MacArthur football hasn't lost a season opener since 2006, and it continued that trend last week with a 56-29 win against city rival Eisenhower at Cameron Stadium last Friday night.
The game was tied at 21 in the third quarter, but the Highlanders outscored the Eagles 35-8 in the final 24 minutes to take the victory.
Mac coach Brett Manning said the game went exactly the way he expected.
"Eisenhower played really hard, and when they have everybody healthy, they're a good team," Manning said. "They were tough to move the ball against in the first half, and when they have someone touching the ball every play like they have in RJ Fisher, it makes their offense really hard to stop.
"Our depth helped us as the game went on. We kind of wore them down and were able to get more points on the board and tighten up a little bit defensively."
Although the offense received most of the attention — racking up more than 500 yards — the defense also held it's own, especially in the second half.
Eisenhower scored on runs of 80 and 50 yards in the first half, but big plays were held to a minimum for the remainder of the game.
Manning said there weren't many adjustments made at halftime — the defense simply played better in the final two quarters.
"There's still some stuff we're working at and getting better at, and hopefully we'll be able to prevent those in the future," Manning said. "On the (80-yard) run, the linebacker didn't get over into the gap he was supposed to be in, and if you're playing some man defense like we were — when they get by that linebacker area — we don't have a whole lot there to stop them.
"I think it was just a matter of getting better and getting in the gaps we were supposed to get in."
Standout performances
The Highlanders don't recognize official "players of the week", but several of Mac's athletes stood out to Manning and the coaching staff.
Of course, Nick Mahan and Racer Felter exceeded expectations, combining for 359 yards rushing and seven touchdowns, rushing and seven touchdowns, but that wouldn't have been possible without the offensive line paving the way, Manning said.
"They totaled 16 knockdown and/or pancake blocks, and I thought that was really good," Manning said. "I don't remember a whole lot of times we've had 16 of those in one game."
Quarterback JR Winningham had an efficient game throwing the ball, completing 76.5 percent of his passes and a 40-yard touchdown to Jarious McKnight, but Manning said his incompletions were just as important as the completions.
"There were a couple of times we were really covered up, and he threw it out of bounds," Manning said. "He made really good decisions all night long."
Defensively, Chandler Green and Kevin Murray led the team with seven tackles each, and Matt Woods caught Manning's eye with his play at defensive end.
"We're really excited about him," Manning said of Woods.
Tre Currin was awarded the Hammer for tallying several knockdowns and big hits.
"He's a big body that has a hard head," Manning said. "He packs a punch when he hits people."
Injury report
McKain Hammond, an offensive linemen, remains questionable this week. Hammond is reaching the end of his recovery period for a foot surgery he had in July.
"There's a shot he could be back this week," Manning said. "They said six weeks from surgery, and if he gets released this week, it'll be five weeks, so that'd be a little present.
"Even if he is released, I don't know what kind of role he would play. He hasn't had a single practice yet. He still knows all of our stuff, but it's just been awhile, so we'll see how that goes."
Weston Golson will remained sidelined this week, recovering from a hip flexor strain he suffered in the McGuinness scrimmage on Aug. 17.
"He's a safety and receiver, and he can provide a lot of depth for us," Manning said. "He was starting at safety when we went to McGuinness, and on the second or third play, he went out."
Receiver Aeron Woodson has missed action with a strained groin, but he played in the JV game against Eisenhower on Monday, so Manning expects him to be ready to go Friday.