The Red Raiders knocked off Commerce 44-34 in the District 7-3A Division I opener at Tiger Stadium on Sept. 25, improving their overall record to 5-0. The Raider offense made plays in key moments, while the defense came up with stops against the Tigers.
Winnsboro has an Oct. 2 bye before hosting Eustace for homecoming Oct. 9.
“It’s not easy to be 5-0. The bye week came at the right time for us to heal up,” head coach and boys athletic director Josh Finney said.
The Red Raiders’ victory featured multiple storylines. Kicker Rudy Calderon went 5-for-5 on point-after attempts and added field goals of 28, 34 and 38 yards. Running back Neree Castleberry amassed 211 yards rushing on 31 carries with three touchdowns. Quarterback Ky Caddell passed for 181 yards and added 126 yards rushing.
Wide receiver Kash Noble made four receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown, helping Winnsboro extend drives. The senior also stopped a late Tigers comeback bid with an interception in the game’s closing minutes.
“We have been talking about a fast start all week. We made the plays when it counted. Our kids played their hearts out. It was one of those nights where offense wasn’t exciting, but we had to pound the rock for the win. The offensive line and tight ends showed out,” Finney said.
Winnsboro jumped out to an early 14-0 lead. Castleberry broke loose for a 79-yard run three minutes into the game. Linebacker Kainan Moss recovered a Tigers fumble to set up another Castleberry touchdown run.
Commerce responded with touchdowns on a 2-yard run and a 22-yard pass to even the score at 14-14 early in the second quarter. A minute later, Castleberry was in the end zone again from 5 yards out.
Caddell stretched the ball over the goal line to restore the Red Raiders’ two-touchdown margin with 2:32 remaining in the first half. Winnsboro followed with an onside kick recovered by Ethan Young at the Commerce 34-yard line. The Red Raiders ran four plays to set up another Calderon field goal and took a 31-14 lead into halftime.
The teams traded touchdowns to start the third quarter, with Noble scoring on a 28-yard reception five minutes into the period and Commerce answering with a 22-yard touchdown pass. Calderon connected on a 38-yard field goal to give Winnsboro a 20-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The Tigers responded with a 65-yard run and a 54-yard pass to trim Winnsboro’s lead to seven with 9:20 remaining.
Calderon added a 34-yard field goal with 4:21 remaining to extend the Red Raiders’ lead to 10.
On Commerce’s ensuing possession, the Tigers quarterback launched a pass deep into Raider territory, where it was intercepted by Noble and returned to midfield. Winnsboro picked up a first down and ran out the clock for the win.
Hayden Erickson led the team with seven tackles, followed by Marshal Bassett with six and Rhett Page with five.
Calderon, a four-year starter, has amassed 348 career points. He has made 276 of 281 point-after attempts and 24 of 34 field goal attempts during his career. Calderon, long snapper Braxton Gardenhire and holder Reed James have not had an unsuccessful kick attempt this season.