Jeremiah Cropp and Aiden Collins hooked up for 290 yards passing Friday and led the Stroud Tigers to a 39-14 comeback win over the Alva Goldbugs.
The victory lifted the Tigers’ record to 5-1 for the season and leaves them tied for the district lead with Hennessey. Both have 3-0 league records and will play on Halloween night at Stroud.
“The first half, we didn’t play cleanly,” coach Josh Presley of the win over Alva. “We busted assignments and threw a pick, and we fumbled on the first play of one possession.
“The second half, we came out and played a lot better.
“I’m pleased with our resiliency as a team We’ve won five in a row and two of those we were down in the second half.
“This one, we were down in the second quarter, so I’m proud of them for their resiliency.”
The Cropp-to-Collins connection was good for seven completed passes and three touchdowns.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever been around a guy with 290 yards receiving,” Presley said.
Defensively, we gave up 190 yards and 114 rushing. They pride themselves in running the ball, so for the most part we did a good job.
“Trystan Baker played really well on defense and paced us with 18 tackles. Currently has 97 tackles for the season.”
Stroud hosts Newkirk this week on Thursday and Presley said the Tigers are an improved team from last year, when Stroud hammered them 56-14.
“They’re so much better than last year,” he said. “They’re greatly improved. They give great effort on defense and get after it and don’t beat themselves.
“They try to run the football and be physical. The big thing you notice is how much harder they play.”