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SPORTS NEWS FOR WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2004

  Bethel Gains Huge Victory over Lambuth
 
  
By Pat Cole
pcole@mckenziebanner.com
  
Bethel’s Wildcats gained a huge 33-21 victory over Lambuth’s Eagles Saturday afternoon as they celebrated homecoming at Rebel Stadium. The Cats led for most of the game and used good defense against a strong Lambuth offense.

Local fans were treated as they were able to see former players from McKenzie, West Carroll, Huntingdon and Hollow Rock-Bruceton on the field. Lambuth had two players who have made the transition from high school to college effectively. Quarterback Rick Sturdivant (15 of 28 for 221 yards and two interceptions) has passed for more than 1,000 as the Eagles leader this year (with a 93-yard touchdown against the Cats) and Josh Wolfe (11 tackles, five unassisted), who played both sides of the ball at West Carroll a few years ago, has become the leading tackler for the Eagles in 2004, a fact which was evident during the Bethel contest as well.

For the Wildcats, Huntingdon’s Terrance Bell (8 carries, 17 yards) carried the ball effectively several times as he shared time with Adrian Smith (15 carries, 49 yards). Former Rebel Josh Stenberg (three tackles, two unassisted) garnered a safety (Bethel’s second) in the victory and West Carroll’s Kevin Taylor (one tackle, unassisted) was again prominent on the defensive line.

For the most part, Bethel took care of business throughout the game while the Eagles were plagued with numerous penalties.

Lambuth received the opening offensive opportunity, but a strong Bethel defensive effort held them to nine total yards on the ground and they punted the ball.

Bell took the opening effort for the Cats at their own 48-yard line (stopped by Wolfe), but his gain was negated on a motion penalty. Quarterback Brent Dearmon passed the ball to Antonio Brown for a first down at the Lambuth 34. Smith ran for nine while Jeff Nix picked up the first down at the 22. Once again, Bell got the nod and the Cats a penalty. Smith was caught in the backfield for a 10-yard loss and Dearmon took the air, passing the ball to Demareo O’Neal with Wolfe on the tackle and Bethel nine yards short of a first down. Keith Ostermann came in to attempt a field goal, kicked it 37 yards through the uprights and at the 9:20 mark of the first period, the Cats held a 3-0 advantage.

Ostermann’s kick went into the end zone and was fielded by Eagle Brandon Jacobs. He hesitated about leaving, but decided to make a run and was caught at the 13 by Justin Cobb. The Eagles Kevin Haynes tried to run the ball twice and was held to only seven yards. Sturdivant’s third down pass was batted down by Stenberg.

Bethel began their next possession at their own 42. Bell picked up a yard, Dearmon passed to Eric Harris and a penalty on the Eagles moved the ball down to their 25-yard line. Dearmon then found Mario Merriwether for the Cats first touchdown of the afternoon at the 6:32 mark and Ostermann’s PAT was good as Bethel took a 10-0 lead.

Sturdivant began the Eagles next series with a completed pass to Tim LeBeau for a 19-yard gain. A second pass to Chris Haliburton brought a first down at the 46. Haynes was held for a yard two passes were incomplete to end the Eagle threat.

The Cats managed to gain two first downs in their next possession, but ultimately had to punt and Lambuth (after a penalty) took over at their own nine and gained only four yards as the first quarter ended. They punted on the first play of the second period, but a bad snap had the punter chasing the ball into the end zone and O’Neal hitting him for the safety. Bethel took a 12-0 lead at the 14:44 mark.

After the free kick went out of bounds, Bethel took over at their own 45. The possession was short and Bethel punted. Lambuth was also held to three and out and Bethel had to punt again after gaining only five total yards. Finally at the 7:04 mark, the Eagles took possession for a score. On first down, Haynes was stopped by Ricky Goff and Terran Bell for a loss, but Sturdivant took the ball, passed it long downfield to Steve Cross and at the 6:38 mark, Cross reached the end zone and Lambuth had six. The kick by Evan Granier was good and Bethel now led 12-7.

Neither team had much success from that point on, although Bethel got within shot of another field goal attempt, this one blocked by John Thompson. At intermission the Cats maintained a 12-7 advantage.

Merriwether took the opening kickoff of the second half and returned the ball down to the Lambuth 39, but ultimately Ostermann punted and Lambuth took over at its own three-yard line. Haynes gained some yardage, but a penalty moved the ball back to the two. Haynes then broke through to the right, rushed the ball deep into Bethel territory and was stopped by Terran Bell. A personal foul penalty against the Cats placed the ball at the eight and two runs later, Haynes had the touchdown at the 12:13 mark. The Eagles opted for two and the pass to Thompson was good, giving Lambuth a 15-12 edge over Bethel.

After gaining a first down, Ostermann punted the ball and O’Neal was at the three to stop it before it entered the end zone. Two plays later, Stenburg caught Brandon Jacobs in the end zone for Bethel’s second safety of the day and narrowed the margin to a single point, 15-14 with just over 10 minutes remaining in the third period.

Aided by a face mask and personal foul penalty against the Eagles, Bethel drove the ball deep into Eagle territory. With a fourth and three facing them, they opted for a 31-yard field goal attempt, but it was wide and Lambuth continued to lead by one and took over at their own 14-yard line.

Lambuth’s next possession was also plagued by penalties and ultimately they punted on a fourth and 11. The punt was blocked by Desmond Campbell and Shannaan Dawda recovered the ball in the end zone for a Bethel touchdown at the 3:15 mark of the third period. Bethel attempted a two-point conversion which was batted down and now led 20-15.

Bethel’s good fortune continued as the short kick was recovered by the Cats and they began an offensive possession which took the remainder of the third period, but after one play where Dearmon was sacked for a big loss, the Cats punted the ball out at the 23-yard line.

Lambuth and Bethel swapped possessions twice and then Lambuth took over at their own 20 with 7:27 remaining in the game. On the first play, Sturdivant’s pass was intercepted by Ben Carmack. Six plays later at the 4:59 mark, Dearmon’s pass to O’Neal was good for six and the PAT blocked by Lambuth. Bethel now led 26-15.

Sturdivant again took to the air and Darren Adderly intercepted for the Cats and returned the ball to the 15. Facing fourth and eight, Dearmon passed the ball to Carmack for the touchdown at the 3:29 mark and Ostermann’s kick was good to put the Cats up 33-15.

Lambuth then put together a solid offensive movement on short passes as they tried to manage the time and somehow gain a victory. Ultimately with six completions, Sturdivant made the 80-yard trek to pay dirt on a completion to Antonio Rhodes. The two-point conversion pass was unsuccessful and Bethel now led 33-21.

The onsides kick was recovered by Lambuth, at the Bethel 49, but four failed passes later the Cats took over and after Terrance Bell gained just over nine yards on two carries, Dearmon converted on third and inches and then took a knee to end the competition.
 
     
 

War Eagles Dominate Tigers in Regional Victory

 
  
By Pat Cole
pcole@mckenziebanner.com
 
The West Carroll War Eagles continued to dominate regional opponents as they picked up a final regional victory at Halls last Friday night. The 50-14 victory was decided early in the game as the War Eagles landed in Halls, took a 29-0 lead after one and improved to 43-6 by intermission. The Tigers were unable to recover and although each team added a touchdown in the final period, the game was decided early.

Halls won the toss but elected to defer offensive possession until the second half. The War Eagles were quick to make them regret the decision as Chancy DePriest took the ball 90 yards to pay dirt and scored with 11:20 remaining in the first period. The two-point conversion was no good as West Carroll took a 6-0 lead.

DePriest kicked the ball out of bounds and the Tigers took over at their own 35. However, even with the good field position, the Tigers were unable to gain any yardage. On first down, Dustin Seay and Kenny Brewer held the runner to minus five yards. On second down, Brewer held the gain to three and on third down, Brandon Carter broke through and sacked quarterback Leamond Arthur for a loss of 12. On fourth down, the ball was punted to Jeremiah Johnson who signaled for a fair catch at the War Eagle 41.

DePriest took the ball for a first down at the Tiger 47. Ethan Thompson gained 12, down to the Tiger 35 and DePriest was held for no gain. Kevin Gentile took the ball to the Tiger 22 and Halls called a timeout. Thompson picked up a yard, Gentile gained four and then Gentile took the ball to the eight for first down. On first and goal, DePriest needed a second effort, but scored and with a two-point conversion run by Thompson, West Carroll took a 14-0 lead at the 5:34 mark.

The Tigers received the ball and returned it to the 25 where Karl Erwin made the tackle. On the first play from scrimmage, Jeff Lynch and Josh Daniels attempted a reverse, but ran into each other; the ball was fumbled and recovered by Seay. Daniels was injured on the play.

With the ball at the Halls 20, the War Eagles quickly scored their third touchdown of the night. Gentile took the ball on a shuffle pass and picked up seven yards. Thompson gained two more and then Gentile took the ball down to the Halls one-yard line. A pass from quarterback Chris Cannon to Carter brought six and DePriest scored on a run to the end zone to take a 22-0 lead at the 3:30 mark.

The returned to the Halls 45 was stopped by Cannon. On first down, Seay held the advance to a yard and a pass netted three yards before the tackle by Gentile. On third and six, a pass was overthrown and the Tigers were again punting the ball which rolled out of bounds at the War Eagle 21.

Thompson picked up three yards and DePriest moved for a first down at the 34. Thompson was held for a loss of one as the first quarter concluded. Gentile took the ball for six and DePriest for three. Needing only three yards, the War Eagles decided to go for the first down, but a motion penalty changed their minds and DePriest punted the ball which was downed at the 33. A roughing the kicker penalty however returned possession to West Carroll and DePriest quickly moved from the Halls 48 to its 21 for a first down. Gentile picked up seven and seven more, down to the Halls five. On first and goal, Gentile took the ball into the end zone and the PAT kick by Johnson gave West Carroll a 29-0 lead at the 8:46 mark.

The Tigers received the kick and returned the ball to their own 33 where Erwin made the tackle. Despite the efforts of Jason Lott, Eric Underwood, Erwin and Bradley Coleman, who held the advance to a yard and nothing, with the Tigers facing a third and nine they took a timeout. Arthur then threw a 66-yard pass to Chaseton Dudas and the Tigers were on the board at the 7:18 mark. The PAT was blocked by B.J. Reyes and West Carroll now led 29-6.

The War Eagles were quick to respond to the touchdown. Johnson took the ball on the kickoff and ran it back to the Halls 17. Gentile gained six yards and then Cannon passed the ball to Thompson in the end zone for the responding touchdown. Johnson again kicked the PAT and West Carroll led 36-6.

DePriest kicked the ball into the end zone, giving the Tigers the ball at their own 20-yard line. Once again the Tigers had some success. Coleman and Erwin held the advance to a yard and Carter held to a loss of two, but a pass from Arthur to Lynch netted a first down at the Halls 47. Another pass was incomplete, but the War Eagles were flagged for interference and the ball moved to West Carroll’s 37. A pass was incomplete as Arthur was rushed by Carter and on second and ten more pressure on Arthur resulted in another incompletion. On a reverse play, Cody Cunningham, Lott and Carter held the advance to the loss of six. A fourth down pass was incomplete and the War Eagles took over at their own 43.

Gentile took the ball down to the Halls 49 and then ran off tackle to the right to score at the 2:33 mark. Johnson remained perfect on PAT’s and the War Eagles now held a 43-6 advantage.

The Tigers Carter held the initial advance to four and then incomplete passes resulted in a punt to the War Eagle 43. Two plays and two yards later, the half ended.

During intermission, the Halls Marching Tigers presented their competitive show. The Marching War Eagles had traveled to Murfreesboro that afternoon to prepare for their presentation at the Division I Band Championship.

The third quarter was plagued with neither team scoring. The War Eagles made some substitutions. Troy Simmons held the kickoff return at the 33. Cody Wilson and Joe Gentile held the advance to five and Seay to seven. J. Gentile held the gain to four and Wilson and Carlos Martinez held the advance at the West Carroll 32. J. Gentile held to minus three yards and Brewer to another minus three. Facing third and 22, Arthur was rushed and the pass was incomplete. The ball was punted into the end zone and the War Eagles took over at their own 20.

Thompson picked up six yards and Johnson gained two. Johnson picked up seven more and had first down at the 35. Johnson gained two more, but was held to a loss of one. On third and nine, Wade Holladay took the ball for gain of eight and an injury delayed the game for some time while Halls Chris Littles was taken to the hospital by ambulance. Facing a fourth and one at their own 44, Thompson got the nod and the first down at the Halls 46. Lamarr Dixon swept right for two and Trent Gateley took over at quarterback. The War Eagles were flagged twice for illegal procedure and faced second and 18 at their own 46. Dixon gained 14 and J. Gentle was held for no gain. Facing fourth and four, Dixon took the ball right and was held short. Halls took over at its own 40.

The Tigers managed to pick up nine yards as the third quarter concluded. On the first play of the fourth period, Arthur’s pass to Dudas was good for a first down at the War Eagle 17. Reyes and Alex McAlexander held the advance to two and Simmons held the advance to five more. The War Eagles were tagged for motion and on first down at the War Eagle five, West Carroll was tagged again and the ball moved to the one. Terry Crihfield took the ball right and into the end zone at the 9:09 mark and Lynch scored on the two-point conversion as Halls narrowed the margin to 43-14.

Once again, the War Eagles were quick to respond. DePriest took the kickoff and returned the ball to the War Eagle 39. On first down, Simmons took the ball and rushed 61 yards to the end zone for the score. Johnson finished the night with his fourth PAT on four tries and West Carroll now led 50-14.

Halls took offensive possession and through the defensive efforts from Holladay, McAlexander, Jonathan Bell, Torey Strickland, Joseph Thompson, Gateley and J. Gentile, the Tigers managed to get the ball down to their own 41 where the ball was turned over on downs.

West Carroll’s final offensive effort managed to return the ball down to the Halls 48, but Halls had the final two offensive plays of the night and gained another four yards.

This Friday night, the War Eagles will host Perry County from Region 7-A in playoff action. They defeated the Vikings earlier in the year and should be able to post a second victory to advance and host round two the following Friday. Game time will be 7:00 p.m.
 
     
 

Mustangs Complete Season with Hard Fought Victory over Rebels

 
  
By Pat Cole
pcole@mckenziebanner.com
 

Chris Donald attempts to pick up yardage with Cody Cook coming from behind and Julian Tucker coming in from the side.

Friday’s game between the Rebels and Mustangs was perhaps the most competitive played between the two in many years. Neither team gave up, nor took for granted a definite win or loss possibility. The teams battled throughout the entire game which was played with good sportsmanship and tenacity.

The outcome of the game did not affect the playoff spots for the two teams. Win or lose, the Mustangs were going to finish first. The Rebels could have been assured a third place with a victory, but with a Riverside loss to Adamsville, third place was assured anyway. Huntingdon gained first offensive opportunities and after an onsides kick by John Kermit Laughrey was taken by Marcus Beal at the Stangs 47, needed only six plays to reach the end zone.

Junior Phillip “Boo” Weathers quickly moved the ball down to the Rebel 37 where he was stopped by Julian Tucker. Sophomore Chris Donald ran for gains of six and two with Alex Masullo on the second tackle. Quarterback Cody Crocker held for the first down at the 26 with a host of Rebels holding the line. Weathers was hit by Randy Lacey after a gain of nine and by Lacey and Clint Anderson at the 13 where he had first down. Weathers was then held at the four by Justin Gilbert before Donald made his way into the end zone for the first score at the 9:21 mark. Scott Hampton’s PAT kick was good and Huntingdon led 7-0.

The Rebels began their first series with good movement. Lacey took the kick to the Rebel 27 where he was stopped by Josh Noles. Cody Cook took the ball up the middle and broke a couple of tackles before he was finally stopped by Donald at the 45. A motion penalty moved the ball back fie yards and two incomplete passes from quarterback Drew Hayes followed. Facing third and 15, Hayes found Anderson who picked up a first down at the Mustang 44. A holding penalty against the Big Red moved the ball back five and Cook was held for no gain by Brandon Snyder. A pass to Lacey netted 10 yards before he was stopped by Snyder and Donald and a pass to Greg Pruitt was good for four more with Hampton on the tackle. Cook reached the 33 for the first down before he was stopped by Cale Belew. Cook was held to a gain of one by Hunter Hastings, Belew and Beal. A pass was incomplete and a pass to Tucker was incomplete as the Stangs declined a penalty against McKenzie. With the ball at the Mustangs 32, the Rebels tried a pass which was incomplete and the Stangs took over on downs.

The Big Red defense stepped up a notch and held the Stangs to no gain and actually pushed them back six yards. Donald was held for no gain up the middle as the Rebel line held. On second down, Donald gained three as Tucker and James Horton made the stop. Crocker was held for a loss of four by Ryan Jones and after a delay of game penalty on the punt formation, the ball was punted to the Rebel 40.

Cook picked up a first down at the Huntingdon 45 before he was stopped by Hampton and then two passes were fired to Anderson, with the second gaining three yards before the stop by Hampton as the first quarter ended. A motion penalty against the Stangs gave the Rebels five yards and Cook took the ball for no gain as Beal made the stop. Cook rolled right and was stopped by Hampton, but not until he reached the Stangs 36 for the first down. An incomplete pass was followed by a fumble with Huntingdon’s Snyder recovering at the Stangs 38.

Hampton took the ball and dodged several Rebel defenders on a 62-yard run to pay dirt at the 10:32 mark. The PAT hit the right upright as Huntingdon took a 13-0 lead.

Glenn Smith took the kick and returned the ball to the Rebel 26 where Snyder made the tackle. A pass to Smith was good for five before Jerry McClerkin, Cody Baker and Snyder made the stop. Cook was stopped for no gain by Hastings and Donald and a pass to Lacey brought no gain as Weathers made the stop. The ball was punted to Hampton who returned the ball to the 41 before Anderson made the stop.

Weathers rushed for two and Hampton for six with Ben Boyd and Lacey making the respective stops. On third and two, Crocker passed the ball and it was intercepted by Lacey and returned to the Stangs 28.

This time the Rebels would not be denied a trip to the end zone. A pass to Pruitt resulted in a first down as he avoided several tackles on his way to the 15. Cook rushed left for nine before he was stopped by Hastings and then right into the end zone from six yards out. The PAT by Laughrey was good and the Stangs now led 13-7 at the 5:04 mark.

McKenzie attempted another onsides kick and Crocker took the kick on a fair catch signal. He then tried to run with the ball resulting in a penalty that placed the ball at the 30-yard line. It made no difference overall as the Stangs quickly moved the ball down the field. Weathers was stopped by Boyd after a first down run and by a host of defenders as he made his way to the 42. Weathers was hit by Shawn Luna after a gain of seven and by Boyd after a gain of two more. Weathers moved for a first down at the Rebel 45 before he was hit by Boyd and Lacey. Donald then took the ball, shook a couple of tackles and high-stepped his way to the end zone at the 2:06 mark. The conversion was stopped short and Huntingdon held a 19-7 advantage.

After receiving the kickoff, the Rebels Hayes passed the ball to Tucker for a first down. After a couple of incomplete passes, he found Lacey for a gain of seven with a flag negating five of those yards and then incomplete passes to end the half.

During intermission, the hometown crowd was entertained by both the Marching Rebels and Marching Mustangs who presented their competitive shows for one last time before the Division I State Championship at Murfreesboro on Saturday. Both bands were received with good applause.

The second half began at the 35 for the Rebels as the ball was kicked out of bounds. The possession was a quick one as Cook was held to three yards by Desmond Townes and Donald and Hayes threw two incomplete passes. The Stangs took over at their own 34 where Hayes punt rolled dead.

Donald was held to a single yard by Luna. Hampton rolled right and was able to gain the first down at the Stangs 45 before he was stopped by Boyd and Luna. Donald had the ball knocked loose on the next run and Tucker recovered for the Rebels at the McKenzie 43.

Cook ran for gains of four, four and a first down at the Stangs 46. A pass to Lacey brought three yards before Baker knocked him out of bounds. Cook was held for a loss of six by Donald and a pass to Lacey was long and incomplete. Hayes punted the ball into the end zone and the Stangs took over at their own 20-yard line.

Weathers ran for three with Tucker and Lacey on the stop. Weathers then rushed down the field from right to left and scored at the 6:36 mark, but a penalty on the Stangs negated the scored and brought the ball back for second and nine at the 21. Weathers was stopped by Anderson and Boyd after a gain of one and a pass to Hampton was stopped by Pruitt. A penalty on the Stangs was declined and Drew Kelley came in to punt the ball to the Stangs 47.

The defensive line stepped up as Beal and Cedric Harris found Hayes behind the line of scrimmage and sacked him for a loss of seven. After two incomplete passes, Hayes punted and the Stangs took over at their own 20-yard line.

Weathers was held to one by Pruitt and Donald to one by Anderson. Hampton picked up eight before he was stopped by Luna and the Stangs punted to the McKenzie 43.

Hayes found Anderson for a gain of eight before he was run out of bounds by McClerkin. Cook rushed for one and then a first down at the Rebel 45 with stops by J.P. Powell and Hastings on the first run and Donald on the second. A pass to Lacey brought a gain of nine before Noles and McClerkin made the stop. Cook moved right to the 34 before he was brought down by Donald. A pass was long and incomplete and then Cook moved up the middle for five before he was stopped by Maurice Williams as the third quarter ended. With the ball at the Stangs 39, Cook moved up the middle for no gain as Cliff Bush and Kegan Ball moved in for the tackle. A pass was completed to Lacey for a first down at the two before Baker ran him out of bounds and at the 10:22 mark, Cook walked into the end zone untouched for the touchdown. The kick by Laughrey was good and Huntingdon’s lead was 19-14.

The kick was out of bounds and the Stangs took over at their own 35. Weathers moved the ball for a yard with Tucker on the stop. Weathers then found running room and was ultimately run out of bounds by Lacey and Tucker at the 49. Donald gained three and two with Boyd leading the defensive attack and Weathers was stopped at the 37 by Lacey, Jones and Masullo. Weathers moved for four with Lacey on the tackle. A motion penalty negated the gain and Weathers then jumped over one Rebel defender to gain four before Lacey made the tackle. Weathers reached the 20 before Anderson made the tackle and Donald the eight before Boyd made the stop. Cook held Donald to just over seven and Crocker took the ball into the end zone at the 4:45 mark. Hampton’s PAT was good and Huntingdon now led 26-14.

Lacey received the kick and returned the ball to the McKenzie 32 where Snyder, Baker and Noles made the tackle. An incomplete pass was followed by one to Anderson who was stopped by Weathers for a loss of one. A pass to Anderson was good for six before Weathers, Hastings and Brent Taylor held. Hayes pass to Lacey was good, but McClerkin made the stop at the 44 where the Rebels had the first down. Another pass to Lacey was good, but a penalty pushed the ball back 15 yards. An incomplete pass was followed by one to Pruitt for a gain of 11 and then a pass was intercepted by Donald to end the Rebels offensive movement for the night.

Huntingdon completed the game by running out the final 2:39 as Donald picked up four and Weathers was stopped with a face mask penalty moving the ball down to the 44. Donald was held by Lacey after a gain of seven and by Anderson after a gain of nine. Townes ran the final play with Luna on the stop.

Following the game, Coach Wade Comer stated his pride in his team’s efforts again the Mustangs while Coach Mike Mansfield praised both teams on a hard-fought game. This Friday night, the Rebels will travel to Cheatham County and attempt to knock the Cubs out of the playoffs while the Stangs will host the Loretta Mustangs at Paul Ward Stadium. Both games will begin at 7:00 p.m.

 
     
Other news stories exclusively in the print edition:
      
 
  • Playoffs Begin Friday
  • Senior Leadership Key as Wildcats Seek KIAC Championship
  • Wildcat Men's Soccer Team Upsets Asbury College
  • Central Tigers Survive Gleason Comeback, Win 30-27
     
     
     
        

Phone (731) 352-3323 or Fax (731) 352-3322
washburn@mckenziebanner.com

 


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