Turnovers set the tone in Houston romp, 54-12

Salem fell to 1-2 overall and Houston improved to 2-1.

Two Salem fumbles led to two quick Houston touchdowns to open the scoring, setting the tone for the rest of the game.

In all, the sloppy contest produced seven turnovers - four by Salem and three by Houston.

“We were shooting ourselves in the foot so much I was surprised we still had feet left!” said Salem head coach Neal Myers.

Five minutes into the game the turnovers began, as Houston freshman linebacker Tucker Venn - who leads Houston in both rushing yards on offense and tackles on defense this season - grabbed a Salem fumble that popped into the air and sprinted 78 yards for the touchdown. Dillon Shelton kicked the first of six extra points.

Salem also lost a fumble on its next offensive possession and Houston senior quarterback D.J. Riley made it hurt. Riley completed a 27-yard pass on fourth down to keep the drive alive, then later scored the TD on a one-yard keeper at the 3:29 mark.

It was 14-0 after the first period.

Salem closed the gap in the second period after recovering a fumble of its own. Houston put the ball on the ground at its own 17 yardline and Salem pounced on it. And on the first play from scrimmage senior QB Hayden Ragsdale hit sophomore tight end Titus White with a 17-yard scoring strike. The two-point conversion attempt failed.

However, it was all Houston the rest of the way, as the home team erupted for six consecutive touchdowns to pull away.

Houston would put up three touchdowns the rest of the first half - on a hook-and-ladder play that covered 66 yards, with Venn getting the TD; on a 36-yard run by junior running back Aaron McCarthy, and on a 36-yard pass from Riley to senior wideout Caden Guerra.

That made it 35-6 at intermission.

After an 11-yard touchdown run by Riley to open the second-half scoring, another Salem turnover led to another Houston big play in the third period, as linebacker Mason Dodson grabbed the fumble out of the air and went 66 yards for the TD.

Each team added a touchdown in the fourth quarter, Salem’s coming on a 41-yard breakaway run by sophomore Rylan Renaud.

“At the point of attack they had the line of scrimmage; that’s where they won it,” Myers said of Houston. “They were more physical, and that surprised me. Because I don’t think there is that much difference between the two teams.”

Salem had 176 yards of total offense - 159 on the ground.

Ragsdale rushed for 43 yards while Renaud had the 41 on his TD run.

Riley rushed for 61 yards and hit on 10-of-15 passes while Venn ran for 60 yards.

Now Salem braces for an SCA power coming to town Friday, Sept. 19, as the Tigers will host Thayer. Kickoff at Schuchardt Stadium is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Thayer, tied for No. 3 in last week’s Missouri Class 1 state poll, is 3-0 after opening league play by beating Mountain View Liberty 21-14 last week.

“It’ll certainly be a test,” Myers said. “We’ve got to be ready; they will come out and hit you. We’ve got to step up and fight back.”

The Bobcats are a run-heavy offense, using a variation of the wing-T offense.

Houston 54, Salem 12

Sept. 12 at Houston

The score by periods:

Salem 0 6 0 6-12

Houston 14 21 13 6-54

The scoring plays:

Houston: Venn 78-yard fumble recovery, Shelton kick (7:10).

Houston: Riley one-yard run, Shelton kick (3:29).

Salem: White 17-yard pass from Ragsdale, conversion fails (11:55).

Houston: Venn 66-yard run, Shelton kick (10:59).

Houston: McCarthy 36-yard run, Shelton kick (6:32).

Houston: Guerra 36-yard pass from Riley, Shelton kick (3:25).

Houston: Riley 11-yard run, Shelton kick.

Houston: Dodson 66-yard fumble recovery, kick blocked.

Houston: Morgan 57-yard run, kick fails.

Salem: Renaud 41-yard run, conversion fails.

Salem Individual Statistics

Rushing: DuBois 3 for 11, Renaud 1 for 41, Ragsdale 6 for 43, Malone 4 for 13, May 8 for 26, Ray 6 for 25, Halbrook 2 for 5.

Passing: Ragsdale 1-2-17-0.

Receiving: White 1 for 17.