Goats force seven turnovers, trample Kemp 53-7

Groesbeck put on a show on both sides of the ball as they walloped Kemp, 53-7, at Kemp on Tuesday night.

Defensively, the Goats forced seven turnovers and six punts by Kemp. They built leads of 19-0 after the first quarter and 40-7 at halftime en route to the victory.

On offense, they gained more than 460 yards. Sophomore running back Ma'Quay Smith ran for 223 yards and five touchdowns.

The victory lifts Groesbeck to 5-3 overall and 3-1 in District 8-3A, Division I. Kemp, which could have remained tied for the district lead with a win, lost its first district encounter in three games. The Yellowjackets are 3-4 overall.

Groesbeck intercepted two Kemp quarterbacks a total of five times. Arturo Sotelo had two interceptions, including a pick-six for a 35-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Bradley Menzel. Kache Bagley and Chris Cox also had interceptions.

Groesbeck scored three touchdowns within two and a half minutes late in the first quarter to take a 19-0 lead. Two of the scores came within 22 seconds.

After Groesbeck recovered a Kemp fumble, the Goats drove 55 yards in four plays. Quarterback Allen Lewis scored from five yards out with 5 minutes, 1 second left in the first quarter. Smith had runs of 22 and 20 yards on the drive. In the first half, he had five runs of at least 20 yards and finished with 190 yards on the ground and four touchdowns in the opening 24 minutes.

On the first play after the ensuing kickoff, the Goat defense pressured Kemp quarterback Deacon Thompson, whose pass on the run was deflected and intercepted by Menzel.

On the first play after the interception, Smith bolted 26 yards for a touchdown to make it 12-0 with 4:39 left in the opening quarter.

The Goats forced Kemp into a three-and-out and took over on their own 32-yard line. They went 68 yards in three plays with Lewis running into the end zone from four yards out with two and a half minutes left in the quarter. The extra point by Juan Palomo made it 19-0.

The big play on the drive was a 48-yard pass play from Lewis to Brenden Morrow,, who finished the game with five receptions for 121 yards.

The onslaught continued in the second quarter as the Goat defense was flying around the field and playing a fast, physical brand of football.

Groesbeck recovered another Kemp fumble early in the stanza and was in business at their 27-yard line. It took five plays to get into the end zone. Smith took a pitchout and galloped 31 yards to the end zone. Receiver Zac Ellison made a key block at the 5-yard line which sprung Smith into the end zone. Palomo's PAT made it 26-0 with 8:50 left in the half.

Groesbeck held Kemp to four-and-out on the ensuing possession. Goat defensive back Casen Crane made a big hit on a receiver on a third-down pass to keep him three yards short of a first down. On fourth-and-three, the Goats stacked up Trent McBride for no gain and went back on the offensive from the Yellowjacket 35-yard line.

Smith scored on an 11-yard touchdown run on the fifth play to give Groesbeck a 32-0 lead with 6:46 left in the first half.

Kemp drove into Groesbeck territory on its next possession. But on fourth-and-19 from the 25, Bagley picked off a pass and returned it 28 yards to give his team possession on the 33.

Groesbeck marched 67 yards in eight plays with Smith scoring from three yards out with 1:27 left. Zach Wilson passed to Hunter Flippin for the two-point conversation making the score 40-0 with 1:27 left.

Kemp scored on a short TD run with three ticks left on the clock to go into halftime behind 40-7.

Groesbeck scored on its first possession of the second half. The Goats moved 66 yards in six plays with Smith scoring from two yards away with 8:47 left in the third quarter.

Key plays on the drive were completions of 36 and 18 yards from Lewis to Morrow.

Groesbeck's final TD came on a 35-yard interception return by Sotelo with 1:25 left in the quarter.

While Groesbeck's offense was moving the ball at will, the Goats' defense played inspired football. In addition to the turnovers, they held Kemp to just 165 yards total offense. That included 96 yards rushing on 29 carries. They limited the Yellowjackets' passing attack to 10-of-27 for 69 yards and five interceptions.

Lewis completed 10-of-18 passes for 185 yards for Groesbeck. The Goats rushed for 285 yards.

Groesbeck will close out their regular season Monday when they host Fairfield at 6:30 p.m. A victory would clinch second place in district for the Goats. It would also ensure them of a winning season.