Bulldogs open season with loss to Benjamin
By Sam Waller
The Moran Bulldogs took their lumps last Friday in the opening football game, losing 58-6 at Benjamin.
The Bulldogs were hampered by four turnovers, all of which led to scores for Benjamin.
“Our youth showed,” said Moran coach John Hughes, who started three freshmen. “We did a lot of things to ourselves that we shouldn’t have, and Benjamin took advantage. Not taking anything away from Benjamin, but I think we killed ourselves because of our inexperience.”
The Bulldogs finished with 52 total yards. Connor Hail had 54 yards rushing.
Moran’s touchdown came on a six-yard pass from Ellis Hise to Aaren Hawley in the first quarter.
“There were a few bright spots,” Hughes said. “Connor Hail knocked off a big play that we turned into a score in the first quarter. A couple of young guys are showing some promise; it’s just a matter of staying the course.”
Hawley led the defense with nine total tackles, including a tackle for loss, and had a solid kicking performance.
“He punted four times for 114 yards and the one kickoff he had went for a touchback,” Hughes said. “I think he could go to a small college and do some kicking after he graduates.”
Home Opener
Moran will host Evant at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Bulldogs’ home opener. Tickets are $4 for adults and $2 for students.
Evant opened the season by beating Cranfills Gap 68-49.
“If we just stay calm and take care of the little things, I think we can hang with them,” Hughes said.
After facing a spread team in Benjamin, Hughes said Moran will see a different approach from Evant.
“They’ll be more compact, with tight sets on offense,” he said. “They’ll be a little bit more aggressive defensively than Benjamin was.”
Volleyball
The Moran Lady Bulldogs picked up their second win of the season last week, sweeping Abilene TLCA in their District 6-2A opener.
Moran won the Aug. 24 match 25-5, 25-16, 25-16 in Abilene.
“The girls all played really well,” coach Jo Hise said. “Our serving was better, and I’m proud of the progress we’ve made.”
On Saturday, Moran lost at Rotan 12-25, 14-25, 21-25. Harmony Slaughter led Moran in scoring.
“We had a slow start on Saturday morning,” Hise said. “If we’d gotten warmed up a little bit sooner, it might have been different.”
The Lady Bulldogs were 2-7 overall and 1-0 in district heading into Tuesday’s home match against Gustine. Details will be reported next week.
Tuesday also saw the start of the season for the Lady Bulldogs’ junior high team, which was scheduled to host Abilene Christian.
Moran resumes district play at 10:00 a.m. Saturday in Newcastle.
Cross country
The Lady Bulldogs finished second on Monday at the Eastland Invitational in their first cross country outing of the season, placing four runners in the top 10.
Eastland won the three-team event with Moran finishing ahead of Huckabay.
Johnnie Hise finished sixth individually to lead the Lady Bulldogs, followed by Emily Murk in eighth place, Hannah Noble in ninth, and Hannah Rogers in 10th.
“They found their stride and stuck with it,” Jo Hise said. “Our goal was to finish, especially in that kind of heat.”
Also competing for Moran were Alyssa Allred, Harmony Slaughter, Terra Thompson, and Vivi Green.
The meet was held at Lone Cedar Golf Course.
