Howard Settles Score, Leads Banning Over Taft

Chris Howard had a score to settle, and he didn’t waste any time settling it.

The Banning High junior returned the opening kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown that propelled his team to a surprising 41-13 victory over Taft at Banning on Friday night.

The big play served as sweet redemption for Howard, who fumbled the opening kickoff in an 18-0 loss to Taft last season.

“I saw the hole open,” Howard said. “I knew I had to make up for last year.”

Taft (0-1) appeared stunned by the score, and by Mike Cockrell’s 45-yard punt return for a touchdown a few minutes later, but special teams were only part of the problem.

Having reached the City Section championship game two consecutive years, Taft enters this season inexperienced along the offensive line. Its offense, led by junior transfer Brandon Hance at quarterback, never got on track.

“We thought we could come back,” said Hance, who finished seven for 19 for 77 yards. “But we never got that big play to start us off.”

While the offense struggled, the defense could not find a way to stop Howard and Cockrell, who mixed lightning-quick scores with long, grinding drives.

Running behind a massive front line, Howard finished with 16 carries for 119 yards, including a 49-yard touchdown run. Cockrell rushed 11 times for 28 yards, scoring on runs of three and one yard that put the game out of reach early in the second half.