Derek Allen, Opportunistic Defense Lead Pittsburg Past Wills Point, 46-15

TYLER -- Derek Allen rushed for 131 yards and three touchdowns and the Pittsburg Pirates defense came away with four turnovers in Pittsburg's 46-15 rout of Wills Point on Saturday afternoon at TMF Rose Stadium.

All of Allen's scoring runs were from 1 yard out and all in the first half, in which the Pirates (1-0) built a 32-3 lead on Wills Point (0-1).

Pittsburg benefitted from careless play from the Wills Point offense, which surrendered three interceptions and a lost fumble leading to four Pirates touchdowns.

Pirates quarterback Garrett Truitt completed 11 of 17 attempts to six different receivers for 148 yards. He added a 3-yard scoring run as well.

Pittsburg defensive back Dee Moton came away with two interceptions, one of which he returned 49 yards for a touchdown that put Pittsburg on top 29-3 midway through the second quarter.

Wills Point quarterback Chase Pemberton was 14 of 25 for 220 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He added 51 yards on the ground. Jah Golden had four catches for 96 yards, while Tre Smith had six receptions for 55 yards, including a 31-yard TD in the fourth quarter.

Jaquaveon Maxie returned the game's opening kick 43 yards to the Pittsburg 45, but the Tigers had to settle for Micky Morris' 20-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead early in the first quarter.

Two Pittsburg possessions later, Allen put the finishing touches on a 55-yard drive with his first 1-yard scoring run of the afternoon. Carl Leonard caught Truitt's pass for the two-point conversion for an 8-3 Pirates lead with 2:40 remaining in the opening quarter.

On Wills Point's next drive, Leonard picked up a Pemberton fumble and rumbled 47 yards to the Wills Point 18. Allen finished the job two plays later to put Pittsburg up 15-3 early in the second.

The Pirates began their next drive at their own 2-yard line, but Allen raced 91 yards on the first play of the possession to set Pittsburg up with a first-and-goal at the 2. His 1-yard run a couple plays later gave Pittsburg a commanding 22-3 lead with 7:14 remaining in the first half.

Following Moton's pick-six, the Pirates drove 52 yards and finished the half on Daniel Silva's 20-yard field goal as time expired.

Truitt's 3-yard TD run and a 43-yard scoring run by Teriyan Cuba put the Pirates lead at 46-3 midway through the third.

Wills Point scored the game's final two touchdowns on Dominique Granville's 2-yard run and the 31-yard scoring strike from Pemberton to Smith.

---

Pittsburg 46, Wills Point 15
At TMF Rose Stadium, Tyler
Pittsburg                  8    24    14     0     --    46
Wills Point               3      0      6     6     --    15
First Quarter
WP--FG Micky Morris 20, 9:36.
PIT--Derek Allen 1 run (Carl Leonard pass from Garrett Truitt), 2:40.
Second Quarter
PIT--Allen 1 run (Daniel Silva kick), 9:48.
PIT--Allen 1 run (Silva kick), 7:14.
PIT--Doe Moton 49 interception return (Silva kick), 5:10.
PIT--FG Silva 20, :00.
Third Quarter
PIT--Truitt 3 run (Silva kick), 7:12.
PIT--Teriyan Cuba 43 run (Silva kick), 5:22.
WP--Dominique Granville 2 run (run failed), 2:34.
Fourth Quarter
WP--Tre Smith 31 pass from Chase Pemberton (pass failed), 4:14.

PIT                     WP
First Downs                            14                        17
Rushes-Yards                 38-249                39-154
Passing Yards                       148                     220
Comp.-Att.-Int.              11-17-0               14-27-3
Punts-Avg.                       2-40.0                 2-33.0
Fumbles Lost                        4-1                        3-1
Penalties-Yards                  5-30                     7-45

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Pittsburg, Derek Allen 15-131, Teriyan Cuba 4-45, K.J. Williams 6-33, Jarrion Douglas 1-12, Garrett Truitt 8-12, Dee Moton 2-10, Carl Leonard 2-6. Wills Point, Jaquaveon Maxie 16-60, Chase Pemberton 7-51, Tre Smith 4-27, Dominique Granville 7-20, Elijah Roberson 3-2, Jonny Parker 2-(-6).
PASSING--Pittsburg, Truitt 11-17-0--148. Wills Point, Pemberton 14-25-1--220, Smith 0-2-2--0.
RECEIVING--Pittsburg, Allen 3-16, Ty Hammonds 2-48, Kel Wallace 2-44, Moton 2-17, Kisaron Younger 1-13, Leonard 1-10. Wills Point, Smith 6-55, Jah Golden 4-96, Micky Morris 3-58, Maxie 1-11.