SAN ANTONIO — Wary of LEE after it snapped a 19-game losing streak last week, Antonian wasn't about to let the Volunteers gain any momentum early in their clash Friday night.
The Apaches started quickly in their 47-24 victory at Antonian, going up 20-0 on the first play of the second quarter and leading 34-10 at halftime. The Apaches didn't let up in the third quarter, scoring on their first two possessions to make it 47-10 with 7:35 remaining in the period.
"We just wanted to go after them at the start, so they'd quit at the end," Antonian junior running back Chance Felix said. "And that's what we did. We wanted to come out strong, running on them, throwing on them. They just gave up at the end."
The Vols would argue that point. Down 47-10 after three quarters, LEE scored two touchdowns in the final period.
Antonian outgained LEE 381-336 in total offensive yardage, finishing with 278 rushing on 35 attempts and 103 yards passing. Lee also was hurt by four interceptions.
"We were a little worried," Antonian coach Van Fuschak said. "Looking at the videos, they've got pretty good linemen and good skill kids, and we just came out and really set the tone early. On offense, I thought we executed well.
"I'm proud of all those linemen. All of them are new. They've done a great job of jelling. They're coming off the ball now, and feeling comfortable in the offense. They're getting better every week. That's what you have to do. Defense came out there and got stops, too."
Felix led the Apaches' ground game with 91 yards on only eight carries. He bolted 47 yards for a TD on the third play of the game and had a 13-yard scoring run that made it 13-0 with 3:38 left in the first quarter.
"He's surprising because realistically, you look at him and he's a thick kid," Fuschak said. "But, I mean, he's got good speed. He does a good job of finding the holes, and when he does, he does a great job of accelerating."
Antonian improved to 3-0 and LEE, which rallied for a 30-27 victory against Brackenridge last week, slipped to 1-2.
Apaches senior running back Aeneaus Gray also had a good night, finishing with 57 yards and one TD on only three carries.
"He's a big part of the offense," Fuschak said of Gray. "We've got some people we can swap out to where we're not worn out late in the game."
Senior quarterback Khalil Warfield ran for 56 yards and one TD on nine carries and completed 7 of 14 passes for 71 yards and two TDs, both to junior wide receiver Bryon Armstrong. Junior fullback Will Fertitta scored also got in the scoring column, rambling 51 for the Apaches' fourth TD.
Warfield's second TD pass to Armstrong covered 22 yards and came with only five seconds left in the first half. Arteaga converted 5 of 6 extra-point kicks for Antonian.
The Apaches outgained the Vols 287-115 in the first half, getting 212 yards on the ground and 75 passing.
LEE got its 10 first-half points on a 19-yard pass from senior William Seabolt to junior Jeremiah Shelton and a 37-yard field goal by senior Daniel Rodriguez, who kicked the extra point after the Vols' first TD. Shelton finished with five receptions for 120 yards and one TD.
LEE's fourth-quarter TDs came on runs of 11 yards by senior Ezekiel Eldridge and 9 yards by senior Ellis Guastella. Rodriguez's third extra-point kick of the night ended the scoring with 17 seconds left.
The Apaches play Holy Cross in another non-district game next Saturday at Harlandale Memorial Stadium, and LEE opens District 27-6A play against South San at Heroes Stadium, also on Saturday.
The Vols are coached by Danny Kloza, who was an assistant on Fuschak's staff at MacArthur for six seasons (2004-09) before becoming head coach at LEE. The two have remained good friends in the ensuing years.
Vols defensive coordinator Jared Marks also was on Fuschak's staff during his long tenure at Mac. Fuschak was the Brahmas' head coach for 19 years before taking the Antonian job after the 2010 season.
"I always enjoy visiting with them," Fuschak said, referring to Kloza and Marks. "In games like this, there's never a winner in either one of them. I'm glad we won. I feel bad for them. Both of them are good coaches. They're good guys. They do a great job working with kids. That's all you can ask."
