Germantown football uses 3 third-quarter TD passes by Ethan Payne to beat Houston

When the hammer dropped, it was as sudden as it was decisive.

After an even first half at Houston's Landers Stadium, Germantown hit the Mustangs with three touchdown passes from Ethan Payne in an impressive third quarter before going on to win 35-24 on Friday.

Germantown, ranked 10th in this week's Commercial Appeal Dandy Dozen, improves to 2-0 with a road game against Millington coming up next week.

"I told the guys at halftime, you're either going to make the plays or you're not," said Germantown coach Chris Smith. "But the pen is in your hand. You write the story. And some of the guys wrote their story and left their marks on this field."

The three who left the biggest marks were Payne and receivers Cameron Baker and Jaylin Williams, who combined for all three of Germantown's third-quarter touchdowns.

Payne got things going when he found Baker on a corner route from 28 yards out that pushed Germantown's lead to 21-10. It was one of several acrobatic grabs for the senior.

"Cameron Baker has great anticipatory skills," Smith said. "He times the ball great in the air and his body can contort in weird ways that other people's can't so he can ... make catches. He's an aerial type of receiver that just goes and gets it.

"And he's got a nose for the ball. It's almost like he's in goal-line (mode) every time he goes up."

Williams, an Indiana commitment who had two touchdown receptions in the opening win over Jackson North Side, caught a 27-yard pass from Payne that made it 28-10.

Then, after Houston had pulled to within 11, he put an exclamation point on the proceedings with a 76-yard scoring grab.

"Last week our d-line got all the plays and this week we (the receivers) wanted to make all the plays," said Williams. "Just be selfish with it. Be greedy. Sometimes you've got to take what you want."

Smith gave a lot of the credit to Payne for the well-placed throws.

"He knows coverages," said Smith. "He knows fronts. He knows when they roll down to one high safety what he's going to do ... knows the adjustments he has to make. He's almost a coach on the field, which I know is cliche to say, but to do it in this environment ... that means you really know it."

The victory sparked a huge celebration from the Germantown fans who made the trip. And it clearly meant a lot to the players after a frustrating loss to the Mustangs (1-1) last season.

"This is revenge from last year, baby," said Williams. "This is the G-Town. This is us right here. It was a great team effort ... this is our year, I can feel it."

Smith too was equally happy after posting what might well be the most satisfying victory of his three-year career at Germantown.

"All these guys have put in three years of hard work," he said. "And this isn't an easy place to play. It's hostile and there was a big crowd ... our guys could have laid down after a couple of tough calls but they played big.

"It's tough to come in here to Houston when you're Germantown. They're a physical team and I think they're going to surprise some people on their side (of Class 6A)." 

Houston hosts Arlington in its Region 7-6A opener next week.

Reach John Varlas at john.varlas@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @johnvarlas.