Following a tough 35-7 loss at home to the mighty Pleasant Grove Hawks, the Paris Wildcats bounced back in a big way against their next opponent. The Wildcats (3-1) traveled to the metroplex on Friday to face the ninth-ranked Midlothian Heritage Jaguars, and Paris walked away with an impressive 28-14 victory.
Senior running back K.D. Washington got things started with an impressive 74-yard touchdown run as he followed his blockers and weaved through and past several Jaguar defenders to get his team on the board first. Midlothian Heritage responded with a scoring drive of their own to send the teams into the dressing room tied 7-7 at the half.
In the second half, Paris clamped down defensively and continued to run the ball down the Jaguars’ throats to secure the 14-point upset win.
Washington led the way with 115 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns to go with his 7 tackles on defense. Senior running back Zy’kius Jackson added 198 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns as well. Jalen Gray led the defensive effort with 6 tackles and an interception, while linebacker Lain Atwood had 8 stops of his own.
The Wildcats will begin district play at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Melissa Cardinals.
Meanwhile, the Wildcats freshman team also experienced success against the Jaguars’ freshman squad. Paris recorded a 34-16 win at Wildcat Stadium on Thursday, scoring 28 points to Midlothian Heritage’s zero at the half. Paris outgained Midlothian Heritage 325-177 in total yards.
“Our guys played a great all-around game,” head coach Trevor Huie said. “They are very talented athletes and are doing a great job of understanding how to practice and buy into the program. They had a great week of practice and were rewarded with a big win on Thursday. I’m excited to see what this ‘Band of Brothers’ will accomplish moving forward.”
Taydrick Dawson was an offensive standout for Paris with 184 total yards and 3 touchdowns with each of his three scores exceeding 50 yards. Trevin Hohenberger was a force defensively with a team-high 7 tackles to go with his two scores on offense. Dycurian Douglas was also impactful on defense with a tackle and 2 interceptions.
The Wildcats freshman squad will play again at 5 p.m. Thursday at home against Melissa in the teams’ district opener.
