THREE OAKS — “We had something to prove,” Cassopolis head coach Bernard Thomas said.

After Thursday night’s game you would be hard pressed to find a reason to bet against the Rangers in any game left on their schedule.

In the sweltering heat and on the road, Cassopolis beat its non-conference opponent River Valley 57-0 to improve to 1-1 on the season. The only thing hotter than the temperature in Three Oaks was the performance of the Rangers’ rushing attack.

The Rangers out-rushed River Valley 325-112 and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.

Junior Evan Brown delivered a huge game for the Rangers, who were looking to bounce back from an eight turnover 28-18 loss to Lawton in their previous outing.

In only one half of play, Brown amassed 188 yards on eight carries and scored four touchdowns. He had scoring runs of 31, 24, 25 and an amazing 60-yard scamper that was the byproduct of a perfectly executed option play.

“I listened to my coach man. I used my speed and I used the sideline,” Brown said when asked about how he afflicted so much damage in such little amount of time.

Thomas was not shy about praising his tailback.

“He played well today. He is among the better players Cass has ever seen. If he continues to work hard and improve, he’ll be something special. Let me tell you, I’m happy I’m coaching him and not coaching against him,” he said.

Rangers junior Tyrone Christopher added two rushing touchdowns and senior Gavin Francis contributed another to round out the Cassopolis rushing scores.

The defense also came through for the Rangers by limiting the Mustangs to 138 total yards on offense, forcing two turnovers, and scoring a touchdown when junior linebacker Kevin Hatcher scooped up a loose ball and returned it 41 yards to the end zone for the Rangers’ final score on the evening.

“This was a big turnaround game for us. We were embarrassed by last week. It was a short week, which concerned me, but we worked hard. Everyone played well. We wanted to prove that we were a championship caliber team, prove that we were still a threat in the Lakeland Conference and prove that we have what it takes to make the state playoffs,” said Thomas.

Cassopolis will be back in action at William F. Scott Field Friday as it takes on visiting Centerville at 7 p.m.

Cassopolis 28 14 8 7 – 57

River Valley 0 0 0 0 – 0

C – Evan Brown 31 run (Blaise Suseland kick)

C – Brown 24 run (Suseland kick)

C – Tyrone Christopher 3 run (Suseland kick)

C – Brown 60 run (Suseland kick)

C – Christopher 44 run (Suseland kick)

C – Brown 25 run (Suseland kick)

C – Gavin Francis 4 run (2-point conversion good)

C – Kevin Hatcher 41 fumble return (Suseland kick)