The Pearland Oilers have made remarkable progress over the past three weeks as the offense is now getting in gear while the defensive unit has also gotten even stronger.

Over the past three games, the Oilers have outscored their opponents 60-9 while Madison and Spring Branch Memorial were completely shutout by an aggressive and hard-hitting Pearland defense.

Head coach Tony Heath knew that the game against Memorial would be dominated by ball control and the first half proved that to be true.

“It was a good game, but still we had a couple of mistakes on special teams that we need to get corrected,” Pearland coach Tony Heath said. “Overall, it was a good night and I am proud of these kids. They accept the challenge every week because we challenge them to get better, and so far in three weeks they’ve gotten better each week."

Memorial opened up the game with a fluke onside kick that bounced off a Pearland player on the front line. The Mustangs took over at the Pearland 36, but the Oilers defense rose up to the occasion to force Memorial to punt after Dennis Walls sacked quarterback Davis Miller for a 15 yard loss on third down.

Pearland took over at their own 10 and drove the ball to the Mustangs seven yard line in 11-plays before Memorial recovered a fumble at the 6.

Despite losing the ball, running back Kasey Carrier had eight carries for 47 yards while quarterback Sam Allen completed a pass covering 36 yards to Kevin Miller who outjumped the Memorial defender to make an incredible catch.

Memorial put together a short drive from their own six yard line to their 38, but the Pearland defense forced another punt.

Pearland took over at their own 34 and scored on a11-play, 66-yard drive capped off by a 13-yard Allen to Kevin Davis scoring pass with 5:03 remaining in the second period. Davis caught the ball around the five-yard line and bulled his way across the goal line for the touchdown. Robbie Hersh booted the extra point for a 7-0 halftime lead.

Carrier had six carries for 34 yards while Allen got into the mix with two carries for 15 yards in the scoring drive.

It was all Pearland in the second half as the Oilers scored on their first two possessions.

The Pearland defense forced Memorial to punt after three plays netted no yards on the opening possession of the second half.

The Oilers set up at their own 28 and scored on a 22-yard pass from Allen to a wide-open Munda Olford who was all alone in the end zone. Hersh hit the extra point for a 14-0 lead with 6:51 left in the third quarter.

Memorial was forced to punt on their next possession giving the Oilers the ball at their own 18.

This time, it took 10-plays to cover 82 yards with Carrier dashing across the goal line on a slight of hand by Allen who faked a pass and set up a play that resembled the old Statue of Liberty resulting in a 19-yard run with 10:21 left in the game. Hersh nailed the extra point for a 21-0 advantage.

After Memorial ran three plays and punted, Pearland took the ball at their own 35 with 8:31 left in the game and drove to the Mustangs' 29 before giving the ball over on downs with 3:45 remaining in the game. The Mustangs could get anything going and the Oilers took the game 21-0.

Carrier finished with 165 yards on 20 carries for one score. Josh Gonzales had five carries for 23 yards. Justin Wilson had three totes for 24 yards.

Allen hit 7-of-9 passing for 105 yards and two touchdowns.

Miller caught four passes for 66 yards while Davis grabbed one for 13 yards and a score. Olford had one reception for 22 yards and a TD.

The Pearland defense also put up some shining number limiting the Mustangs to only 130 total yards.

“The biggest thing we knew about Memorial is that they are so fundamentally sound and so we challenged our kids that we had to be as fundamental as them,” Heath said. “We thought athletically we might be ahead of them, and we said if we can match them fundamentally, we will be good.”

The Oilers travel to La Marque to face the defending Class 4A Division II state champions on Friday, September 21 at Etheridge Stadium at 7:00 p.m. Pearland knocked off the Cougars last season 24-14 for their only blemish of the year.

There is no doubt that La Marque wants to avenge last year's loss. Pearland fans need to get out in full force to support the Oilers in a stadium that will be a very hostile environment.