Panthers' dynamic duo undercuts Rusk
Morrow, Crawford combine for 493 yards as Westwood beats the Eagles 57-21
LELAND ACKER
The Westwood Panthers proved they are for real as they defeated the Rusk Eagles 57-21 Friday at Eagle Stadium. The win elevates Westwood to a 3-2 record while Rusk falls to 1-4.

The Westwood offense was led by running back DJ Morrow and Gralyn Crawford, who combined for 490 yards on the ground, with Crawford throwing six of 18 with one interception for an additional 155 yards.

Horrace Lewis led the ground attack for Rusk with 107 yards on 10 carries, while quarterback Michael Katon completed seven of 15 passes for 145 yards.

Both offenses struggled in the first quarter, with Rusk taking the ball on the opening possession. The Eagles were penalized 20 yards for clipping and illegal procedure, finding themselves in a third and 25 from their own 13 yard line. The Eagles did a quick kick on third down to save face on the opening drive.

The Eagle defense then stood tall, forcing the Panthers to punt on a three-andout. Rusk then marched 80 yards over five minutes to score the first touchdown of the game on a Katon 1-yard run with 2:31 left in the first quarter.

Westwood responded five plays later when Crawford broke open for a 62 yard touchdown run with :05 left in the quarter.

Eagle linebacker Kyle Tullis (42) zeroes in on Westwood running back D.J. Morrow 5). Tullis is one of several junior varsity players who have been promoted to varsity as coaches seek to replace injured players and find a combination that works. PHOTO: TARA CROSBY

Both teams opened the second quarter with touchdowns. Bobby McDuff ran 61 yards for a touchdown on the "end-around" play, while Westwood's Morrow responded with a 44-yard scamper to tie the score at 14 with 11:03 left in the half. Rusk gave up the ball on the Panthers' ensuing on-side kick, but the Eagle defense kept the Panthers out of the end zone with a big red zone stand at the Rusk sixyard line.

Then, the Panthers roared.

Crawford made a 47 yard run which set up a Morrow 7 yard touchdown run with 2:32 left in the half. After Westwood's Alan Thompson intercepted a pass from Demarcus Skinner, Morrow ran five times for 49 yards to put the Panthers on the board again, giving Westwood a 28- 14 lead going into halftime.

Westwood's offense opened up in the third quarter, with touchdowns coming on Morrow runs of 21 and 46 yards, and a Crawford 86-yard pass to Thompson.

Rusk found the end zone again with 10:09 left in the game when Lewis ran 65 yards for a touchdown. Westwood scored a touchdown on a Crawford 38-yard run with 3:28 left to play to give the final score of 57-21.

The Eagles open District 20-3A action Friday in Diboll against the Lumberjacks. The outlook for the Eagles is not pretty. Diboll is 5-0 on the season, defeating five opponents from District 22-3A. Diboll fans say they have won one district title this year, and hope to make it two.

The Jacks have familiar faces returning this season as well. Running back Ketaraus Stanton has rushed for 725 yards this season, averaging 8.4 yards per carry. He is flanked by Kendal Jackson, who has rushed for 351 yards averaging 7.3 yards per carry.

Quarterback Kyle Prescott has thrown 38-61-0 for 871 yards and 16 touchdowns. His favorite targets are Cornelius Polk (14-245) and J.J. Hayes (10-250).

Diboll has also never been denied in the red zone, scoring all 22 times they have been inside the 20 yard line.

The game will be played at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Diboll's Lumberjack Stadium. The game will be broadcast live on KTLU 1580 AM, Rusk cable channel 9, and www.teamline. cc. The pregame show begins at 7:03 p.m. Game Stats

SCORING BY QUARTER
Westwood 7	21	21	8	--	57
Rusk 7	7	0	7	--	21

SCORING SUMMARY
First Quarter
RUSK - Michael Katon 1 yd run (Ricky
Rojo kick) 2:31
WESTWOOD - Gralyn Crawford 62 yd run
(Alan Thompson kick) :05
Second Quarter
RUSK - Bobby McDuff 61 yd run (Rojo
kick) 11:46
WESTWOOD - DJ Morrow 44 yd run
(Thompson kick) 11:03
WESTWOOD - Morrow 7 yd run (kick
failed) 2:32
WESTWOOD - Crawford 3 yd run (Crawford
pass to Marvin Warren) 1:16
Third Quarter
WESTWOOD - Morrow 21 yd run (Crawford
pass to George White) 9:06
WESTWOOD - Crawford 86 yd pass to
Thompson (Thompson kick) 4:52
WESTWOOD - Morrow 46 yd run (kick
failed) 1:03
Fourth Quarter
RUSK - Horrace Lewis 65 yd run (Rojo
kick) 10:09
WESTWOOD - Crawford 38 yd run
(Crawford pass to Thompson) 3:28

	Westwood	Rusk
First downs	16	11
Rushes/yds	37-493	33-218
Passing yds	155	145
C/A/I	6-18-1	7-16-1
Fumbles/lost	2-0	2-2
Penalties/yds	4-35	3-25

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING - Westwood: Morrow 21-281,
Crawford 13-209, AJ Ashford 2-3. Rusk:
Lewis 10-107, McDuff 3-63, Marcell
Johnson 9-60, Quinn Anthony 2-8,
Demarcus Skinner 3-1.
PASSING - Westwood: Crawford 6-18-1
155. Rusk: Katon 7-15-0 145.
RECEIVING - Westwood: Cameron Shead
3-49, Thompson 2-93, White 2-13. Rusk: JJ
Session 3-94, Jared Colville 2-24, McDuff
1-15, Cody Daniel 1-12.
INTERCEPTIONS - Westwood: Thompson
1. Rusk: McDuff 1.