Kingston Redskins thrash the Hugo Buffaloes

On September 10, 2021, the Kingston Redskins continued their early season schedule, this time visiting the Hugo Buffaloes. After a tightly contested comeback win last week, the Redskins were out to prove that their fourth quarter against Idabel was no fluke.

Meanwhile, the Buffaloes looked to enter district play with an undefeated 3-0 record. However, the Redskins left that record marred with Hugo’s first loss, as Kingston dominated the game and won 27-6.

Kingston dominated the game from the opening kick. Hugo’s offense produced a run for no gain and an incomplete pass on its first two plays, and then junior quarterback Landon Lemmons threw an errant pass under pressure to Kingston senior Brandon Watson, who returned the pick to the Hugo 14. Kingston needed only four plays to score from there, with junior quarterback Klete Finley scoring on a quarterback sneak. Sophomore Rhett Coble missed his first extra point attempt of the season, and Kingston led 6-0 less than four minutes into the game.

Hugo’s next drive was better but still awful. Three plays lost the Buffaloes six yards, and they punted the ball away. Kingston’s offense looked stymied on the ensuing drive, which started at the Redskins’ own 32. A false start cost Kingston 5 yards, and two plays gained only one of those yards back. But on third-and-fifteen,

But on third-and-fifteen, Finley rolled to his right and found senior tight end Brycen Ellisor streaking down the field. A beautiful pass right in Ellisor’s hands allowed him to run away from his defender, and Ellisor scored on the 72-yard reception. A failed two-point conversion left Kingston ahead 12-0, still in the first quarter.

Hugo, down two scores early, finally put together a good drive. A series of runs alternating between sophomore running backs La’Marcus Davis and junior Aden Parish out of Hugo’s spread formation pounded away at the Redskins.

On third-and-one from the Kingston 35, Davis broke free and would have scored if he had not fallen down at the Redskins 10-yard line. The next play, however, Parish fumbled the ball, and junior Damon Rowe recovered for the Redskins, ending Hugo’s threat to get back in the game.

Kingston came back with a good-looking drive, as Finley started the drive off hitting senior wideout Braden Matchen for 33 yards. Three Watson runs picked up another first down, but soon Kingston faced thirdand-seven from the Hugo 44. Finley dropped back to pass, but with two Buffaloes in his face, threw a terrible pass right into the arms of Hugo senior lineman G’Mariyon Wallace, who rumbled down to the Redskin 30.

With its back to the wall, Kingston’s defense again responded. A fumbled handoff that Hugo recovered cost the Buffaloes two yards on first down, and then Rowe sacked Lemmons on second down, setting up third-and-sixteen from the Kingston 36. Sophomore Rafe Patterson, blitzing from his linebacker spot, hit Lemmons as he threw the ball downfield, and Matchen picked off the errant pass for Kingston.

The Redskins picked up a first down on their next drive, but on third-and-five, an attempt to line up Watson at quarterback in a wildcatstyle offense fooled no one, and his ensuing run gained nothing, forcing a punt. The teams then exchanged threeand-out drives, but on Kingston’s attempt to punt near the two-minute mark, the snap went well over Watson’s head as he lined up to punt, and he was tackled at the Kingston 27, giving the Buffaloes a late-half opportunity.

Once again, however, the Kingston defense proved up to the task. Lemmons evaded Kingston’s pressure and scrambled to the Kingston 19 on first down. On secondand-two, he rolled right and threw into double coverage in the end zone, where Kingston senior Cole Morgan picked him off, giving the Redskins the ball on their own one-yard line with only 90 seconds left in the half. Kingston managed to pick up 39 yards on the ensuing drive, and the teams went into half with Kingston still up 12-0.

Kingston received the ball to open the second half, and immediately put a statement drive together. A series of runs by Watson and junior running back Devin Tipton marched the Redskins 80 yards in 13 plays, eating up over half the third quarter. Watson pounded the ball into the end zone from seven yards out, and then added a twopoint conversion on a pass from Finley to give Kingston a three-score lead, 20-0.

Hugo’s next drive was yet another three-and-out, as Rowe and junior Haydyn Cervantes ended the drive with a third-down sack. After the punt, the Redskins went back on the march, with Watson, Tipton, and Patterson alternating runs. Kingston marched 70 yards on 14 plays, taking nearly ten minutes off the clock, and Watson scored from 11 yards out to give Kingston a 27-0 lead with just over five minutes left, after Coble connected on his second extra point attempt of the night.

Down four scores, with the game no longer in doubt, Hugo finally put together a scoring drive. After senior punter Ashton Barnett picked up a first down, running on a fake punt, Hugo sophomore running back Da’Shon Sims got his first carries of the game, and proved to be a revelation.

Hugo marched down the field and Sims scored from five yards out to put the Buffaloes on the board with 1:14 left. After Kingston blocked the extra point, and two snaps from the victory formation sealed the victory, and Kingston left Hugo with a 27-6 win.

Finley recovered nicely from last week’s performance, completing 5 of his 8 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown, along with an interception. Tipton led all rushers with 97 yards on 11 carries. Ellisor’s long touchdown led the Redskins in receiving yards with 72. Follow u

Defensively, Ellisor and sophomores Delton O’Steen and Sammy McNiel led the team with 5 tackles each, while Rowe had 1 2 sacks. Lemmons was unable to complete any of his seven pass attempts to any Hugo receiver; his only passes which were caught were interceptions by Watson, Matchen and Morgan.

Kingston Head Coach Tommy Bare cited a “good team performance” in which his defense “did an outstanding job” as they stifled the Hugo offense and forced four turnovers. Bare also noted that his passing game had “improved” and his offense overall “did a great job of controlling the football.” Bare also noted that the Redskins “came out of the game healthy” with the win.