By Todd Jorgenson
Against an overmatched opponent, Highland Park followed the script to perfection on Friday at Highlander Stadium.
The starting unit gave the Scots a big lead, enabling the reserves to take plenty of substantial snaps during a 62-7 thrashing of Carrollton R.L. Turner.
HP’s lopsided victory was valuable because it enabled the Scots to empty their bench, but also didn’t tax the starters heading into a short week prior to an Oct. 15 matchup at Carrollton Creekview.
“That was mission accomplished,” said Randly Allen, HP head coach. “We got everybody in the game in the first half and got them some meaningful reps, when the crowd was still here.”
In their highest-scoring game this season, the Scots retained sole possession of first place in District 6-5A Div. I and secured their first three-game winning streak since last year.
“We’re really excited about what our team can do and our potential,” Allen said. “We’ve got some players banged up, but we’re right where we want to be.”
HP was able to score at will from the outset against the shorthanded Lions. Buck Randall threw four touchdown passes in the first 13 minutes, and the Scots (5-2, 3-0) reached the end zone on their first six possessions.
In the first quarter alone, HP accumulated 168 yards on just 11 offensive plays, with four scores. Luke Cecil, Evan Snelleman, and Beckett Lawrence each caught scoring tosses from Randall. Lawrence also had a long punt return to set up a rushing score by Caiden Reeves.
In all, eight different players scored for HP, led by Leyton Gilliam with two rushing touchdowns. The Scots, who capitalized on favorable field position throughout the game, didn’t run a third-down snap until they were already ahead 35-0.
The onslaught continued in the second quarter with touchdowns on a Liam Thomas reception and a Ford Jackson run, making it 42-0 at the break.
Following a score from sophomore Bear Anderson, Gilliam’s 44-yard breakaway in the third quarter ballooned the margin to 55-0.
The Lions (1-5, 0-2) crossed midfield for the first time on a long interception return by Charles Cottingham just before halftime, but didn’t earn a first down until the third quarter.
Lorenzo Armijo’s 77-yard touchdown run accounted for more than half of the total yardage for Turner, which punted on its first nine drives.
The Lions completed just one pass in the game for negative yardage, and haven’t scored more than seven points in any of their last four games.
Randall completed all eight of his passes before exiting early in the second quarter. Combined with backups Thomas Coffman and Gavin Thornfield, HP completed 16 of 19 passes — spread among nine receivers — for 257 yards.
The Scots committed two turnovers but neither proved costly. The lone takeaway for the HP defense came on an Owen Isom interception in the closing minutes.
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