Senior tailback Daniel Thomas rushed for 177 yards and two scores as the Angelo State football team (2-2) downed East Central, 34-24, in a Lone Star Conference clash Saturday night at San Angelo Stadium.
The victory marked the fourth straight win in a home opener for the Rams.
The Rams jumped out to an early 7-0 lead just over five minutes in to the contest as freshman quarterback Will Mezger connected with sophomore wide out Garrett Tidwell from 35 yards out. Thomas would then double the Rams' lead early in the second frame as he scampered 60 yards down the visitors' sideline to give ASU a 14-0 lead with 13:57 remaining in the first half.
The Tigers (0-4) responded later in the half, however, as tailback Joshua Maldonado scored on runs of 11 and three yards before intermission to knot the contest, 14-14, at the break.
East Central took its first lead of the night with 9:14 left in the third stanza as Corey Dozier nailed a 30-yard field goal to boost the Tigers to a 17-14 advantage.
Thomas then recorded his second touchdown of the game, and third of the season, as he rushed for 24 yards up the middle to give the Rams back a 20-17 lead after a blocked extra point.
The Tigers looked to regain the lead later in the quarter but Ram freshman safety Jake Eannerelli intercepted a pass by ECU quarterback Marcus Johnson's on a tip-drill in the end zone to quiet the visitors. Angelo State would then cushion its lead using a 53-yard touchdown run by senior tailback Terrell Lee, the first of his career, as time expired in the third frame to give ASU a ten-point lead, 27-17.
East Central cut the lead back to three points as Johnson used a one-yard dive with 10:04 left in the game to trim the Ram advantage to 27-24. But, just four plays later Mezger connected with senior tight end Jason Watson from 36 yards out to seal the victory. The touchdown grab by Watson was the first of his career.
Mezger ended the night with 102 yards on 4-of-11 passing with two scores while back up Michael Cochran, also a freshman, went 3-for-3 for 70 yards, including a 49-yard bomb to junior wide out Robert Boone. Thomas averaged 7.7 yards per carry as he got 23 touches on the night. Lee added 60 yards on four carries. Watson was the only ASU receiver to record more than one grab as he had two catches for 41 yards and a score.
Defensively, senior linebacker Jordan Cortez led all tacklers with 10 stops, including three solo tackles, with one break up. Senior safety Tarric Jones, junior outside linebacker Pete Parker and junior cornerback Rickey McKinley each added six stops for the Rams. Eannerelli's interception was his second of the season.
For ECU, Johnson tossed for 331 yards on 24-of-44 passing with one interception. Running back Collin Avery led the Tigers with 54 rushing yards on 11 carries while Maldonado ended the night with 48 yards and two scores. Nigel Cooper had nine catches for a game-high 164 yards leading a group of 11 Tigers with a catch.
Next up for the Rams is a trip to Wichita Falls as they open up LSC South Division Saturday night against Midwestern State. Kickoff at Memorial Stadium is 7 p.m.
