Austin High 51, Akins 23

Led by a balanced offense featuring a trio of playmakers, Austin High defeated Akins 51-23 Friday night at Burger Stadium. The Maroons earned the victory in their district opener with Isaiah Jones operating efficiently at quarterback, while Quincy Reese displayed elusiveness running the ball. Cayleb Jones grabbed a trio of receptions including a 54-yard scoring catch in the second quarter.

With quarterback Michael Clawson sidelined with a back injury, Isaiah Jones took over as the starting signal caller and connected with brother Cayleb for a scoring play early in the contest. A short run by Reese, who finished the evening with 109 yards on a dozen rushing attempts, extended the Austin High (1-5, 1-0) advantage. Jones hit Linus Boley over the middle for a 67-yard touchdown near the end of the first period.

In the second quarter, Sid Martin grabbed a throw from Isaiah Jones and scored on a short reception, before Andrew Schimberg nailed a 31-yard field goal to give the Maroons a 37-10 lead over Akins (0-5, 0-1) at the half. Reese added a 37-yard scoring sprint in the fourth quarter and Thomas McMillan contributed his second pick six (interception return for a touchdown) of the season to cap the Austin High scoring.

The Jones brothers will now lead the Maroons into battle on Friday against arch rival Westlake at House Park, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. The Chaparrals feature a pair of quarterbacks in Lewis Guilbeau and Brandon Box. Chap running back Brice Dolezal has over 800 yards of rushing and eleven touchdowns on the season, and also constitutes a threat in the receiving game. Defenders Lance Duran and Spencer Smith wreaked havoc on the Trojan offense last week en route to Westlake’s 43-7 convincing win over Anderson (3-3, 0-1).