HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL WEEK 9: Ennis 31, Forney 7

FORNEY – Time will tell what Ennis’ 31-7 win over Forney will mean in the long run.

In District 8-5A, where three teams are tied atop the table with an undefeated district record, one game itself will not determine anything.

In the coming weeks, Ennis (8-0, 5-0) will play No. 8 Royse City in a meeting of two undefeated teams. That will truly determine the fate of who wins District 8-5A.

But, regardless of what is ahead, Ennis can be satisfied knowing its win over district coleader Forney will at least mean one thing: It broke the threeway in the district. It also set Ennis on a clear path with Royse City in the final weeks of the regular season.

In a game that was over by the half, Ennis scored the first 21 points and amassed nearly 400 yards of offense.

Ennis quarterback Jackson Gilkey threw for 176 yards and three touchdowns. Dee Johnson ran for 114 yards and one touchdown. Freshman Gracen Harris added 101 yards receiving and

two touchdowns by halftime. Harris’ final touchdown, a 15-yard fade in the end zone with 19 seconds in the first half, gave Ennis a three-possession lead going into the intermission, something Forney couldn’t climb back from.

And while Ennis consistently turned drives into points, it seemed as though Forney couldn’t get out of its own way. Forney (5-3, 4-1) had two turnovers. It also dropped a would-be touchdown in the end zone that could have changed the tenor of the game in the first half.

EN – Gracen Harris 7 pass from Jackson Gilkey (Eric Acosta kick).

EN – T.T. Cox 70 pass from Jackson Gilkey (Eric Acosta kick).

EN – Gracen Harris 15 pass from Jackson Gilkey (Eric Acosta kick).

FN – Kofi Eduful 12 pass from Jake White (Braden Merchant kick).

EN – Eric Acosta 39 field goal.

EN – Dee Johnson 3 run (Eric Acosta kick).

First Downs EN 20 FN 16

Rushing Yards EN 37-208 FN 40-108

Passing Yards EN 176 FN 158

Passing EN 11-20-0 FN 10-16-0

Punts-Avg EN 0-0 FN 2-26

Penalties EN 4-40 FN 8-55

Fumbles-Lost EN 1-1 FN 2-1

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

Rushing: EN – Jackson Gilkey 5-30, Dee Johnson 22-114, T.T. Cox 1-3, Devion Beasley 9-61. FN: Jon’Richard Washington 15-51, Jake White 7-31, Jayden Brown 10-29, Zachary Fuller 1-1, Tyler Pruitt 5-3, Preston Cooper 1-0.

Passing: EN – Jackson Gilkey 11-20-1-176. FN: Jake White 10-16-0-158

Receiving: EN: Gracen Harris 9-101, T.T. Cox 1-70, Skylan Simmons 1-5. FN – Zachary Fuller.