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Wildcats, Warriors pull off close wins on the road
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| By: Shawn Jenkins |
September 26, 2009 |
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IHS vs. NA - London Parker fires a pass over the middle. (Photo by David Mills)
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Chalk up another week in Tate County football and it was an interesting one for the two teams that were on the road and not so great for the two that had the luxury of staying home. Continuous rains kept the fields nasty and even played a huge role in at least one game. Let's get down to business and look at this week's action!
The Wildcats traveled to Water Valley and pulled out an impressive 7-6 win over the Blue Devils. This was a tough matchup for Independence who was coming off of an embarrassing loss at New Albany and then hit the road again to bring homea win when they needed it. After giving up thirty-five points last week, the defense led by Eric Smith and Levelle Jackson made plays to keep the Blue Devils out of the end-zone and on the sideline. "They were about to go up 13-7 late in the game, but our defense made a big stop," said Coach Dogan. London Parker scored the lone touchdown on a scramble and Rainey Tuggles rushed for over 100 yards again this week. The two seniors led the offense along with senior receiver, Justin Holt, who caught some critical passes. "We needed this win," said Dogan. "We're 3-3 and I can't wait until Monday so we can get back to work!" Dogan has a good reason to be excited. They travel to Holly Springs this Friday and Hawks have only scored twelve points in a 0-5 start, so the Wildcats should win this game!
Senatobia took a short trip to North Panola and also won 7-6 in a game that they should have dominated; however poor field conditions limited the Warrior offense and the scrappy Cougars almost pulled out the upset. North Panola led the undefeated Warriors for most of the game until Josh Garrett scored the winning touchdown on a short run with about four minutes remaining in the game. The Warrior defense then stopped the Cougars on two more drives to secure the win. The unit shutout Byhalia last week after giving up at least twenty points a game and then gave the offense the opportunity to win this one. It wasn't a pretty win for the Warriors, but good teams find a way to win even when they have a bad night and that's what Senatobia did this week to improve to 6-0. They have this Friday off and return to action on October at home on October 25th against Lafayette. The Commodores are 5-1 and this should be a good game.
After not winning a single game last season, the Cougars looked to win three straight when they faced Vardaman at home, but they had a tough time stopping the Rams running game and lost 28-3. Marcel Newson kicked a twenty-nine yard field goal to get the Cougars on the board. Kendrick Mack and Devin Leverson led the defensive attack and Darnell Young grabbed two interceptions, but it wasn't enough to keep this one close. The Cougars slipped to 2-2 on the season, but have a good chance to rebound this Friday when they travel to Thrasher. The Rebels are 1-4 and have given up 145 points in their last three games. This is a must win for Coldwater!
The Mustangs also had trouble this week in a game they should have competed in. Lewisburg came to town without a win and took it to Strayhorn, 48-6. Dylan Cottrell hooked up with Steven Escamilla for a thirty-one yard touchdown pass and Bishop Temple gained eighty-five yards on the ground, but the offense as a whole only gained 156 yards. On the defensive side of the ball, Victor Almanza continued to play well with ten tackles and Jerry Atkinson followed with eight. The Mustangs travel to Coahoma County this Friday and they'll have trouble in this one against the Panthers.
This Friday it will be interesting to see if Independence and Coldwater will pull above 500. I have a feeling that both teams will do well in their respective matchups and shouldn't have a problem this week. Unfortunately Strayhorn doesn't have the same benefit and unless they make some adjustments they will continue to have a hard time this week. Be sure to check back next week and read up the action. Want to talk football or ad some insight? Shoot me an email to sjenkins.shelter@gmail.com.
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©The Democrat 2010
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