Orange Crush: Caprock defense dominates in crosstown rivalry win over Palo Duro

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

NON-DISTRICT

CAPROCK 23, PALO DURO 3

What this game means: The Caprock Longhorns are off to their first 2-0 start to a season since 2018. The defense has controlled the first two contests, allowing 10 points in that span while the offense has outscored opponents 77-10. Palo Duro falls to 0-2 for the second time in the past three years and has a lot of work to do offensively in order to turn their season around. The Dons do have a strong defense with a physical front seven that flashed at times on Thursday night, but needed more plays to be made. In addition, the royal blue and white offense was unable to capitalize on scoring opportunities with a grand total of three points on three trips to the red zone.

Thursday's highlights: The Longhorns defense got the scoring started midway through the second quarter when senior defensive lineman Ivan Flores burst off the edge and laid down a solid hit on Palo Duro senior quarterback Avery Randle that popped the ball loose. Senior linebacker Delco Gonzalez scooped up the ball and was off to the races as he returned the ball 63 yards for a touchdown. In the second half, the Longhorns switched to an offensive formation they call 'Batman' with senior tailback Jamel Acosta-Lewis lining up at quarterback. The adjustment served as a recipe for success for Caprock with Acosta-Lewis rushing eight times for 61 yards and two hard-charging touchdowns in the final two quarters.

Thursday's stars: Acosta-Lewis delivered a halftime speech and came up big for his squad in the second half, jumpstarting the Caprock offense on what had been a stagnant night for the group. Flores recorded a strip sack and Gonzalez showed off his speed on his way to a fumble return for a touchdown. The Caprock defense limited Palo Duro to 167 total yards on the night. Senior defensive lineman Ramses Cota, senior linebacker Daniel Wood, junior defensive lineman Zaydrian Phasavat each recorded sacks on a night in which the Longhorns totaled five. Palo Duro senior running back Tre'sean Monroe (12 carries, 40 yards) averaged more than 4.5 yards per carry at one point before the Caprock defense tightened its grip in the second half.

Caprock coach Dan Sherwood on win: "Rivalry games are always crazy. Palo Duro's a good football team. They gave us everything we wanted, especially up front with their defensive line. We got punched in the mouth there in the first half, but we found a way to respond and finally found a way to get into the end zone. I'm proud of our kids. They fought through penalties and they fought through mistakes."

Sherwood on Acosta-Lewis' performance: "Jamel's a great kid. He's a great leader, a tough kid. He's one of my guys. I love Jamel and I love what he does for the team. When we went into the locker room at halftime, it was him that rallied everybody. He got them fired up that we weren't playing 'Rock' ball and weren't playing the way we should be playing. He came out and put his work where his mouth was. I can't ask for any more than that."

Acosta-Lewis on lining up at QB: "We call it Batman, because I'm Batman. I know I can't be stopped when I'm giving it my all. I had to put the team on my back and score. But without my teammates, I'm nothing."

Palo Duro coach Eric Mims on offensive struggles: "Our defense is playing well, but we're not playing well enough on offense. It's real simple. If you can't score points, you can't win. We aren't scoring enough points to win right now. Our defense is playing well enough to keep us in games. Offensively, we have to capitalize on our drives. We were inside the red zone three times and came away with three points. You can't do that and win. When you're inside the red zone, you have to put touchdowns on the board."

Up next: Caprock (2-0) will host the Pampa Harvesters at Dick Bivins Stadium next Thursday night while Palo Duro (0-2) will hit the road for the first time this season next Friday night when they take on the Lubbock Estacado Matadors.

CAPROCK 23, PALO DURO 3

Caprock     3        6       7        7         --          23

Palo Duro      0        0       3       0          --         3

Scoring summary

First Quarter

CAP – Joel Gijon 32 field goal; 8:16

Second Quarter

CAP – Delco Gonzalez 63 fumble return (Gijon kick no good); 6:45

Third Quarter

PD – Jacob Jimennez 27 field goal; 5:01

CAP – Jamel Acosta-Lewis 10 run (Gijon kick); 3:27

Fourth Quarter

CAP – Jamel Acosta-Lewis 9 run (Gijon kick); 3:17

Individual Statistics

Rushing – Caprock: Zayden Ramirez 12-45, Jamel Acosta-Lewis 10-62, Lleyton Brown 4-20, Bowen Davis 2-(-14), Abdulai Dorley 1-8, Edyson Black 1-0. Palo Duro: Tre'sean Monroe 12-40, Jayden Garza 7-22, Kumien Williams 7-13, Avery Randle 6-(-37), Kameron Brown 3-18.

Passing – Caprock: Brown 9-13-0-68. Palo Duro: Garza 7-19-0-99, Randle 4-9-0-12.

Receiving – Caprock: Jaydis Ortega 3-32, Aden Ramirez 3-20, Kadrian Hernandez 2-14, Zy'quavion Smith 1-2. Palo Duro: Taurean Johnson 4-13, Abdurahman Hussein 3-42, Tre'sean Monroe 2-0, John Richmond 1-35, Keterize Dean-Oliver 1-21.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Caprock defense dominates in rivalry win over Palo Duro