Tigers score early, often

TUSCUMBIA - Deshler scored early and often, amassing a 56-point lead at one point, en route to a 56-23 first-round Class 4A playoff win over

Fairview.

Deshler (10-1) will move on to host Central in next week's second round. The Wildcats defeated Plainview 31-28.

Chris May got things started when he recovered a fumble in the end zone to give Deshler a 7-0 lead just more than a minute into the game.

Fairview (8-3) was forced to punt on its first possession. Deion Belue fielded the kick at the Deshler 45, made a couple of Aggies miss, then cut across the field and made the rest of the Aggies miss on his way to the end zone for a 55-yard touchdown.

"Deion is an electrifying player," Deshler head coach John Mothershed said.

Deshler started its next possession on the Fairview 36 after the Aggies kicked the ball out-of-bounds for only a 16-yard punt in what was seemingly an attempt to keep the ball away from Belue. The Tigers scored five plays later on a 1-yard J. Gardiner run.

On its next possession, Deshler once again started in

Fairview territory, this time after a Belue punt return put them on the Fairview 29. Deanthonie Summerhill scored on the first play of the drive with a 29-yard run to give the Tigers a 28-0 first quarter lead.

Summerhill added a 20-yard touchdown run in the second, and Will Minor scored on an 18-yard run as Deshler took a 42-0 lead into the half.

Belue scored on a 37-yard run in the third. Freshman running back Tucker Norwood scored on a 1-yard run late in the third to give the Tigers a 56-0 lead.

"I'm proud of the way our guys played tonight," Mothershed said. "Our defense played well. They did a great job putting pressure on the quarterback."

Fairview scored all 23 of its points in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Trett Hardman threw three touchdown passes: a 15-yarder to Alexander Hipp, an 8-yard pass to Kyle Stephenson and a 17-yard strike to Lukas Davis.

Miguel Rodriguez added a field goal for the Aggies with 21 seconds remaining.

Deshler will be playing Central for the second time this season. The Tigers defeated Central 33-3 in the teams' first matchup during the second week of the regular season.

"Central is playing well the second half of the season," Mothershed said. "Coach (Brent) Palmer has done a great job. I think they've improved and I think we've improved as well. It has been so long since we played them that it's going to be like playing them for the first time."