Catholic’s Jayden Miles set the tone against Dunham on the game’s first play from scrimmage.
He took a carry up the middle, burst through a hole, and left defenders behind for an 80-yard touchdown. His touchdown started a massive 41-point first half for Catholic.
The Bears (1-1) found the end zone early and often, defeating Dunham in a 58-8 rout at Memorial Stadium on Friday night. Miles ran for 168 yards and two scores on just four carries.
“Our coach had us hyped,” Miles said on his opening score. “The hole was there. The blocks were there. Everything just went perfect that first play. It was only up from there.”
Bears quarterback Camden Estep finished 12 of 17 for 233 yards and three touchdowns in his first win as a starter.
“Just to see him not flinch and come and be ready to compete,” Bears coach Hudson Fuller said. “It shows what kind of competitor he is.”
Later in the first quarter, a short punt to midfield and an 11-yard return set the Bears up at Dunham’s 39. Estep went 3 of 4 on the drive for 32 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown strike to Jordan Culotta on fourth down.
On another Tigers punt, Howard Beach slipped past Dunham defenders on the return and found the end zone for a 43-yard touchdown.
The Tigers finally crossed midfield on their fourth drive. Dunham quarterback Elijah Haven connected on four passes, including completions of 22 and 21 yards. The drive stalled at the Catholic 12 after Haven was swarmed and forced into an errant throw on fourth down.
Catholic extended the lead three plays later after Miles burst through a gap and sprinted down the right sideline for a 79-yard touchdown. Estep later added another score after he lofted a deep ball to Jaden Moffitt, who found himself open on a go-ball for a 50-yard touchdown midway through the second quarter.
Estep made it 41-0 after he found Williams on a screen. Williams tightroped the left sideline for a 53-yard touchdown.
“It was really just us playing our brand of football,” Miles said. “We just had to shake back.”
The Tigers got on the scoreboard in the third after Haven connected with Jarone Harris for a 20-yard touchdown to make the score 41-8.
After a Catholic field goal, a tipped Haven pass led to a Hayes Scramm interception midway through the third. He returned it to the 1-yard line. Jeffery Young punched it in from a direct snap to push the lead to 51 points. Young added another touchdown in the fourth.
Dunham (1-1) managed just 59 rushing yards on 30 attempts. The Bears defense swarmed Dunham throughout the night, and Haven finished just 14 of 34 for 144 passing yards.
The dominant win comes after Catholic’s 61-27 loss to nationally ranked Carrollton (Georgia).
“I’m just really proud of their ability to overcome adversity,” Fuller said. “The combination of them taking ownership of the things that we needed to improve on and then being able to compete in the next opportunity.”