Belton Rolls Over Killeen

By Chris Doelle
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Updated: October 21, 2018

photos: Steve Thomas

Tigers Bounce Back with Mauling of Kangaroos

Two weeks ago, the Belton Tigers lost a 58-55 heartbreaker in triple overtime to their bitter district rivals, the Temple Wildcats. The loss was only Belton’s second of the season. Coming off of a bye week, the Tigers looked to get back on track Friday night against the Killeen Kangaroos on Homecoming. Killeen entered the game at 4-3 overall and 3-2 in district. The Kangaroos also entered the game coming off a loss to Temple the week prior.

While pouring rain kept many fans at home, Tiger fans who did brave the weather were treated to an impressive all-around performance by their team. The defense struck first when defensive back Jason Stephens blocked the Killeen punt and recovered it in the end zone to put the Tigers ahead 7-0. After the Tigers defense forced Killeen to punt on the next possession, kicker Logan Smith put the Tigers ahead 10-0 with a 32-yard field goal. The Tiger defense recovered a fumble at the Killeen 37-yard line, and running back Marques Aguilar capitalized on the turnover with a four-yard touchdown run. Wide receiver Anthony Brown added another touchdown after breaking several tackles on a 75-yard screen pass. The Kangaroos finally got on the board just before halftime when running back Kadarius Marshall scored on a five-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 24-7.

In the second half, the Tigers added to their lead with a two-yard touchdown keeper by quarterback Connor Carothers and a 36-yard touchdown catch by wide receiver Reuben Jimenez. Killeen quarterback James Terry cut the deficit to 38-14 on a six-yard keeper late the third quarter, and Kadarius Marshall found the end zone again in the fourth quarter to bring the game to its final score of 38-20.

After the game, Belton head coach Sam Skidmore praised his team’s effort coming off of the bye week. “One thing I never have to coach is effort,” he said. He also praised his team’s resilience following the tough loss two weeks ago. While he acknowledged there are mistakes to work on, he is optimistic about his team’s potential. He even told his players, “If you play like you did in the first half, sky’s the limit.”

With the win, Belton improves to 5-2 overall and 4-1 in district. Next week, the Tigers will travel to Killeen to take on the Killeen Ellison Eagles. The Eagles are 3-5 overall and 3-3 in district following a 42-18 loss to Temple. Killeen, meanwhile, falls to 4-4 overall and 3-3 in district. The Kangaroos have a bye week next week before facing off against Killeen Ellison on November 2.

by Steve Thomas