HOUSTON – If there was ever a coach who believed in the “You’re only as good as your next game” doctrine, that would be Pontotoc football coach Charlie Dampeer.

Since the beginning of August practices, Dampeer has been hesitant to say that his team is exceptionally good this season.

Yes, the Warriors may not be as talented as division foes Itawamba AHS and Shannon, but through four games they are undefeated and holding onto the fifth spot in the Daily Journal’s large-school rankings.

On Friday night, however, the Warriors were good enough to scrape by Class 3A Houston, 14-0, in front of a Houston homecoming crowd.

“It was a very, very ugly ballgame,” Dampeer said. “I thought they (Houston) played incredible.”

The Warriors (4-0) were a penalty and a fumble away from blowing out the Hilltoppers (1-4) in the first half.

Pontotoc freshman Rashad Dixon intercepted a Shawn Wright pass at his own 19 and then raced 81 yards for a touchdown. However, a block in the back penalty negated the touchdown.

The Warriors nonetheless would score on that very possession following Dixon’s pick. Quarterback Canden Dallas connected with Blake Littlejohn for an 18-yard touchdown reception with 3:31 remaining in the opening period.

Pontotoc drove the ball to the Houston 18 to start the second quarter, but a Randall Crayton fumble would end the drive.

Bright spots for Pontotoc, however, on a damp night were senior fullback Littlejohn and the Warriors defense.

With the Warriors’ air game grounded as Dallas struggled passing against Houston’s defense, Littlejohn rushed seven times for 51 yards and a score in the second half. His second touchdown of the night came on a 4-yard run with a 1:12 left in the third.

“He’s a tough kid,” Dampeer said. “He’s the kind of kid you want in that situation. You know what you’re going to get out of him every Friday night.”

The Pontotoc defense forced two turnovers on the night, not to mention almost intercepting a couple of passes by Wright.

To preserve the Warriors’ win, Lance Stubblefield forced a Houston fumble and teammate Kelsey Traylor scooped it up as the Hilltoppers were driving inside the red zone with just over two minutes to play.

“The one thing that I like about this team here is that we run to the ball extremely well,” Dampeer said. “We run fairly well on defense, and they keep chasing the football and don’t give up on anything.”

Houston drove the ball to the Pontotoc 12 midway through the third quarter, but Chris Fredrick’s 30-yard field goal attempt would miss to the left.

“We had chances where we were close enough to score, but we shot ourselves in the foot every time,” Houston coach Buz Boyer said.

A bright spot for the Hilltoppers in the fourth quarter was the play of senior quarterback Shawn Wright. He converted all four of his attempts for 48 yards in the frame.

“He played well in the second half,” Boyer said. “He just has to find some consistency.”