams.
