Mustangs stampede past Channelview 58-20

September 26, 2010

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Friendswood junior Justin Battle scores his second touchdown against Channelview on a 14-yard run that made the score 48-0 at halftime. The No. 7 state-ranked Mustangs took out the Falcons 58-20 to improve to 4-0 on the season. Friendswood travels to the Island to take on Galveston Ball on Friday, September 24 at 7:00 p.m. in the District 24-4A opener for both teams. (Photo by Bob Brown)

FRIENDSWOOD — The Friendswood Mustangs scored early and often in their 58-20 pounding over the Channelview Falcons at the newly renovated Henry Winston Stadium. It was the first home game Friendswood since the renovation, however, the press box was functional, but still not completed in its final state.

But none of that mattered as Friendswood totally dismantled Channelview team that wasn't even close to matching the speed and talent of the Mustangs on offense and defense.

“We came out and played very well,” said Friendswood coach Steve Van Mater, whose team now is 4-0 overall. “We came out with a lot of intensity, and we did a good job executing on offense and defense. But I think Channelview was a little overmatched. This game allowed us to give our backups the opportunity to play and get some work in before district begins.”

Friendswood scored almost at will on offense, defense, and special teams.

"The only thing we didn't do was return a punt or kickoff for a touchdown," Van Meter said. "And we almost did that."

The Friendswood starters were pretty well done at the end of the first half as the Mustangs built a 48-0 lead at intermission.

Senior quarterback Pete Maetzold was finished after the first two quarters as he was 5-of-8 passing for 1-3 yards and three touchdowns.

"There was no need in keeping Pete on the field longer than he had to just for the sake of building up his stats," Van Meter said. "He is no good to us if he takes a cheap shot in such a lopsided game."

While some may want to see the gaudy numbers, Van Meter knows that the season begins this coming Friday, September 24 when the Mustangs travel to Galveston to face the Ball High Tornadoes in the District 24-4A opener for both teams.

"Playing on the Island against Ball High is always a challenge," Van Meter said. "We have to be at full strength to match up against their raw talent and speed. We need our top players ready to play."

Maetzold directed the Mustangs down the field on their opening possession of the game capped off with a 15-yard scoring strike to Keith Canada for a 7-0 lead with 9:26 left in the opening period.

After Jonathan Johnson scored on a 16-yard run with 5:10 left in the first quarter - the Mustangs reeled off 34 points in the second frame for a 48-0 halftime advantage.

Justin Battle caught a 30-yard pass from Maetzold; Matt Lewis returned a 30-yard interception for a score; Jordan Bolton gathered in a 28-yard scoring toss from Maetzold; Hayden Garner scored on a 13-yard run; Justin Hicks scored on a 1-yard run; and Battle scored on a 14-yard scamper to close out the first half scoring barrage.

Channelview finally got on the board with 2:01 left in the third quarter to cut the score to 48-6. After Tyler Dement hit a 41-yard field goal to make the score 51-6, Channelview added another touchdown on a 38-yard run.

Garrett Ward hauled in a 7-yard pass from backup quarterback Jordan Wood with 6:51 left in the game to post the 58-20 final score.

Friendswood had 343 yards of total offense while Channelview was held to 248 total yards with most of that coming in the second half against the reserves.

“The offense did a great job executing the plan,” Van Meter said. “Once we had such a strong performance in the second quarter, we put our backups in. I’m glad we were able to get them some playing time in before district.”

While the Mustangs have been hit with some early season injuries, it appears that the toughest schedule is just ahead.

“I’m proud of the kids,” Van Meter said. “We go into district 4-0 so we have a lot to be proud of. Some of our toughest opponents are in the first four weeks, so we will have to be ready to play. This win gives us a lot of momentum."

All Friendswood fans need to plan on making the trip to Galveston in support of the Mustangs. This is a critical game to get started on the right foot in league play.

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