The Taylor Ducks varsity football team remained undefeated in district play with a 46-12 victory over the Eastside Early College Panthers on Thursday, Oct. 23, at House Park Stadium in Austin.
In a surprise move, freshman quarterback Jeremiah Caldwell got the start in the first quarter before sophomore Johnny Guzman took over in the second.
The Ducks’ defense set the tone early, forcing a three-and-out to open the game. Caldwell put Taylor on the board with a 40-yard touchdown run on a read option, followed by a successful two-point conversion as Landon Coulter ran on a screen pass to make it 8-0.
Taylor’s defense continued to dominate the line of scrimmage, keeping Eastside behind the chains and forcing another quick punt.
Caldwell then showed off his arm with a strike to junior wideout Zavier Stokes in the back of the end zone, extending the lead to 16-0 after another successful twopoint try. Eastside finally broke through with a 40-yard rushing touchdown on a misdirection double handoff, set up by a 25-yard completion that moved the Panthers into Taylor territory. The Ducks answered quickly with another touchdown to make it 22-6, though they failed on the twopoint attempt.
That score ended the first quarter, as Guzman entered the game after sitting out the opening period for unknown reasons.
Guzman immediately made his presence felt by breaking off a 25-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 29-6. On the next possession, he connected with freshman wide receiver Elijah Afenkenka for another touchdown, pushing the lead to 36-6.
Guzman later exited with what appeared to be an ankle injury before halftime and did not return. Eastside capitalized on a busted pass coverage with a 50-yard touchdown on a slant route just before the break, trimming the lead to 36-12.
Caldwell returned under center to open the second half but threw an interception early in the third quarter. The Panthers then mounted a lengthy drive, chewing nearly eight minutes off the clock, but came up empty after the Ducks came through with a fourth-down stop inside their own 20.
Junior running back Eric Walker sealed the game late with a pair of long runs, including a 40-yard touchdown to close the scoring.
Walker led the team in rushing with more than 100 yards and a touchdown.
The Ducks improved to 4-4 overall and 4-0 in district play. Taylor will look to stay perfect in district competition when it hosts fellow unbeaten Austin LBJ on Friday, Oct. 31, at Taylor High School.
