Junior quarterback Damien Gaston threw for 192 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while sophomore running back Antonio Brown ran for 155 yards and two more TDs as No. 1-ranked 3A Mobile Christian rolled over Beulah 52-7 in their first round of the state playoffs at Harrison Field on Friday night.

The unbeaten Leopards (11-0) of Region 1 scored early and often, jumping to a 21-0 first quarter lead and added 17 more in the second to take 38-0 bulge at the half.

Beulah from Region 4 ends its season at 4-7.

Head coach Ronnie Cottrell said it was important that his Leopards be focused and not take their outmatched opponent for granted.

“First of all, we’re a number one seed and they were a four seed, and you’ve got to be sure you don’t overlook your opponent,” said the Leopards’ head man.

“I was really proud of our guys. We came out and the defense got the first stop, offense scored on their first possession and we scored (touchdowns) on every possession (of the first half), except we kicked one field goal and I’m just very, very proud of our team.”

The win sets up a second-round matchup at home next Friday against Houston Academy of Dothan, 49-18 winners over Alabama Christian in their first-round opener.

The electric Brown took a handoff straight up the middle on the Lepoards’ third play of the game and 72 yards later had the scoreboard flashing.

Michael Moore scored on a 34-yard catch and run to make it 14-0 on the next series, and sophomore Jason Todd made it 21-0 on a 1-yard dash.

The hits just kept on coming for Mobile Christian in the second period with Carter Lewis’ 26-yard field goal, Jordan Woullard’s 29-yard run and Gaston’s 23-yard TD strike to Gavin Weinshenker at the back of the end zone with only 38 seconds left in the half.

The Leopards’ defense was more than up to the challenge as well, holding the Bobcats to only 65 yards of total offense in the first half.

“Our defense has played extremely well,” said Cottrell. “They played a great game.”

Brown added a 4-yard run in the second half to make it 45-0, before Demarion Foreman’s 9-yard scoring pass to Reed Maloof following a Bobcats fumble recovery deep in Mobile Christian territory finally got Beulah on the board, and Sem’j Law’s 58-yard run closed out the scoring.

Play of the Game: Brown’s big run to open the scoring seemed to set the tone for the offense and it kept following the defense’s lead with score after score.

By The Numbers: Gaston was 12 of 16 for the 192 yards, while Brown carried only 10 times for a 15.5 yards per carry average. Moore hauled in 7 passes for 90 yards and also had an interception, while Lewis was perfect on all 7 PAT kicks.

Game ball: The entire team … offense, defense and special teams all did their jobs well.

They Said It: “The holes were big, and the first score was a counter (play). My linemen pulled and I saw the crease they created, and I was gone.” — Brown summarizing his 72-yard dash for the opening score.

“I love these guys. They built a foundation on something that’s been cracked and now we’re building it up. Because of those 14 seniors, their Love for each other and their love for this game and doing it the right way … I’m just so proud of them.” –Beulah coach Matthew Johnson.