By Jim Steele steele@mckenziebanner.com

NEWBERN - When looking at McKenzie's 36-26 victory over Dyer County here Friday night, one might think about that old adage about the glass being half full or half empty.
The non-region battle was certainly a game about halves. McKenzie was dominant in the opening 24 minutes and just sort of mailed in its performance in the second 24.
But the Rebels did post a win and that was a good remedy after bowing to Camden last week.
I thought we came out ready to play and we played well in the first half," said McKenzie coach Wade Comer. "In the second half, we got complacent and let up."
The Rebels posted a 29-7 lead at the half and extended it to 36-7, thanks to four TD passes from junior quarterback Drew Hayes, three to senior receiver Randy Lacey. Hayes' four TD tosses and Lacey's three TD receptions tied single-game school records. Hayes was 18-25 for 215 yards and an interception. Lacey caught six passes for 128 yards.
The Rebel aerial assault took effect early after senior MHS defensive lineman Shawn Luna recovered a DC fumble. Five plays and 29 yards later, Hayes found Glenn "Bugs" Smith for a 5-yard TD pass, Smith's first, and the Rebels were up 7-0, after John Kermit Laughrey's PAT kick.
McKenzie was in a rhythm. Despite an 81-yard DC hookup between Nick Moody and David Blurton, which briefly tied the score, McKenzie imposed its will in the first half.
"We threw the ball real well early," Comer said. "And we ran the ball well, which opened up the pass."
With 1:29 to play in the first quarter, Hayes found Lacey for a 10-yard TD pass and McKenzie led 14-7.
Dyer County took its next possession and drove it down to the McKenzie 19 when MHS defensive coach David Duncan called time out to give an inspired speech to his stoppers. Whatever he said, it worked. The Rebels halted the incursion and rolled 12 plays and 86 yards to the end zone, ending in a 33-yard scoring strike to Lacey. Using the "swinging gate" play on the PAT, Hayes hit senior Cody Cook, who used the wall in front of him, to walk into the end zone for the two-pointer.
On the ensuing kickoff, Laughrey lofted the ball straight up in the air and into the waiting bread basket of Clint Anderson and McKenzie had the ball back. On the next play, Hayes led Lacey for a 43-yard TD bomb and a 29-7 lead. Laughrey kicked the second of his four PATs and that was the difference at the half.
McKenzie got back on the board mid way in the third. Cook scored on a 6-yard run with 4:50 to play in the third. The Rebels led 36-7.
One of two things happened next. Either the Rebels hit the snooze button or the Choctaws turned on the switch, but DC scored 19 unanswered points to draw within 10.
Super DC sophomore Andre Flowers, who had 203 yards against Gibson County last week, punched in from the 2 with 1:31 to play in the third. The PAT kick failed and MHS held a 36-13 lead.
With 10:41 to play, Flowers scored again from the 1 with 10:41 left in the game. Dylan Cupples added the extra point and the Choctaws were within two scores.
With 7:11 to play, Flowers dashed 43 yards for the final TD of the night. The run failed, but the Choctaws were within 10. Flowers finished with 17 carries for 99 yards.
McKenzie drove down to the Choctaw 1 when time expired.
"We have to play four quarters and we can't get complacent," said Comer. "When we got complacent, things went sour. We have to grow up and play better."
DC's comeback concerned the coach.
"They made a run at us," said Comer. "Not to take anything away from them, but we let them back in it."
Cook had 19 carries for 140 yards.
"We ran the ball well tonight," the coach said. "When we got to run the ball, it opened up the pass. In the first half, we were clicking, but then we lost focus."
The Rebels are 2-1 and 0-1 in region in Region 6-2A. They have a pivotal regional game at Adamsville this week. Kickoff is 7:30 Friday night.

By Jim Steele steele@mckenziebanner.com

Ole Miss linebacker Patrick Willis, a former Mr. Football winner from Hollow Rock-Bruceton Central High School, collected five total tackles against Alabama last Saturday night, in a game that was televised on ESPN.
Willis, who wears No. 49, had three solo stops and two assists in the Rebels' 28-7 loss at Tuscaloosa.
This Saturday, Ole Miss hosts Vanderbilt for an 11:30 a.m. start. The game will be televised on the Jefferson Pilot Network as the SEC game of the week. It can be seen locally on WJKT in Jackson, which locally is Channel 9.

By Pat Cole pcole@mckenziebanner.com

Everyone was aware of the improved ball club from Lexington. Many thought this might be the game of the season and certainly would be the game of the week. Throughout the week preceding the match-up between these two longtime rivals, fans from both towns were predicting the outcome as the two teams met with perfect records in week three of the regular season. In the end, the defending Class AA champions persevered and gained the victory although they had a sluggish first half of offense and struggled slightly on defense.
The Tigers won the toss and elected to receive the opening possession. Hunter Hastings promptly kicked the ball into the end zone and the Tigers took over at their own 20-yard line. The Tigers seemed to be on a roll as they began to drive the ball downfield. Jonathan Deberry picked up seven yards and was stopped by Scott Hampton. A pass to Blake Booth brought a first down at the 40 before Desmond Townes made the tackle. Cedric Fields then picked up a gain of three with Marcus Beal on the stop. Cale Belew and Drew Kelley held Fields for a loss of two and quarterback Ty Evans went to the air. Phillip “Boo” Weathers timed the pass just right, jumped into the air and came down with the interception, giving the Stangs possession at their own 44.
The Mustangs then began a march of their own, with Weathers running left for eight and back to the middle for the first down at the Lexington 43. Kegan Ball moved right for seven and Weathers right for another first down. As Weathers again took the ball, he was tripped in the backfield for a loss of three. J.P. Powell took the ball for a gain of one and then Weathers took the ball for three. Facing fourth and nine deep in Tiger Territory, the Stangs Cody Crocker reached back and passed the ball to Weathers in the end zone, but a holding penalty negated the touchdown and brought the ball back. Jorge Perez punted to the Lexington 20.
Fields was stopped by Jerry McClerkin, Drew Smith and Chris Donald after a gain of seven. Deberry was stopped at the 30 by Hastings and Cliff Bush. A first down pass was incomplete, but a pass to Gary McDaniel was good, only to be negated on a Lexington penalty. Another pass to Booth was good for a gain of eight and a third down pass was deflected by Donald. The ball was punted to Weathers who returned the ball to the Stangs 47.
Donald took the ball for a gain of seven and then a first down. A fumbled was recovered by Lexington at the Stangs 48. A pass to Kenny Parker was good for two before Towns made the tackle. Fields was stopped by Donald as the first quarter ended. Facing third and two, Evans was stopped by Hastings and the Tigers took a timeout. Fields then took the ball for a first down at the 35 before Donald made the tackle. Fields ran again for a loss of one with Hastings and Donald on the tackle. A pass to Kevis Buckley brought a touchdown at the 10:29 mark of the second period. Initially, the ball was called back due to a flag in the backfield, but ultimately it was determined the touchdown was good and Robert Southerland came in to attempt the PAT. It was wide left, leaving the Tigers leading 6-0.
Powell received the kickoff and returned the ball to the 24. Weathers moved left for five, Ball up the middle for two and right for first down at the 35. A pass to Townes was good for first down at the 45. Donald was held for no gain, Weathers gained five and then one. Facing fourth and four, Weathers took the ball, jumped over one defender and almost had the first down, but the Tigers took over just over their 35.
Fields was stopped by Donald, Smith and Townes after a gain of four. A pass was incomplete and Evans moved right for a loss of five by Donald. A delay of game penalty threw the Tigers back another five yards and they punted to Weathers at the 4:46 mark. Huntingdon took over at its own 31 and quickly hit pay dirt. Weathers gained two and a pass to Weathers gained the first down at the 46. Ball moved up the middle for three, Hampton picked up a first down at the Tiger 39. Crocker was sacked for a loss of three, but a pass to Hampton gained six and Weathers moved left to the Tiger 28. At that point, Donald found running room and moved into the end zone at the 1:46 mark. Donald put the ball into the end zone a second time for the two-point conversion and the Stangs held an 8-6 advantage.
After Fields received the ball he was stopped at his own 30 by Tony Nellett, Brandon Snyder, Ball, Derrick Johnson and Beal. A pass was good for nine before Buckley was stopped by McClerkin. Evans attempted another pass and for a second time, Weathers had the ball timed just right and intercepted for the Stangs.
With the ball at the Lexington 46, the Stangs attempted to improve their margin before intermission. Donald picked up three yards on first and second down. A fumble was recovered by Lexington and with 27.7 seconds remaining in the half, Evans took a knee.
During intermission, the Marching Mustangs and Marching Tigers presented their competitive show to the home crowd and received great applause.
The second half began with a bang for the Stangs as Hampton received the opening kickoff and returned the ball to the opposite end of the field (85 yards) in 15 seconds. With 11:45 remaining in the third quarter, the conversion attempt was no good and the Stangs held a 14-6 advantage.
Having had the benefit of an intermission and an opportunity for instruction by the coaching staff, the Stangs defensive unit showed marked improvement. Kelley held Fields to a single yard and a pass was incomplete. Evans threw the ball away as he was hit hard by Hastings on third down and Hampton received the punt and returned the ball to the 15.
Offensively, the Stangs were still a little sluggish. Although they picked up a first down on the efforts of Donald, they were held to only five more yards after reaching the three-yard line.
Lexington took over at its own five-yard line and after only three plays with no gain, punted the ball out at their own 35-yard line. This time the Stangs would not be denied another score. Donald gained two and five yards, but was held to no gain on third down. Weathers moved left and had the first down at the five. Weathers picked up a yard but was then held for a loss of a yard on second down. With the ball back at the five, Donald took the ball up the middle for a gain of four and was shaken on the play. He ultimately walked off the field on his own power, but did not return to the game. Facing fourth and one, Crocker held and crossed the plane before being pushed back. He was awarded the touchdown and at the 3:07 mark, Huntingdon led 20-6.
After swapping possessions, the Tigers again had the ball and accumulated negative yardage, first on a motion penalty, then Evans was sacked by Beal. Finally reaching fourth down and needing 20 yards, the Tigers punted the ball to Cody Baker, who signaled for a fair catch with 7:54 remaining in the game.
Weathers needed only three carries to reach the end zone, After picking up five yards on first down and one on second, he broke loose for a 62-yard run to pay dirt. Weathers then moved into the end zone again for the two-point conversion and the Stangs had a 28-6 advantage at the 6:20 mark.
The Tigers had two more possession as did the Stangs, with no more scoring by either team.
This week, the Stangs will host Chester County as they celebrate homecoming at Paul Ward Stadium. Game time will be at 7:30 with homecoming ceremonies preceding the game.

By Pat Cole pcole@mckenziebanner.com

West Carroll’s War Eagles soared over their Memphis opponent in a non-regional game last Friday night at War Eagle Stadium as they celebrated homecoming. Improving to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in regional play, the War Eagles quickly put the Chargers in a hole, allowing younger players to gain experience while resting starters for a more competitive game. Twenty-six first quarter points came at the hands of quarterback Chris Cannon (15-yard run) and fellow seniors Jeremiah Johnson, who returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown and Chancey DePriest who intercepted a Charger pass and returned it for a 39-yard touchdown run. Add two PAT’s by Johnson and a 24-yard run by Troy Simmons, who led the team in rushing yardage for the night, and West Carroll proved to be more than a formidable opponent.
The War Eagles won the toss and elected to receive the opening offensive possession. Johnson took the ball and returned it eight yards, to the War Eagle 29. Kevin Gentile took the ball off tackle to the 48 for a first down. Cannon fumbled and recovered the ball for a loss of two, followed by another big run by Gentile for a first down at the Charger 32. Ethan Thompson gained a first down at the 15 and Cannon put the War Eagles on the scoreboard at the 10:02 mark on a run to the end zone. DePriest attempted the PAT, but it was wide to the right, leaving West Carroll with a 6-0 advantage.
DePriest kicked the ball to the Charger 24 where it was fumbled, but recovered. On first down, Bradley Coleman and Kenny Brewer held the advance to no gain while Brewer stopped the run after a gain of three on second down. Facing third and seven, the Chargers attempted a pass which was incomplete and facing fourth and seven, punted the ball to the West Carroll 49 where it rolled dead.
The War Eagles had little success on their brief possession as the ball was fumbled on the first down play and recovered by Catholic at their own 35.
The Chargers were held to an overall loss of five yards with good defensive play from DePriest and Dustin Seay. After another incomplete pass, the Chargers punted the ball to Johnson who returned it 65 yards for the touchdown at the 6:28 mark. Johnson then attempted his first PAT and nailed it to put the War Eagles up 13-0.
DePriest kicked the ball to the Charger 17 and it was returned to the 33 where Wade Holladay made the stop. Tony Wyatt held the advance to a loss of three. DePriest read the next play just right, intercepted the pass and took the ball 39 yards to the end zone. At the 5:29 mark, Johnson attempted his second PAT and again nailed it to put West Carroll up 20-0.
DePriest kicked the ball to the Memphis 28, but a holding call placed the ball at the 18 where the Chargers took another try at gaining yardage. On first down, Wyatt, Cody Cunningham and Brandon Carter held the advance to a loss of three. Brewer held for no gain and on third down, a pass was broken up by Joe Gentile. The ball was punted to the West Carroll J. Gentile who returned it to the War Eagle 40 yard line. An offsides penalty on the Chargers moved the ball to the 45. Lamarr Dixon moved the ball for a first down at the Memphis 35. Seay took the ball to the 29 and Wade Holladay rushed the ball to the Memphis 24. Troy Simmons then took the ball into the end zone on a 24-yard run. The PAT was blocked, leaving the War Eagles with a 26-0 lead at the 2:00 mark of the first period.
The Chargers began to move the ball at the first quarter ended despite the defensive efforts of the War Eagles. Seay and Holladay stopped the return at the 32. Simmons held the gain to a yard and J. Gentile held the gain to five. Facing third and four, the Chargers were penalized for delay of game. As the second period began, a pass was good for a first down at the War Eagles 17 before the stop by Holladay. B.J. Reyes held the advance to a loss of three and then another pass was good for a first down before the stop by J. Gentile. With the ball at the three, the War Eagles were penalized for pass interference. Michael Cantier then made the run to the end zone as Catholic narrowed the lead to 26-6 at the 8:33 mark. The kick was blocked.
Johnson received the kickoff and returned the ball to the Charger 45 where he was stopped. Holladay ran for a gain of seven and Seay took the ball to the Memphis 34 for a first down. Simmons gained a first down at the Catholic 18 and after a time-out by the Chargers, J. Gentile picked up four yards. Facing second and six, Dixon took the ball to the three. Quarterback Trent Gateley took the ball into the end zone for the touchdown at the 5:24 mark. The PAT was blocked. West Carroll led 32-6.
Good defensive play by Tyler Shaw, Holladay, and Brewer, along with several incomplete passes, turned the ball back to the War Eagles at their own 20 yard line. J. Gentile picked up seven and Seay a first down at the 41. Carlos Martinez took the ball for again of three and again for a loss of two as the half ended.
During intermission, the home fans were entertained by the Marching War Eagles.
Catholic had the first offensive possession of the second half. Defensively, the War Eagles were led by Holladay, Mic Breeden, Frankie Tidwell, and J. Gentile, but at the 5:09 mark, the Chargers again entered the end zone on a two-yard run by Cantier with James Ufeu getting the two-point conversion. West Carroll now led 32-14.
Seay received the kick and returned the ball to the War Eagle 40. Holladay swept right for a gain of eight and Seay was held to a loss of two. Dixon picked up the first down at the Memphis 39. Simmons gained one and Seay picked up a first down at the 26. Holladay rushed to the 22 and Simmons to the 15 as the third quarter concluded. Gateley faked the handoff and passed the ball to the end zone where it was picked off by Memphis and returned to the seven-yard line.
As the Chargers took over, Porter received a pass from Ufeu and ran 97 yards to the end zone. The run failed, but the War Eagles now led 32-20.
DePriest took the kick and returned it to the Memphis 46. Dixon was held to a loss on first down while Gateley picked up the lost yardage and a first down on a 22-yard gain. Seay took the ball to the 23 while Holladay gained three more. Simmons took the ball to the 14 and then the seven. After another gain of one, Simmons ran off tackle, fumbled the ball in the end zone and J. Gentile recovered for the touchdown at the 4:52 mark. The two-point conversion was no good, but West Carroll led 40-20.
The War Eagles ended the last Catholic possession when Holladay intercepted a pass at the 35-yard line. They then picked up 53 yards before taking a knee to end the contest.
This week, the War Eagles travel to Gleason for a regional contest and can expect another physical encounter with the Bulldogs.

2004 Sports Archives:

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2001 Sports Archives:

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07-18-01 07-25-01 08-01-01 08-08-01 08-15-01 08-22-01

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