Junior High Splits Games With Senatobia
The Tuesday, October 6, junior high and junior varsity football games got a change of venue as the field conditions at Senatobia High School forced the three games to be moved to Clark Field. The home field advantage proved to be beneficial to the eighth grade and junior varsity Blue Devils as they both came away with impressive victories over the visiting 4A Senatobia Warriors.
However, the 7th Graders were forced to learn a lesson about turnovers and points off turnovers as they suffered their first career defeat at the hands of the visitors.
First, in the 7th grade game, the Warriors overcame an 8-to-0 halftime deficit to rally back for a 12-to-8 second half victory. In the first half, the Blue Devils got on the board early with a Deon Hilliard touchdown run that was setup by a long pass from Quarterback Brandon Bounds to Wide Receiver Thomas Johnson. Running Back Elijah Rogers added the 2-point conversion.
In the second half, a crucial mid-field Blue Devil fumble setup the Warriors with great field position. It looked as if the Blue Devils’ defense, led by Linebacker Dee McNeal with four total tackles, would stand strong, but facing third and long, a fumble was picked up by a Warrior offensive lineman and he scampered 42-yards to the Blue Devil four-yard line.
The Warriors wasted no time as they scored on a long trap play. Their 2-point try was no good. With the lead, the Blue Devils put together an impressive rushing attack to try to run out the clock led by impressive power runs by Bounds. However, another mid-field fumble would result in another Warrior touchdown on a long trap play. Again, the 7th Grade Blue Devils would show resiliency as they passed and rushed their way to the Red Zone, but there was not enough clock left for a comeback. This team’s record falls to (5-1) in 2009.
The 8th grade Blue Devils would continue their lifetime undefeated streak this night, but not without a hard fought effort by the visiting Warriors. On their second offensive possession, the combined rushing attack of Cortaveus Hawkins, Hunter Stanford, and K.J. Lee would get the Blue Devils down to the one-yard line to allow Stanford to punch it in for the first score of the night. Lee added an impressive two-point power run of his own to give the Devils and 8-0 lead.
The Warriors wasted no time as they had a timely kickoff return to midfield and then a 40-yard run through strong B-Gap that set them up with First and Goal at the 3-yard line. They quickly punched it in, however the Blue Devil Defense responded by thwarting their 2-point try. This would be the last time the Warriors would reach the endzone on the night. The Defense, led by Defensive End Lee Mitchell with 5 total tackles and 2 for loss and Safety E.J. Bounds also with 5 tackles, would not allow the Warriors to reach the red zone again as well.
The 8th grade offense would again reach the endzone in the second half as Bounds connected with tight end James Washington for a 43-yard touchdown pass. The try would be no good. The Blue Devils would put the game out of reach with a 56-yard Hawkins rushing TD, however a block in the back call would negate the score. The Blue Devils would run out the clock by taking a Victory kneel regardless and improve their record to (6-0).
The Junior Varsity Blue Devils captured their first victory of the 2009 campaign by defeating the Warriors 14-12 in overtime in the nightcap contest. The game would be a defensive struggle through the first three and a half quarters of play. Defensive Tackle James Harris led the efforts with 5 total tackles and 2 for a loss. Running Back Jarvis Carson, back from injury, made his presence known as he helped the Devils move the ball up and down the field.
Late in the game, missed tackles on the perimeter enabled the Warriors to reach the endzone for a 6-0 lead. The Blue Devils wasted no time in responding as Running Back Greg Hervey took the kickoff return 67-yards.
The P.A.T. was no good and the game proceeded to overtime. In overtime, Jarvis Carson got the Devils to the 1-yard line and Quarterback Matt Dalton punched it in, thanks to the offensive line surge. Carson would add the two-point Conversion on a sideline run.
The Devils JV Defense, again plagued by poor perimeter tackling, gave up a score on 3rd and goal, but would make an impressive stand on the two-point try to preserve the victory and improve to (1-1) in 2009.
