Kingwood Christian used the arm of its talented quarterback and the hands of a stellar receiving corps to defeat cross-county rivals Cornerstone Christian, 34-20, Friday night in a game that was full of hard hits and big plays.

Both teams entered the contest with 2-0 records with the Kingwood Lions boasting a deadly passing threat in quarterback Andrew Pearce and the Chargers counting on running backs Austin Vinsant and Avery Alexander to find the end zone.

Kingwood receiver Cody Owens proved to be too much for a struggling Cornerstone secondary, with the 165-pound junior catching three touchdowns of 67, 21 and 34 yards. Owens finished the night with seven receptions for 205 yards and added eight tackles and two interceptions on the defensive side of the ball.

&uot;That was typical Cody Owens,&uot; head coach Mike Stearns said. &uot;He’s always been a great weapon for us.&uot;

Pearce finished the night 12 for 27 for 312 yards and four touchdown passes. Pearce added another touchdown on a 6-yard run for the Lions and finished with 16 carries for 91 yards.

&uot;It feels good to get a win against Cornerstone,&uot; Pearce said. &uot;And it’s awesome to be able to start 3-0.&uot;

Stearns said he has been expecting this kind of performance from Pearce for a while now.

&uot;Nothing phases him,&uot; Stearns said. &uot;He’s been through the battles and we’ve been waiting for him to step up.&uot;

On the Cornerstone side Avery Alexander found the end zone three times for the Chargers on runs of 13, 3 and 2. The Chargers backfield finished with 215 yards rushing on 42 attempts, but it wasn’t enough to outlast Kingwood’s passing game.

Not everything went well for the Lions in the game, however, with standout defender Lakin Spinks leaving in the second half with an injury. Spinks finished with 10 tackles and one touchdown catch.

The Lions stay on the road this week as they take on Abbeville. The Chargers host Marion Military Institute at Michael B. Willis Memorial Field. Both games are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. starts