By GALE CAVNESS
pressbox1.com

DYERSBURG - Northview scored points with its offense, opened the margin with defense and galloped to a 38-8 triumph Thursday night at Three Oaks.

The Mustangs found the end zone on its first two possessions, scored touchdowns on its next two possessions after Three Oaks turnovers and built a 30-0 halftime lead on the way to a big win over their intracounty rivals.

It was the season opener for both squads.

Three Oaks will try to get into the win column Tuesday night when it entertains Union City. Northview returns to the field when it plays host to Dyersburg on Thurs., Aug. 30.

At Three Oaks, Northview had just a 16-0 advantage with less than five minutes to play in the half. That changed quickly following two huge defensive plays.

Mustang defender Ethan Clark snagged an errant Eagles pass and raced 50 yards untouched into the end zone to push the lead to 22. Four plays into the TO's ensuing possession, Northview's Austin Richardson picked off his second pass of the event and rambled to the Eagles' 17 to set up the Mustangs' next touchdown.

Dylan Dye, Northview's lanky quarterback, scrambled around the left side on first down for the touchdown and Cranston Fisk tacked on the conversion run.

In 2:25, Northview's lead jumped from 16 points to 30.

"The interceptions broke the game open," Northview head coach David Whittle said following the contest. "Offensively, we moved the ball whenever we had it. Defensively, we made some big plays to break that really broke it open."

Whittle admitted that the game plan was to keep the ball away from Three Oaks threat Thaddaeus Medford. Every kick went away from the Eagles speedster and the aggressive NMS defense kept him contained throughout the evening.

"I liked the physical part," Whittle added. "We got after 'em physically."

Three Oaks opened the contest with the football at its own 40 following a squib kick. Eagles head coach Chris Eaves immediately got the football to his offensive threat and Medford reesponded with a 10-yard gain on the game's first play from scrimmage. He gained six combined yards on the next two plays.

On third-and-four, TO quarterback Steven Henry moved the chains with an effort straight ahead that pushed the ball to the Mustang 37. Two plays later, the Eagles' efforts turned sour.

A scramble attempt out of the backfield turned into a loss of 18 yards when Northview linebacker O'Shawn Smith made a nice open-field tackle. On third-and-long, a pass fell short of the intended receiver and Richardson made a diving play to haul it in and get possession for the Mustangs.

"We showed we could move the chains there, then we shot ourselves in the foot with mental mistakes," Three Oaks head coach Chris Eaves said.

Northview took over at it own 43. Dye hit Smith with an outlet pass that picked up 24 yards to the Eagles 33. Two plays after an NMS penalty, Dye raced around the left side to the TO 16. He kept the ball on efforts to the Eagles' five and the one, then scored standing up at the 1:24 mark of the opening quarter.

Smith caught the conversion pass to give Northview an 8-0 advantage.

Three Oaks fielded another short kick off at its own 40 and went three-and-out.

The Mustangs took over at their own 37 after the Eagles' punt and wasted little time getting more points. A late hit on the quarterback following an incomplete pass moved the ball near midfield. Dye then hit Richardson with a strike to the Eagles' 38.

Following an 11-yard keeper by Dye, Smith spurted 23 yards to push the ball inside the TO five. On the next play, Dye hit Richardson for the touchdown. When Dye found Andrew Massie with the conversion pass, it was 16-0 Mustangs.

Hoping to make something happen with 4:44 to play in the half, Three Oaks went to the air on first down from its own 39. Clark alertly stepped into the path of the pass, picked it off and raced untouched to the end zone to give the Mustangs a commanding 22-0 lead.

Four plays later, Richardson snagged his second interception and set of Northview at the Eagles' 17 with a nice return. Dye's touchdown and Fisk's conversion gave the guests a 30-point cushion.

When asked about surprises or unexpected plays from the Northview squad, Eaves again referred to his team's miscues and credited the Mustangs for their efforts.

"He's got a good group of kids over there," Eaves said. "We both run the same offense. It's just that we had mental breakdowns."

Northview sealed the deal on the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter. After taking control at the 40 following the kickoff, Richardson hit Fisk with a short pass that turned into a 60-yard pass-and-run scoring play. Smith tacked on another conversion run to make it 38-0.

Richardson stepped into the quarterback spot on the play when Dye left the field with a leg cramp on the second-half kickoff.

"Our kids came out ready to play," Whittle added. "Overall, we did a good job."

Three Oaks picked up its only points with 45 seconds remaining in the contest. Tay Kennedy scored on a short scamper and Henry tacked on the conversion run.

"They all played hard," Eaves said. "We've just got a lot of work to do."