MOUNT PLEASANT -- KD Cannon put forth his usual impressive display for Mount Pleasant in its season opener against the Paris Wildcats on Friday night.

But senior running back Tarrence Taylor proved the Tigers are far from a one-man show.

Taylor rushed for 258 yards and three touchdowns to help Mount Pleasant pick up a 40-17 victory at Sam Parker Stadium.

The Wildcats paid special attention to Cannon, the Baylor commit, which opened plenty of holes for Taylor. He took full advantage of those opportunities as he ran through and around a Paris team which featured many two-way players who simply couldn’t keep up with the Tigers’ rushing attack as the game progressed.

Cannon dazzled in every phase of the game. He hauled in five catches for 65 yards and two touchdowns on offense while intercepting one pass on defense and making several long punt returns.

Cannon opened the scoring with a 28-yard reception from quarterback Cullen Grubbs on a pass in which he rose above double coverage to haul it in.

Paris responded on the ensuing drive with a seven-yard passing touchdown from Quez Allen to Jordan Williams. This tied the game before Taylor added a six-yard touchdown run with about two minutes left in the half and then reached the end zone again on an 80-yard scamper 30 seconds before halftime.

Paris’ Allen ran for a three-yard touchdown early in the third quarter. Mount Pleasant fumbled the first snap of the next drive, which Paris turned into three points when Blake Beshirs booted a 27-yard field goal to cut its deficit to 21-17.

Taylor scored his third touchdown of the night on the first play of the fourth quarter to lift the Tigers to a 27-17 lead.

The Wildcats failed to find consistency on offense during the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, Mount Pleasant was able to tack on another touchdown on a 14-yard pass from Grubbs to Cannon with about a minute left in the game.

Keanon Brown ended the scoring when he picked off a pass by Allen and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown.

More From East Texas Sports Network