Winona Christian football coach Ashley Kuhn didn’t know what to expect on Friday night with a pile of distractions facing his team.
But the Stars didn’t let the weather or Ethel ruin homecoming as they took a 40-0 win over the Tigers.
Winona Christian improves to 5-1 on the season and will host North Delta on Friday night.
Kuhn said he was proud of the way his team handled Friday night.
“I was really proud of our kids,” Kuhn said. “It was homecoming week and with all of the distractions going on, playing a public school, I thought we played focused and played really well. I thought we played our best first half of the season. It was raining and the weather was bad but we were able to throw and do what we wanted and I was pleased with that.”
Despite the rain, the Stars went to the air to start the game as Brannon Hill hit Braxton Leach on a 35-yard touchdown pass. Tyler Schraenkler hit the PAT and the Stars led 7-0.
Winona Christian added a 10-yard run from Will Irwin in the first quarter but missed the PAT and led 13-0 at the end of the first.
The Stars continued to extend the lead in the second quarter when Irwin scored on an 8-yard run. Hill then hit Hunter Land on the two-point conversion and the Stars led 21-0.
Winona Christian finished out the scoring in the first half as Hill hit Johnny Greene on a 44-yard touchdown pass. Schraenkler hit the PAT and the Stars led 28-0 at the half.
“It was a rough night and we threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to start the game,” Kuhn said. “I was proud of the effort. I was concerned with it being homecoming and with the weather. I thought we played clean all things concerned. We got the ball to start the second half and drove down and scored and got the clock running. That’s the sixth week in a row that we have had a running clock. I am a little concerned with that. We have conditioned them but you can’t simulate game reps.”
The Stars got the clock running early in the third quarter when Irwin scored on a 5-yard run to go up 34-0.
Winona added a 5-yard run from freshman Bryson McKnight to go up 40-0 and round out their scoring.
The Stars had 314 yards rushing an 91 passing for 405 yards of total offense. Irwin had 224 yards on 20 carries with three touchdowns. Hill had 49 yards rushing on eight carries while Bryson McKnight had 26 yards on five carries.
Hill was 5-of-6 passing for 91 yards with two TDs. Greene had two catches for 53 yards while Leach had two catches for 35 yards.
Holland Self led the defense with 11 tackles and a fumble recovery while Jase Osborne and Austin Wiggins each had eight tackles. Austin Horne had six tackles while Luke Beckwith and Kaleb King each had five tackles. Preston Fletcher had four tackles while Greene and McKnight had three tackles apiece. Wiggins also had a fumble recovery.
This week’s game
The Stars will hit the road this week as they take on North Delta in a key district contest.
North Delta is 4-2 on the season with losses to Magnolia Heights (56-20) and Marshall (28-0). They have wins over Indianola (43-13), Benton (47-14) Strayhorn (35-7) and Lee (20-7).
“It’s a big game for us in district play and they are a really good football team,” Kuhn said. “They run a very unconventional offense. I think they call it the slot T. They run to the line and do a lot of misdirection. It’s really had to defend. It doesn’t look fancy but it’s tough on defenses. I’m really concerned about it. We haven’t seen anything like that. I’ve been doing this for a long time and I’ve never seen anything like.”
Last year, Winona Christian won 14-12 in a tight game.
