Matt Vines

WINNFIELD – The Red River offense hit on all cylinders Friday as the Bulldogs surged for a 58-36 win at Winnfield.

 

The Bulldogs (5-4, 3-1 District 3-2A) pulled away in the second quarter as they led 34-13, basically maintaining the three-touchdown lead in the second half.

 

Quarterback Malique Smith threw for four touchdowns and ran for another as he had arguably his best game of the season.

 

The senior passed for 272 yards on 25-of-32 passing with one interception while adding 74 rushing yards.

 

“Our offense has been efficient all season,” said Red River coach Travis Gary. “They just handled business as usual, and a big part of that is our offensive coordinator Chris Sibley.

 

“He puts them in the best situations, and they execute.”

 

Smith started the scoring by finding the end zone with his legs on a 10-yard run.

 

Winnfield hung tough early, but Red River’s Lathyn Lewis broke the game open with a long kickoff return for a touchdown.

 

Lewis caught six passes for 102 yards and added 36 rushing yards, displaying his versatility.

 

Warren Bowman caught a game-high 10 passes for 74 yards and a score.

 

Cedric Moody had one of his best games of the season as he crossed the century mark with 150 yards on 22 carries.

 

“We take what the defense gives us,” Gary said about whether they prefer to establish the run or the pass first. “That’s a fortunate thing about our offense – we can run to throw or throw to run.

 

“The offensive line is playing great and are one of the main reasons why our offense is so efficient. They play well together, and they are getting better daily with their communication.”

 

While staying alive in the District 3-2A race was certainly a motivator, the Bulldogs had extra energy in facing their old head coach Byron Keller, who left Red River for the Winnfield head coach and athletics director position this offseason.

 

Red River has won the past four meetings with Winnfield dating back to 2022.

 

The Bulldogs finished the district schedule 3-1 and must wait to see if Many can knock off Mansfield in Week 10 and force three-way tie for the district crown.