Dawson Jaco accounts for 7 TDs as Bushland football rolls past Muleshoe in district opener
MULESHOE — The Bushland football team didn't waste much time between plays in Friday's district opener.
The Falcons didn't waste much time running away from Muleshoe, either.
Bushland (6-1 overall, 1-0 district) put up 42 first-half points, including a flurry late in the second quarter, to set up a 56-26 win over the Mules at Benny Douglas Stadium.
Senior quarterback Dawson Jaco tossed six touchdowns and ran for another as the Falcons' up-tempo attack led to three scores of 55-plus yards in the opening half.
Highlights
Bushland showcased its explosiveness early, scoring on 55- and 59-yard passes in the first quarter. The Falcons led 21-0 before Muleshoe showed any sign of life.
That came in the form of Daniel Sianez's 68-yard TD run. The Mules stuffed a fourth-down run on the next possession and pieced together a drive deep into Bushland territory. But Ty Purcell made the highlight reel with a juggling interception he returned 85 yards to set up another Falcons score.
Bushland delivered a haymaker in the final two minutes of the half. Tanner Adams took a screen for a 63-yard TD a play after Muleshoe got within 28-12. The Falcons then pounced on the ensuing kickoff deep in Mules territory and led 42-12 53 seconds later.
Friday's stars
Jaco was 20-of-26 passing for 389 yards and no interceptions. He rushed five times for 34 yards, including a 4-yard TD. He utilized his speedy weapons on the outside, distributing the ball to six different receivers.
Adams led the way with seven catches for 167 yards and two TDs. Kade Gavina scored on three of his four receptions, totaling 104 yards.
The Falcons made 11 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, including four sacks.
Sianez was a bright spot for the Mules, running for 197 yards and two scores.
Notes and quotes
Muleshoe averaged 50 points during its 6-0 start.
Bushland coach Josh Reynolds: "We wanted to try to not give up any big plays. We weren't perfect on that, by any means. But I think our defense did a good job on several of those drives, they moved it down the field and we kept them out of the end zone. That was huge. … Just really proud of our defense."
Reynolds on the offense's fast tempo: "We executed well. We were able to run it and throw it pretty good tonight. And when you're doing that up-tempo like that, we're trying to wear the defense out and tire them out. A lot of those kids on their team were playing both ways, and we feel like the tempo was able to get to them a little bit."
Muleshoe coach Jason Richards: "When you think of 3A Texas football, Bushland is a premier program, every year. They're a great football team. I'm proud as a program, in year four, on the physicality, matching up better physically with them."
DISTRICT 2-3A DIVISION I
Bushland 56, Muleshoe 26
Bushland 14 28 14 0 — 56
Muleshoe 0 12 6 0 — 26
SCORING SUMMARY
First quarter
BUS — Kade Gavina 55 pass from Dawson Jaco (Ysidro Carroll kick), 10:11
BUS — Tanner Adams 59 pass from Jaco (Carroll kick), 5:04
Second quarter
BUS — Jaco 4 run (Carroll kick), 10:50
MUL — Daniel Sianez 68 run (kick failed), 10:37
BUS — Easton Fuentes 3 run (Carroll kick), 5:42
MUL — Sianez 4 run (run failed), 2:14
BUS — Adams 63 pass from Jaco (Carroll kick), 1:59
BUS — Zack Zundell 32 pass from Jaco (Carroll kick), 1:06
Third quarter
BUS — Gavina 15 pass from Jaco (Carroll kick), 11:14
MUL — Sebastian Kirven 12 pass from Nathan Martens (pass failed), 8:15
BUS — Gavina 22 pass from Jaco (Carroll kick), 2:15
Fourth quarter
MUL — Josue Sigala 28 run (Ryan Dominguez run), 0:44
TEAM STATISTICS
First downs: (B) 22; (M) 25
Rushes-Yards: (B) 35-117; (M) 43-316
Passing: (B) 399; (M) 210
Comp-Att-Int: (B) 22-28-0; (M) 19-36-2
Punts-Avg: (B) 1-26; (M) 2-35.5
Fumbles-Lost: (B) 1-0; (M) 0-0
Penalties-Yards: (B) 13-119; (M) 10-90
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Bushland, Slade Perry 10-46, Dawson Jaco 5-34, Colton Reynolds 2-18, Max Rodriguez 3-16, A.J. Marquez 7-13, Zack Zundel 1-3, Easton Fuentes 3-1, Ty Purcell 1-1, Brecken Hall 1-(-3), Team 2-(-12). Muleshoe, Daniel Sianez 18-197, Nathan Martens 20-80, Josue Sigala 5-39.
PASSING: Bushland, Jaco 20-26-0—389, Purcell 2-2-0—10. Muleshoe, Martens 19-36-2—210.
RECEIVING: Bushland, Tanner Adams 7-167, Kade Gavina 4-102, Perry 3-37, Zundel 2-38, Stratton Molloy 2-24, Rodriguez 2-12, Reynolds 1-10, Tagg Thrash 1-9. Muleshoe, Sebastian Kirven 7-118, Mauricio Herrera 5-40, Yahir Quezada 5-30, Ramzee Martinez 1-28, Martens 1-(-6).
RECORDS: Bushland 6-1, 1-0; Muleshoe 6-1, 0-1.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Dawson Jaco totals 7 TDs as Bushland football tops Muleshoe in district
