PETTUS – Coming off the heels of a victory over Karnes City, the Kenedy Lions looked to keep up their winning ways heading into Friday night’s showdown with the Pettus Eagles. With the defense stifling the Badgers the week before, the Lions sought to keep that same game plan against the Eagles, and did just that as they used their rushing attack in addition to their tough defense to defeat Pettus by the score of 30-13 and go 2-0 to start the 2012 season.

The first half remained closely contested as Pettus drew first blood with 7:32 on the clock in the first quarter on a 14-yard run by Casey Jones. Dylan Dunn’s PAT gave the Eagles their only lead of the night at 7-0. The Lions roared right back with 5:37 on the clock as Sr. QB JD De Los Santos, who filled in for the inactive Sr. QB Rolie Zepeda during the game, handed the ball off to Soph. RB Dominic Cruz who then connected with Sr. WR Weston Hallmark on a 49-yard touchdown pass off the trick play. Hallmark added the PAT to tie the game at 7-7. Hallmark was a perfect 4-for-4 on extra point attempts in the game. The second quarter’s only score came from Kenedy’s defense. At the 7:23 mark, Sr. Jeremy Rodriguez managed to get a safety and give the Lions a 9-7 lead at halftime. “That’s the second week in a row we got some points on defense,” said Kenedy head coach Lin Havron. “It gave us momentum going into halftime and we played better in the second half with more confidence.”

The second half saw the Lions utilize their running game to great effect. With 8:19 to go in the third quarter, Jr. RB Cedric Mejia scored on a 4-yard run. The Eagles countered with 2:06 to go on a 1-yard run by John Grayson, though the kick failed, to put the score at 16-13 at the end of the third quarter. The fourth quarter was all Lions as Mejia scored his second touchdown of the night on a 32-yard run with 7:35 on the clock. With 2:22 left, Sr. RB Austin Lawrence punched it on a 1-yard run to put the final tally at 30-13. “It was very important for us to establish our running game and keep the clock moving,” said Havron.

When all was said and done, the Lions gained 314 yards of total offense, with 231 yards rushing over 33 carries and 83 yards passing over seven completions. The Eagles, by contrast, gained 145 yards of total offense with 69 yards rushing over 40 carries and 76 yards passing over three completions. In terms of penalties, the Lions committed seven penalties for 40 total yards and the Eagles committed four penalties for 21 total yards.

This week, the Lions will welcome the Skidmore-Tynan Bobcats to town. “They’ve got big kids and skill players,” said Havron about the Bobcats. “I expect another good ball game at home.” Kickoff in Kenedy is set for Friday, September 14 at 7:30 p.m.