Nacogdoches Improves to 4-1 With 45-14 Rout of Pine Tree

NACOGDOCHES -- Nacogdoches rolled to a 45-14 victory over Pine Tree on Friday night, which improved the Dragons to 4-1 on the season.

Nacogdoches surged to a 35-0 lead at halftime with junior quarterback Hunter McClellan completing his first three passes for touchdowns. Two were caught by junior Sam Morgan, from 10 and 5 yards, respectively. The third was a 96-yarder to senior Reed Watson, who caught the ball in stride and outraced the Pine Tree (3-2) defense.

Unfortunately, the first half ended on a sour note for the Dragons, who lost McClellan on the last play of the second quarter to an apparent arm injury.

In the second half, the Dragons continued to limit the effectiveness of Pine Tree’s offense with strong defensive play, which included an interception by sophomore safety Brandon Jones.

Nacogdoches scored on the ensuing drive, knocking Pine Tree out of the game for good.

McClellan’s replacement, Bryce Matthews, threw for 60 yards on four completions and ran 11 times for 75 yards in the second half. Backup running back Ronnie Roberts had a big second half, managing 58 yards on 12 carries.

Nacogdoches begins District 16-4A play next Friday night at Jacksonville, while Pine Tree opens 14-4A at home against Texas High also on Friday.