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By Pat Cole
pcole@mckenziebanner.com |
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Huntingdon's Mustangs began their 2002 season with a
35-13 victory over longtime county rival Hollow
Rock-Bruceton at Paul Ward Stadium Friday night. The win
gave the Mustangs some portion of satisfaction for their
first game loss in 2001 to the Tigers.The Mustangs came out playing well on both sides of the
ball and with running backs Matt Lange, Terrance Bell and
Kenneth Porter proving to be too much for the smaller
Tigers in the battle for touchdowns. The Tigers, playing
their first game in four years without Mr. Football Adrian
Jamison, were able to move the ball, but early penalties,
fumbles and interceptions proved to be a strong
contributor to the loss.
The Tigers came out on offense in the first series and
moved to the ball to the Huntingdon 29-yard line where
quarterback Josh Edwards' pass was tipped and intercepted
to turn the ball over to the Stangs. Terry Parker took the
first kickoff from Mark Newsome and moved the ball to the
Tiger 25-yard line where Kirk Butler and Kenneth Hillsman
stopped him. After a five-yard penalty, Patrick Willis
moved the ball right for a gain of two and left for a gain
of three. Michael Aldridge then took the ball right and
picked up a first down at the Tiger 37. Hunter Hastings,
Nathan Wallace, Matt Spellings and Robert Weathers were in
on the tackles. Keith McGee then took the ball up the
middle for almost 10 yards with Spellings and Adam Parrish
on the tackle.
Another five-yard penalty against Central
led to Willis moving up the middle to the 49 with Hastings
on the stop. Brian Nellett stopped McGee for a slight loss
while a pass to Aldridge was good for a gain of 10 yards
before Weathers made the tackle. Willis then moved the
ball left for the first down at the Stangs 29-yard line
where Parish and Hastings moved him out of bounds.
Aldridge twisted and turned for a gain of three with
Hillsman and Stephen Wright on the tackle. Edwards then
went to the air a second time, the ball was tipped and
intercepted by Wallace who returned it to the Stangs 29
where Huntingdon took over.
The Stangs wasted no time in moving the ball to pay dirt
on a successful seven-play drive in 2 minutes and 15
seconds. The Tiger defense was only able to slow the
advance as Lange, Bell and Porter picked up big yardage
while quarterback Justin Truett took the ball into the end
zone on a one-yard run. Lange moved right for a first down
at the 40 with Kevin Hurt and Aldridge on the tackle while
Bell moved for another first down at the Tiger 25-yard
line before Ryan Taylor stopped him. An inadvertent
facemask penalty moved the ball to the Tiger 31-yard line.
Lange then moved for five with Robert Treadway and Hurt on
the tackle, Porter picked up the first down with Aldridge
on the tackle. Another penalty on the Stangs moved the
ball to the 19 where Bell moved to the two before Willis
made the tackle. Lange picked up a yard with Scott Maness
leading the stop and then Truett moved the ball into the
end zone at the 4:22 mark and Mark Newsome kicked the PAT
as Huntingdon took a 7-0 lead.
The Tigers were quick to answer the opening touchdown as
John Castleman took the ball to the 25 on the kickoff.
Willis then moved up the middle for a gain of four with
Nellett and Spellings on the stop. McGee picked up three
as Hastings made the tackle and Willis picked up a first
down at the 36 with Nellett and Wright on the stop. A
penalty moved the ball back five yards and quarterback
Edwards took the ball left and out of bounds for a gain of
10. Edwards then moved the ball for a gain of two and
ultimately a first down at the 46 with Wallace on the
first stop and Butler on the second. McGee picked up a
yard with Kory Geans on the stop while a pitch to Willis
led to him moving left and 53 yards to pay dirt as the
first quarter came to an end. Willis then kicked the PAT
to tie the game at seven with the second quarter ready to
begin.
The Mustangs excelled the second quarter while the Tiger
defense faltered. Huntingdon added three more scores to
their total to take a 28-7 lead into the locker room at
intermission. Tiger Terry Parker began the second quarter
with the opening kickoff and the ball went out of bounds
at the nine, leading to the Stangs taking over at their
own 35-yard line. Porter took the ball right for five with
Treadway, Josh Chapple and Aldridge on the tackle. Lange
moved left for a first down at the Stangs 48. Lange then
picked up eight before Willis stopped him, and Truett held
for the first down at the Tiger 42 with Matt Forrest on
the tackle. Bell then broke loose and bounced off several
tackles as he raced 42 yards to pay dirt at the 9:18 mark
of the first half. Newsome kicked the PAT and the Stangs
again led, 14-7.
Castleman received the kickoff and moved the ball to the
19-yard line where Brandon Pearson made the tackle.
Aldridge moved the ball for two with Butler and Parish on
the tackle. Willis gained five as Parish, Zack Davis and
Hastings made the tackle. Aldridge picked up the first
down at the Tiger 31 before Davis made the tackle. A
five-yard penalty moved the ball back five yards and then
Nellett caught Willis for a loss of three. Edwards was
caught for a loss of two by Parish and Weathers and then
on second and 20, Edwards took to the air and the ball was
intercepted by Geans who raced to the one-yard line where
Edwards made the tackle. On first down, Lange moved the
ball up the middle for the touchdown at the 5:29 mark. The
PAT was wide and the Stangs led 20-7.
Aldridge received the ball and raced to the end zone.
However, Aldridge was ruled out of bounds and a penalty
place the ball at the Huntingdon 31-yard line where Willis
moved left for a gain of one where Nellett and Spellings
stopped him. A pass intended for Aldridge was deflected by
Weathers; a second pass was incomplete to Taylor and a
fourth down pass to McGee was incomplete. The Stangs took
over at their own 30-yard line at the 4:15 mark.
Bell took the ball left for six with Willis on the tackle
and Porter picked up a first down at the Huntingdon 48
with Willis and Edwards on the tackle. Lange picked up a
yard with Willis on the tackle while Porter was held to
only six with Forrest on the tackle. Lange gained a first
down at the Tiger 39 with Willis on the tackle. Porter was
held to eight by Patrick Adams and Edwards and then a pass
to Newsome brought a first down at the 21 with Josh Irwin
on the tackle. Porter dodged several defenders before he
was brought down by Willis after a gain on only one, but
Bell took the ball left for the touchdown at the 35.4 mark
and Porter stuffed the ball in again for the two-point
conversion, giving Huntingdon a 28-7 lead with only
seconds remaining in the first half.
Castleman took the ball to the Tiger 27 with Parish and
Butler on the stop.
Willis took the ball for a first down at the 40 with Davis
on the tackle. A pass was incomplete and then McGee took
the ball up the middle for a first down before he was
stopped by Spellings. A final play was a lateral to McGee
who pitched the ball to Willis. Willis was then stopped
after little gain to end the first half of action.
After good performances by the Marching Tigers and
Marching Mustangs during intermission, the game resumed
with the Stangs on offense.
The ball was kicked by Parker to the ten and then rolled
into the end zone to give the Stangs possession at their
own 20-yard line. After a quick first down, the Tiger
defense moved in to stop the Stangs effectively. Lange
gained two with Willis on the tackle and then Castleman
caught Bell with a penalty moving the ball back to a third
and 23 count. Lange moved left and back toward the middle,
making it to the Huntingdon 43 before Willis brought him
down. Lange was held to four by Taylor and then to three
by Parker and Willis. On third and three, Taylor held
Lange for a one-yard loss, McGee and Forrest and Nellett
moved back to punt. A bad snap left Nellett scrambling for
the ball and then being stopped by Willis at the Mustang
20-yard line.
The Tigers Willis moved for a gain of six with Butler and
Hastings on the stop. Hillsman held Willis to no gain and
then Hillsman stopped Willis at the nine where the Tigers
had the first down. Edwards was held for a loss of two by
Nellett and on second down a fumble was recovered by
Huntingdon's Lavanda Williams.
The recovery did the Stangs little good, as the Tigers
were still ready on defense. Three runs by Porter resulted
in a gain of only two yards as Aldridge, Willis, Forrest,
Chapple, Taylor and Parker combined on tackles. Nellet
then punted the ball to Castle who was stopped by
Spellings at the Mustang 37.
Edwards moved for a loss of one with Desmond Townes on the
tackle. Hillsman was shaken on the play, but walked off.
Willis then moved left and was stopped by Butler, but a
late hit penalty moved the ball to the 23 for a first
down. McGee moved up the middle with the stop by Wallace
and Hastings after a gain of six. Willis picked up the
first down at the two with Parish on the stop. Willis then
moved the ball in for the touchdown at the 2:24 mark with
the PAT attempt blocked. Huntingdon now led 28-13.
The next Mustang possession ended in a fumble with the
recovery by Tiger Josh Chapple. With the ball at
mid-field, the Tigers were unable to gain more than five
yards and a fourth down pass was incomplete as the final
quarter began.
The Stangs then had a sustained drive of 14 plays,
Huntingdon again found the end zone for the final score at
the 4:09 mark. Runs by Lange, Porter, Bell and Truett
highlighted the drive. Porter scored the touchdown with
Newsome kicking the PAT.
The Tigers next offensive opportunity again ended with a
pass interception at the 1:01 mark of the game. After
driving the ball to the Mustang 43 and with time running
out, the Tigers took to the air for two plays and then
Willis was caught for a loss of four by Williams. On
fourth and 14, the pass by Edwards to Taylor was
intercepted by Weathers. The Stangs Truett then took a
knee twice to end the game with a Mustang win of 35-13.
The Mustangs displayed multiple talents on offense and
determination, size and ability on defense and should have
a great season as they face a tough regional schedule,
including McKenzie, Riverside and Camden and non-regional
opponents of Union City, Westview and Milan. The Tigers
refused to quit although they quickly found themselves
trailing in this season opener and will find ways to fill
the gaps as they enter regional competition against South
Fulton, Greenfield, Gleason, West Carroll and Lake County.
Non-regional opponents include USJ in week three and a
team from Missouri late in the season. Still the Tigers
are accustomed to playoff opportunities and will improve
as the season progresses.
This Friday night, the Stangs will be traveling to
Adamsville and the Tigers will host South Fulton. |
