Tomball had to kick off their season on the road on Thursday, but they showed no ill effects. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Stratford Spartans , sneaking past 41-39. Given the Cougars' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 61st, while the Spartans are ranked 227th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Tomball was led to victory by Oswaldo Morales and Jaxyn Faldyn. Morales rushed for 189 yards and four touchdowns, while Faldyn rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown on only 11 carries. Tomball also got help from Hunter Rathke, who showed off his sure hands for 115 receiving yards.
Tomball wouldn't let Stratford keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Tomball can thank Hunter Hilsher and Jorge Concepcion for forcing both of them. Hilsher didn't just play on offense: he also forced a fumble and made eight total tackles (1.0 for loss).
When it comes to explaining why Stratford lost, don't look at Aaron Deleon. Despite the final result, he threw for 183 yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for 113 yards on only nine carries. Javier Denson also helped out as he racked up 130 rushing yards.
Tomball will be playing at home against Cinco Ranch at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. As for Stratford, they will face off against Oak Ridge at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
