By TAYLOR BECK, Sports Editor
HAYDEN — In a game filled with fireworks on both sides, the Douglas Eagles pulled away in the second half to defeat Hayden 62-34 in a non-region shootout Friday night.
Douglas led 14-7 after the first quarter and held a slim 35-28 advantage at halftime. But the Eagles dominated after the break, outscoring the Wildcats 27-6 over the final two quarters — including a 21-0 blitz in the third — to put the game out of reach.
The Eagles racked up 496 total yards of offense, powered by a punishing ground game that produced 374 rushing yards. Running back Keilan Green was nearly unstoppable, finishing with 215 yards and four touchdowns on just 12 carries — a staggering 17.9 yards per attempt.
Douglas had plenty of help in the backfield as well. Judson Murray turned two carries into 65 yards and a score, while Baker Lyles added three touchdowns and 32 yards on five attempts. Treiy Crenshaw ran for 39 yards, Krish Patel added 14, and Jaxton Clanton chipped in 9.
Patel was efficient through the air, completing 4 of 5 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown. Lyles also connected on his lone pass for 14 yards as Douglas finished with 122 total passing yards.
Crenshaw was the star in the receiving game, hauling in four catches for 108 yards — highlighted by an acrobatic, one-handed 42-yard touchdown grab that electrified the Eagles sideline. Bryce Hatley contributed one reception for 14 yards.
By night’s end, Douglas had piled up nine total touchdowns, including seven on the ground.
The Eagles are off to a 2-0 start for the sixth straight season under head coach Brandon Lyles. The Douglas offense has put up a staggering 108 points over the first two games — something that hasn’t gone unnoticed by Lyles.
“Obviously a great start [to the season], especially offensively,” Lyles said. “We’ve shown the ability to be explosive in multiple ways and with multiple players. We still have a long way to go as far as consistency but having a veteran offensive line allows us to lean on them when we need to establish a run game and sort of create an identity.
“Defensively, we must improve in a hurry. We are fairly young on that side of the ball and still creating depth. Overall, I love the effort and attitude of this team and that in itself makes it enjoyable to coach them.”
Douglas will open Class 5A, Region 8 play next week with a road trip to Scottsboro (2-1, 1-0).
“Looking forward we are fixing to get tested in a big way,” Lyles said. “Scottsboro is one of the best teams in 5A, and Coach [Tyler] Vann and his staff do such a good job. They are very physical and can create problems in multiple ways. Their fronts on both sides of the ball are really good. But I’m excited about our opportunities, and we have a team full of competitors that are hungry to improve.”
