Winnsboro rolled past Eustace 73-0 in an Oct. 9 matchup at Red Raider Stadium.
Trenten Hill returned the opening kickoff 74 yards for a touchdown, and Ethan Young intercepted the Bulldogs quarterback on Eustace’s first play from scrimmage, returning it for another score. The Red Raiders led 14-0 before their offense stepped onto the field.
“We had a lot of kids that stepped up and made some big-time plays. Ethan Young and Trenten Hill set the tone with the first two plays of the game. It was unbelievable of those guys to dominate right off the bat,” head coach and boys athletic director Josh Finney said.
Winnsboro averaged 13 yards per carry and more than 16 yards per reception while also turning in a strong performance on defense and special teams.
The Bulldogs managed several big-yardage plays, but the Raiders’ defense kept them from putting together sustained drives.
Freshman Brody Beasley repeatedly pressured the Eustace quarterback, recording a sack and forcing a fumble. Kainan Moss, Chance Arrington and Isaac Valentine were among the tackle leaders. Evan Ray added a second-half interception.
Cy Erickson pushed Winnsboro’s lead to 21-0 with a 7-yard touchdown run. A blocked punt gave the Raiders the ball at the Eustace 4-yard line, and Jack Chandler scored to make it 28-0 at the end of the first quarter.
RJ Woodfaulk scored on a 45-yard reception from quarterback Ky Caddell to extend the lead to 35-0 with 9:36 remaining in the first half.
An Erickson fumble recovery set up a 5-yard touchdown pass from Caddell to Kash Noble. Caddell followed with a 9-yard scoring pass to Young, and Hill added a 25-yard touchdown run to give Winnsboro a 56-0 halftime lead.
Rudy Calderon was 10-for-10 on extra-point attempts and kicked a 30-yard field goal to close out the scoring.
Second-half touchdowns came on a 51-yard run by Hill and a 4-yard run by Arrington.
Caddell completed eight of 10 passes for 137 yards and three touchdowns in the first half. Erickson took over at quarterback in relief as the Raiders gave backup players additional playing time.
“We were able to continue to play so many players to work on some depth,” Finney said.
Winnsboro will travel to Malakoff on Friday, Oct. 16, for a matchup between two of the state’s top-ranked teams.
Malakoff has been among the state’s top programs in recent years, winning a state championship in 2023 and finishing as state runner-up in 2024.
The Tigers are ranked No. 1 in the state by multiple ranking organizations, while Winnsboro is ranked in the top five.
The teams have posted similar scoring averages this season. Malakoff is averaging 50 points per game while allowing 12, and Winnsboro is averaging 48 points while allowing 10.
Their only common opponent so far has been Commerce. Winnsboro defeated Commerce 44-34, while Malakoff won 35-22.
“What a great opportunity for our boys to be able to go down to Malakoff and play in such a big game. It will be one of the premier games in all classifications for the game of the week,” Finney said.
Matt Stepp of Dave Campbell’s Texas Football selected the Winnsboro-Malakoff matchup as the top Friday night game in the state.