The Waxahachie Indians set the tone early in their 54-32 win over the Ennis Lions at Lion Memorial Stadium on Friday.

After the opening kickoff went out of bounds, head coach Todd Alexander elected for a re-kick, which junior Josh Sterns returned to the Ennis 46 yard line. Senior Demani Richardson, on the first play from scrimmage of the year, took it to the house. Richardson finished the night with 161 rushing yards and three touchdowns while giving the Tribe an early lead that they would never relinquish.

“Looking at the first half, we ran the ball well. We were in a situation where it was working for us, so we just kept running it at them,” Alexander told the Waxahachie Daily Light.

Both teams’ offenses combined for only 22 passes on the night, but the Indians had the advantage when it counted. Junior quarterback DJ Hollywood only completed 5 passes, but threw for two scores. Senior Keshawn Anderson was on the receiving end for four of those passes and both touchdowns.

“DJ connected a few times with Keshawn and it was huge,” Alexander said. “I think what DJ needed was a little confidence, and now that he has got it, I am excited for him.”

Waxahachie has extended its winning streak over Ennis to 4 consecutive years and has improved its all-time rivalry record to 48-47-2.

The Indians (1-0) will travel to Mesquite to play the Mesquite Poteet Pirates (0-1), who are coming off a Week 1 loss to area stalwart Denton Ryan by a score of 28-14. Kickoff is 7 PM Thursday at Mesquite Memorial Stadium.