Nine seconds. That's all it took for the Howard Hustlin' Tigers to get on their scoreboard Friday night.
Hixson attempted an onside kick to begin the game, but Howard's Donyel Smith returned it 50 yards for the opening score. The Tigers took advantage of the quick start, rolling to a 36-14 home victory and improving to 2-2 in Region 2-4A.
"That was an unusual way to start, but I'm glad we took advantage of that play" Howard coach John Starr said. "It set the tone for the rest of the game and was a great big play for us."
After the opening score, Howard's defense clamped down on Hixson's offense, shutting out the Wildcats in the first half. Howard's offense also found success, scoring on a 24-yard run by Eric Johnson and a 9-yard run by Davontay Smith to give the Tigers the 20-0 halftime lead.
Late into the third quarter Hixson took over at Howard's 24-yard line after a Smith fumble. A play later, Malachi Wise rumbled 21 yards for the visitors' first points of the game.
On the next drive Smith atoned for his turnover with another touchdown run, this time a 15-yard sprint to the end zone. A two-point conversion made the score 28-7 with 3:51 left in the third quarter.
The home team tacked on its final score of the evening in the fourth quarter on Johnson's second rushing touchdown of the game. The junior finished the night with one interception on defense and 110 yards rushing on just six attempts.
Hixson managed to put one more touchdown on the board when Christian Hedges scored a 5-yard touchdown with 5.8 seconds remaining.
Howard continues its quest for the playoffs next week at East Ridge.
Contact Dan Kopf at sports@timesfreepress.com.