The Houston Tigers (1-0) host St. James (1-0) Friday in the 2015 home opener.
ABOUT THIS WEEK’S OPPONENT: St. James opened its season with a 64-26 victory against Cuba. St. James led 34-12 at the half and 56-20 entering the fourth quarter. …Quarterback Brett Karnes was 14-of-20 passing for 314 yards and five touchdowns. He also rushed for 122 yards and two more scores. …Karnes’ top target was Michael Phillips, who had four receptions for 171 yards and three scores. …Defensive end Trenton Ruddy led the St. James defense with five tackles for losses and a sack.
TIGER TIDBITS: The HHS football team left town in style Friday night en route to Hollister. The team rode a charter bus, which stopped outside the front doors of the high school as classmates cheered and the band played the school fight song. “It gives you chills, gives you goose bumps and almost makes you teary-eyed a little bit,” Tigers coach Eric Sloan said. “I’m so happy to get this win for the community. It wasn’t pretty, and I apologize for that. This community has been so supportive.” …Sloan raised funds over the summer to pay for the bus. The thought was to have an air-conditioned two-hour ride to avoid dehydration or fatigue. Although it was a cooler day, Sloan said the bus was special for his players. “It was neat to see the looks on the kids’ faces when they were walking up the hill and the charter bus was sitting there,” he said. “They were like, ‘Holy cow, is this for us? This is awesome.’” …Houston’s last season-opening victory was a 12-0 win Aug. 29, 2008, at Cabool under Chris Edwards.
WATCH ONLINE: For the fourth consecutive year, the Herald provides a free online stream through a partnership with CityLinkTV. The live feed as well as archived recordings are available at www.houstonherald.com/live. The football broadcasts begin at 6:45 p.m. with a pregame show that features insight from HHS coach Eric Sloan and Xs and Os from assistant coach Boulder McKinney. A postgame interview with Sloan concludes each broadcast. The feed can be viewed on any computer or mobile device.
Week 1 scores
Houston 16, Hollister 7
Ash Grove 13, Cabool 6
Reeds Spring 28, Willow Springs 0
Mountain Grove 51, Rogersville 0
Liberty 49, Caruthersville 6
Ava 45, Marshfield 27
Thayer 26, Hayti 6
Salem 20, Kirksville 7
Week 2 games
St. James at Houston
Cabool at Hollister
El Dorado Springs at Ava
Springfield Catholic at Liberty
Cassville at Mountain Grove
Salem at Reeds Spring
Strafford at Thayer
Willow Springs at Marionville