Wednesday, September 5, 2001
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Wednesday, September 5, 2001 |
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Back with a bang Teams show promise in first game, still have lots of work to do
By MICHAEL
BOYLAN
The high school football seaon began for most teams last Friday and several teams strted it off with a win. Fayette County High School defeated McIntosh 21-3 in the driving rain. The game began with the Tigers marching down the field and establishing a running game with big runs from Corey Burton and Matt Owens. Burton punched in a one yard touchdown run but the team could not convert the extra point. McIntosh got the ball and marched down the field with their running game. The Chiefs got big runs from Tex Fulp and Markuiz Griffith before stalling out. Omar Jarun kicked a 41 yard field goal to cut the score to 6-3. The remainder of the first quarter and much of the second quarter was filled with fumbles by both teams, penalties and interceptions. Tavis Franke of McIntosh made a nice catch for a first down and T. J. Brnadneburg of fayette County had an enormous ount return but the score was deadlocked until the final 11 seconds of the first half. Tiger quarterback Jeff Crisp found Brandenburg in the corner of the endzone for a nine yard touchdown reception. Brandenburg then caught a pass from Owens for the two point conversion to give the Tigers a 14-3 lead at the half. McIntosh started with the ball in the second half and saw Scott Prah make a great catch on third down to give the Chiefs some new life. McIntosh was forced to punt after two penalties and Fayette County took over. Owens produced a 63 yard run before running five yards for a touchdown giving the Tigers the 21-3 lead. The rain and wind started in the third quarter making it harder for both teams to hold on to the ball or to produce magnificent plays. Both teams were satisfied to end the game without any major mishaps or injuries. Fayette County (1-0) travels down the road this Friday to take on Starr's Mill (0-1), while McIntosh (0-1) has a bye week. It was a game of many firsts for the Our Lady of Mercy Bobcats on Friday. The team traveled to Walker High School in Marietta and got their first lead in a game ever followed by their first ever win. The Bobcats started with a six minute drive culminating in a four yard touchdown run by Jeff Smith, giving them a lead for the first time. It was short-lived as Walker returned the kickoff for a touchdown to tie the game. The Bobcats pulled ahead as quarterback Ralph Wolfolk connected with Nonso Moh for an 81 yard touchdown reception. Walker scored on the Bobcats next possession after an interception. On Walker's next possession, the Bobcats returned the favor by recovering a fumble. Fullback Alex Hooper had a one yard touchdown run to give Our Lady of Mercy a 20-14 lead at the half. In the second half Walker scored twice to take a 26-20 lead and the clock was winding down. Greg Spencer put a big hit on the Walker quarterback forcing a fumble and Roger Green recovered it. Sam Etuck took over the running duties as Hooper and Smith were sidelined with injuries. Chris Calle and Ryan Shilling provided big blocks and Calle converted a fourth down to give the Bobcats four more chances to find the endzone. Etuck found it for them and then converted the two point conversion with 10 seconds left to give the school their first football victory ever. Matt Gill and John Fink led the defense with eight tackles, while Etuck, Hooper and Smith combined for 130 yards rushing. "This is what all the hard work over the summer and into the season preparation results in," head Coach Alan Gordon stated. "I am so happy for the players, our student body and the entire Mercy family. It took awhile but we finally did it." Our Lady of Mercy will host the St. Pius J.V. team at 5:30 p.m. this Thursday. In other games last week, Sandy Creek lost to one of their biggest rivals, the Shaw Raiders, 14-0. The Patriots need to get their offense going this week against Oconee County(1-0). Oconee County defeated Thomas Central, 31-12. Landmark Christian (1-0) matched their win total of last season with a 21-7 win over Wesleyan on Friday night. The War Eagles hit the road this week to take on Madison Co., Ala. on Friday. |
