TRINITY — Deshler didn’t run very many plays in the first half, but the Tigers’ offense was so effective, they didn’t have to. Deshler ran just 12 offensive plays in the first half, but scored touchdowns on five of them as they jumped out to a 34-0 halftime lead en route to a 55-21 victory over West Morgan.

“I’m proud of the kids. They were ready to play from the start,” Deshler coach John Mothershed said. “We have never played at West Morgan before. We were coming into an unfamiliar place, but I felt like we were still focused and played well.”

Deshler scored on a series of big plays and also took advantage of two 1-yard punts by the West Morgan punter to put the game out of reach for the Rebels in the first half.

Terrance Byrd got things started with a 27-yard touchdown run before Justin Cantrell hit Brandon Creasy on a 24-yard touchdown pass. Chandler Brown then scored on a 49-yard run to give the Tigers a 20-0 lead after one quarter.

A 1-yard punt gave Deshler the ball at West Morgan’s 15-yard line early in the second quarter, and Cantrell hit Quinton Bailey for a touchdown on the first play of the next drive.

Cantrell then tossed his third touchdown of the half late in the quarter when he hit Bailey for a 47-yard score. Cantrell only completed four passes in the game, but three of them went for touchdowns.

A second 1-yard punt set up Deshler’s first touchdown of the third quarter, as the Tigers took over at West Morgan’s 14-yard line and scored two plays later on a 10-yard run by Recardo Carter.

West Morgan finally got on the scoreboard midway through the third quarter on a 58-yard touchdown run by Rodney Young, but even that little bit of happiness for the Rebels was short-lived, as Deshler scored on the very next play from scrimmage, as Tyreck Ricks broke out on a 66-yard touchdown run.

Ricks, who also scored on a 4-yard touchdown run in the final minute of the third quarter, led Deshler with 96 yards rushing on just five carries. The Tigers rolled up 324 rushing yards on just 19 carries as a team and had 437 total yards. West Morgan did rush for 329 yards on 67 carries, but much of that came with the game well in hand.

Deshler improved to 3-3 overall and 2-2 in Class 3A, Region 8. The Tigers face a critical region game next week when they host Colbert County.

“We’ve got a big game next week with definate playoff implications,” Mothershed said. “It’s a big game for both teams and we’re looking forward to it. We need to come out ready to play next week like we did this week.”