Winona's Quindarius Johnson poses for a photo, on Wednesday July 24, 2019, at the East Texas Oil Museum in Kilgore. (Michael Cavazos/News-Journal Photo)

WINONA — After trailing by 17 late in the second quarter, Winona (1-1) scored 31 unanswered points to run away from Eustace 37-23 on Friday at Wildcat Stadium.

Winona used its potent running game and strong second-half defense to grind out its first win of the season.

Quindarius Johnson rolled up 235 yards, with most of them coming in the second half. Johnson scored twice in the fourth quarter on long, scampering runs, first bursting up the middle from 22 yards out and later on a 45-yard dash after juking four different defenders to make his way into the end zone.

Eustace (1-1) opened the scoring on a 2-yard run from Wyatt Farmer. A 2-point conversion gave the Bulldogs an 8-0 lead. Winona got on the board late in the first quarter when Arimon Ford ran in from 11 yards out. The PAT was blocked.

Eustace struck again early in the second quarter when Cooper Cage hit Farmer at the line of scrimmage, who then tossed a 29-yard floater to an all-alone Paxton Schwartz. He literally strolled into the end zone.

Farmer scored his second touchdown on a five-yard run. Another two-point conversion put the Bulldogs up 23-6.

But that was the end of Eustace’s scoring.

Julio Zuniga’s 44-yard pass play to Ford, Johnson’s pair of touchdowns, and a Luis Salaises 30-yard field goal put the game out of reach.

Next week Eustace travels to Palestine Westwood while Winona will take on Elysian Fields on the road.