West Rusk's Geremiah Smith carries the ball against Hooks in a playoff game Thursday in Tatum.

TATUM — West Rusk started the playoffs the same way it ended the regular season.

The No. 5 team in Class 3A Division II scored at least 49 points for the fourth consecutive game on the way to a 64-26 win over Hooks on Thursday night at Eagle Stadium.

It was the fourth time the Raiders scored at least 60 points this season.

Andon Mata was 6 of 12 for 207 yards and three touchdowns, and he added 66 yards and a score on the ground on four carries. Geremiah Smith caught three passes for 107 yards and two touchdowns. Tate Winings added 83 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries.

West Rusk opened the game with an 11-play, 59-yard drive that ended with a 17-yard touchdown run by Mata to take a 7-0 lead with 7:33 left in the first quarter.

After Hooks was stopped on fourth down, West Rusk needed just one play to find the end zone as Mata found Smith for a 54-yard scoring strike to make the score 14-0 with 2:30 on the clock.

Carson Martin then picked off Jalen Woodside and returned it 31 yards to the end zone just 18 seconds later to make the score 21-0.

Smith then recovered a Hooks fumble. Mata had a 31-yard carry, followed by an 8-yard touchdown run from Wining. Noah Murphy ran in the 2-point conversion to make the score 29-0 with 1:27 left in the first quarter.

Hooks got on the board early in the second quarter with a 7-yard run by sophomore Keyshawn Walls, cutting the score to 29-6.

West Rusk added a 28-yard touchdown run by Winings and a 41-yard scoring pass from Mata to Smith before Walls caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Woodside in the final seconds of the first half. West Rusk led 43-12 at halftime.

West Rusk scored twice in the third quarter. Mata had a 79-yard touchdown pass to Will Jackson, and Murphy had a 1-yard touchdown run.

After Walls scored from 1 yard out for his third touchdown of the night early in the fourth quarter, freshman Cole Jackson added an 8-yard touchdown run for West Rusk.

Hooks scored in the final minute with a 9-yard pass from freshman Michael Baysinger to Larson Murray.

Walls carried the ball 29 times for 205 yards and two touchdowns, and he caught three passes for 37 yards and a touchdown for Hooks (4-7).

West Rusk (11-0) advances to face either Hughes Springs or New Waverly.

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