by Shilpa Saravanan, editor-in-chief

On Oct. 3, Consol made up for the homecoming heartbreaks of years past in a 35-11 win over the Willis Wildcats.

The first quarter saw the Tigers deliver a study in economy of expression, racking up 21 points in the first four minutes of play thanks to a key interception and a recovery from senior Trey Benson. Willis fought back with a touchdown and subsequent two-point conversion to bring the score to 21-8, but Consol answered with another touchdown by junior David Gan to close out the quarter 28-8. Consol’s defense — and the Wildcats themselves at times — slowed Willis down throughout the next quarter, holding the Wildcats to a field goal as Zivney ran for another touchdown to make it 35-11. Quarterback Hickman, though, came off the field on crutches and was replaced by junior Dayden Lane.

The excitement and rapid scoring of the first half, however, were no good indicator of what was to come in the second half. Consol and Willis pushed and pulled, going nowhere, and their respective defenses moved to the forefront of the action. (Consol’s first earned first down of the half came with five minutes left in the game.) The fourth quarter saw flag after flag thrown and penalty after penalty handed down —  Consol’s offense found itself twice placed in third-down situations with more than 20 yards to go. Botched passes on the Willis side made up for lost yards, though, and the game ended at 35-11 in Consol’s favor after a scoreless half.

The Tigers are now 2-3 overall and 2-0 in district play. Next, they face Bryan at home on Oct. 10.