FOOTBALL: Pack, Phoenix power Conroe past Davis

Conroe wide receiver Michael Phoenix (4) celebrates after scoring his third touchdown during a non-district football game Thursday, September 5, 2019 at W.W. Thorne Stadium in Houston. Conroe wide receiver Michael Phoenix (4) celebrates after scoring his third touchdown during a non-district football game Thursday, September 5, 2019 at W.W. Thorne Stadium in Houston. Photo: Cody Bahn, Houston Chronicle / Staff Photographer Photo: Cody Bahn, Houston Chronicle / Staff Photographer Image 1 of / 18 Caption Close FOOTBALL: Pack, Phoenix power Conroe past Davis 1 / 18 Back to Gallery

HOUSTON — Christian Pack and Michael Phoenix II put on a show for Conroe in a 42-21 win over Aldine Davis at W.W. Thorne Stadium on Thursday night.

Phoenix finished the non-district win with eight catches for 241 yards and four touchdowns. Pack was 13-of-24 for 290 yards through the air and added 127 rushing yards.

Three of the passing touchdowns — all in the first half — went for 60 or more yards.

“I was just seeing a lot of openings,” Phoenix said. “Me and Christian have been locked in all week long. I knew when it came to game time, it would be just like we’ve been repping in practice.”

The win brought the Tigers’ season record to an even 1-1 after their Week 1 loss to Mayde Creek.

“I’m proud of the seniors,” Conroe coach Cedric Hardeman said. “We still didn’t execute up to our standards, but after a loss, a lot of time adversity shows character. These seniors came out and went to work.”

The Pack-to-Phoenix connections were the only significant plays in the first half. Outside of the three touchdowns, each team only had one play of more than 10 yards in the opening two quarters.

Conroe’s first two scores were 63 and 62-yard passes from Pack to Phoenix. The Tigers led 14-0 less than two minutes into the second quarter.

Multiple Conroe defenders set up the first half’s final score. Davis went for it on fourth-and-3 from the Tigers’ 34-yard line and about five Conroe players combined on a sack of Jah’Rell Stevens, who had scrambled for 31 yards on the previous Davis drive.

Stevens racked up 164 total yards in the loss. Tailback DeMarcus Barlow rushed for 159 yards on 29 carries.

More Information CONROE 42, ALDINE DAVIS 21 Conroe 7 14 14 7--42 Aldine Davis 0 0 6 15--21 SCORING SUMMARY First quarter C—Michael Phoenix II 63 yard pass from Christian Pack (Josue Santos kick), 5:47. Second quarter C—Phoenix 62 pass from Pack (Santos kick), 10:15. C—Phoenix 60 pass from Pack (Santos kick), 1:45. Third quarter C—Phoenix 17 pass from Pack (Santos kick), 7:47. D—DeMarcus Barlow 7 run (kick blocked), 6:12. C—Thomas Jackson 55 run (Santos kick), 5:10. Fourth quarter D—Sterling Adams 0 fumble return (Barlow run), 9:35. C—Pack 1 run (Santos kick), 7:39. D—Barlow 87 pass from Stevens (Carlos Pardo kick), 4:16.

After the turnover on downs, Pack found Phoenix across the middle on the second play of the drive. After making one man miss with a juke, Phoenix used downfield blocking from Braden Greif to complete the 60-yard score with 1:45 to play in the second quarter.

Conroe held Davis to 79 yards of offense in the first half and led 21-0 at the break.

“It was big,” Hardeman said of the first half defensive performance. “I challenged them (Wednesday) to start a trend of being a dominant defense. They accepted the challenge. There’s some things we’ve still got to clean up, but for the most part I’m happy for them.”

Pack and Phoenix connected for their fourth touchdown to cap a 10-play drive that opened the second half. After a 15-yard pass to convert on fourth down, the duo paired up again the next play for a 17-yard score. Conroe led 28-0 with 7:47 to play in the third quarter.

Davis responded with a quick 4-play, 75-yard drive. Barlow gained all the yardage, beginning with a 63-yard rush and ending with a 7-yard rush. Dakerric Hobbs blocked the extra point attempt.

The Tigers got the lead back to four scores on their next drive with a 55-yard touchdown run from Thomas Jackson. Conroe led 35-6 after three quarters.

Davis outscored the Tigers 15-7 in the fourth quarter. The Falcons had one defensive touchdown thanks to Sterling Adams’ fumble recovery in the endzone, then Stevens connected with Barlow for an 87-yard touchdown.

In-between the two touchdowns from the hosts, Pack snuck in a 1-yard score.

After just 43 rush yards in the first half, Conroe was able to drain some clock in the second half with the run. Altogether, the Tigers finished with 240 rush yards.

“That was huge and it’s something we’re going to need,” Hardeman said. “We practice on game situations, so it was a good opportunity to get out here and try it.”

Aldine has its last non-district game next Saturday against Westbury at Butler Stadium.

Conroe opens District 15-6A play next Friday at Woodforest Bank Stadium against College Park. The Cavs won last season’s matchup 35-28. In the series, neither team has won consecutive games since College Park won five straight from 2010-14.

“They’re well-coached,” Hardeman said of College Park. “Coach (Lonnie) Madison does a great job and I’ve got the utmost respect for them. They’re a physical ball club, big D-I line, good running back, they play sound defense. We’re going to have to play better than tonight to get the win.”

jmaskulinski@hcnonline.com