Nashville's Stratford used the power of all-state running back James Moore to bully its way down the field and to a 33-13 win Friday night at Howard in the season opener for both teams.
The 6-foot-1, 220-pound senior tallied a monster 30 carries for 155 yards and three touchdowns, and he capped his performance with a 44-yard score on a fumble return in the fourth quarter. The Hustlin' Tigers countered by stumbling offensively on four costly turnovers as they dropped the inaugural game at their new Reggie White Field.
"They've got a great team. We knew they were going to come in and control the ball and take time off the clock," Howard coach John Starr said. "On our end we just can't put the ball on the ground like we did. We had series where we were getting 5-plus yards a play.
"But as soon as we'd get momentum, we'd put the ball on the ground. You can't do that against good football teams."
Howard moved the chains on its very first play from scrimmage, but two carries later running back Eric Johnson coughed up the ball before Stratford's Malique Johnson scooped it up and raced 37 yards for the game's first score.
Later in the quarter, Howard's Johnson made up for the big mistake by picking off Juhquail Bingham for a 45-yard interception he returned for a tying touchdown.
The next two scores came courtesy of Moore as he muscled his way up the middle carry after carry until he cashed in a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs to put Stratford back in control.
"Last year I put my team on my back in the playoffs, so I have to show them I can do it again," he said. "We can be a playoff team again this year, but it takes everyone doing their part and I need to have more games like this."
Howard responded with its own workhorse back, Davontay Smith, going straight up the middle five times until the senior broke off a 38-yard score on his sixth carry. The Hustlin' Tigers' momentum faded in the fourth, though, as Moore took control again.
First, Moore racked up a 10-carry drive en route to a 10-yard run for his third score of the night. In the closing minutes, he found himself in perfect position to vacuum up a fumble from his linebacker position and motor 42 yards for the final score.
Contact John Mitchell at sports@timesfreepress.com.