Texarkana, Tx.- The #3 Pleasant Grove Hawks jumped out to a 27-0 halftime lead and cruised to a 27-10 win over the Byrd Yellow Jackets at Hawks Stadium Friday.
The Hawks scored first with 8:32 remaining in the first quarter when senior quarterback quarterback AhKhari Johnson scored on a 2-yard touchdown run. Johnson completed 17-of-25 passes for 169 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 INT. Johnson also rushed for 79 yards and a touchdown.
The Hawks made it 14-0 when Johnson completed a 21-yard touchdown pass to senior slot receiver Josh Gibson with 1:31 left in the first quarter. It was Gibson’s second touchdown catch of the season.
Johnson hit running back sophomore Nick Bells on a 13-yard TD pass with 5:04 remaining in the half. the score extended PG’s lead to 21-0. Sophomore running back Krystian Wrightner scored on a 2-yard run with 1:45 left in the 2nd quarter. Wrightner’s score upped the Hawks lead to 27-0 after the blocked extra point.
Pleasant Grove took a 27-0 lead into the locker room at the half
Pleasant Grove’s 27-0 lead at the half would prove to be surmountable for the Yellow Jackets despite their 10 unanswered 2nd half points. The Hawks won 27-10.
“I’m Happy with our kids,” Josh Gibson, Pleasant the head football coach said. “I’m happy that we came back from a team that really put it on us last year and who have double the players we do and are a lot bigger school. We came out real fast and got after them early and executed real well.”
Coach Gibson admitted that the Hawks kind of shot themselves in the foot some in the second half. However, PG is 2-0 getting ready for week 3 of the 2023 season after Friday’s win.
Pleasant Grove (2-0) will play Midland Christian (0-1) next Saturday in Prosper, Tx., at 1 p.m. The Hawks Midland Christian game will be broadcast live on 94.1 FM ESPN-Texarkana.