GOOD HOPE — Coming off of a bye week, Locust Fork coach Chris Musso felt it was time to shake up his starting lineup.

With a bevy of new starters on both sides of the ball, the Hornets came out and controlled the tempo against homestanding Good Hope to earn a convincing 31-15 Class 4A, Region 7 victory.

The Hornet offensive and defensive lines dominated the line of scrimmage in the first half, as they scored three touchdowns and held the Raiders to minus-2 yards in total offense.

Locust Fork quarterback Chase Rice scored the first touchdown of the game on the opening possession, racing 31 yards to paydirt. Dakota Karluk added the extra point to put the visitors ahead 7-0.

Their next score came on a pass from reserve quarterback Michael Reid to Dylan Hurst that covered 37 yards, with Hurst making a circus catch over a defender to secure the touchdown.

Just before halftime, Locust Fork running back John Payne ran four yards to complete a long scoring march. The extra point kick was missed after Hurst’s touchdown and a 2-point try failed after Payne’s score.

The Hornet defense completely shut down Good Hope, as Noah Hazelrig sacked Raider quarterbacks three times in the first half.

Locust Fork continued to roll in the third quarter, as Rice ran a quarterback keeper 50 yards for another touchdown.

The remainder of the game saw the teams trade scores, with Chase Biles scoring on a 4-yard run sandwiched between two penalty-aided scoring drives by the Raiders.

The Hornets were flagged for a season-high 23 penalties during the game. totaling 166 yards.

Hornet fullback Drew Rogers was the leading rusher with 111 yards on 13 carries. Rice added 98 more on nine carries while Payne chipped in with 56 yards on 9 carries.

The Hornets outgained Good Hope 392 to 133 yards in total offense. The defense was led by Hazelrig, with six tackles in addition to his three sacks. Rogers had eight primary stops from his linebacker slot and defensive end Jacob Beem had five stops.

The Hornets (3-3, 2-2 region) return to Locust Fork next Friday for homecoming against region opponent D.A.R.