ATHENS — The Rusk Eagles compiled 603 yards of total offense en route to a 42-14 defeat of the Athens Hornets on Friday night at Bruce Field.

Rusk senior running back Chaston Bennett was once again golden for the Eagles, who improved to 4-0. Bennett ran 15 times for 239 yards and three touchdowns, pushing his season totals to 877 yards rushing and nine scores.

But Bennett wasn’t the only threat for the Eagles on a night when they sent the Hornets — who celebrated homecoming — to 1-3 on the season. Quarterback Kody Stanley ran nine times for 100 yards, including a 50-yard score in the second quarter. Stanley also threw a touchdown pass, to Vijay Stingley, four minutes earlier.

Ray Foreman kicked off the scoring on a 1-yard run for the Eagles, but Athens charged back to take a 7-6 lead on Ladarius Jordan’s 25-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter.

Stanley’s touchdown pass to Stingley and his own scoring run followed, and Athens cut it to 18-14 with 2:42 to go before halftime on Anthony Sanders’ 1-yard run.

But the Eagles poured it on something bad after that, beginning with Bennett’s first touchdown from 12 yards out with 54 seconds to go before the half. He then scored on a 15-yard run and a 92-yard run to break the game open, and David Overstreet put the game out of reach with an 18-yard run with 10:39 left.

All told, the Eagles finished with 518 yards rushing. Foreman nearly crossed the 100-yard threshold with 83 yards on 14 carries.

Jordan led Athens with 82 yards rushing on seven carries. In addition to his touchdown run, Sanders was 6 of 12 for 85 yards passing.

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