25 Sept 09
The Huntingdon Mustangs football program is one of the most storied in West Tennessee: 2004 State AA Champs, many excellent players that play college ball, hosts of the annual season kickoff Jamboree that is one of the longest running around, just to name a few. Some of the fans might even know the overall record between Huntingdon & Camden: 40 wins for the Mustangs and 12 for the Lions since 1950. But the 2009 Lions Seniors only know one number: 5. They have not lost to HHS in 5 years, (2 years at CJH plus 3 years at CHS). They had a plan & and were determined to change that number to 6...tonight.
The week's wet weather had left cause for concern over the condition of the field. Wright Field was mowed as late as possible in the week & the extra grass raked in order to try to put the field in the best condition possible for this non-district game between the two schools, only 20 miles apart. The fans of both schools were in the stands & ringing the fence early in order to make sure they would be able to see all of the action. The #3 ranked Single A Mustang team (that just barely lost to Milan in their first game & only loss) was in the house ready to face the undefeated Camden Lions (dragging a #3 ranking in the AA classification). The rain cleared, the stands were filled & the Captains were at midfield: Dee Dunlap, Michael Gaskin, Patrick Hassell & #74, Dakota Summers. Camden was set to receive with Patrick & Derek Easley ready for the kick. Hassell fields the low kick on one hop & runs left out to the 35 where the Lions offense will fire it up!
Devon White takes the handoff from Gaskin, but is hit in the backfield for a loss of 2. Motion left, Trae White slants to the right behind the blocks of Jacob Sharum & Dakota Summers, adds a move & has 3rd & a foot. Gaskin behind Trevor Latendresse on the sneak for a 1st down at the CHS 47! Devon behind Ethan Melton, stands up a ‘Stang, gain of 4. Maurice Whitfield in motion left, handoff is there & he is thru the line; falls forward for the 1st down at the HHS 42! A Mustangs offsides flag makes it a 1st & 5, thank you very much. An incomplete pass stops the clock at 9:27 before Devon slants in behind Jordan Murphy & Marcus Nobles for a gain of 8! The Lions give ‘em back 5 yards on a delay flag before Gaskin sprints around right end. He's looking for a block...Trae White has one ready & it's a Lions first down at the Mustang 13! Devon gets wrapped up at the ankles for a loss of 2, 2nd & 12. Maurice takes the pitch from Michael around left end, follows a Blake Riley block inside & powers to the 7-yard line, official time out for an equipment problem. Maurice around left end for a gain of one, 4th & 4, time out Lions to talk this one over. Michael fakes the hand off left, runs right for a gain of one, but one is not enough, Mustang ball. The 12-play drive ends without any points and 6:23 left in the 1st quarter.
Huntingdon leads with their fullback slanting left, but Dakota & Dee have that covered, loss of 2. Their featured speedy back zips thru the middle, adds a cut and is ridden down by Derek & Michael at the 19, but it's enough for a 1st down. Same guy, right end, Kyle Blackburn pops him at the 30...another 1st down. They line it up, then move, motion flag moves it all back, 1st & 15 at the 25. Derek has the run around the left end forced into the sideline, 2nd & 8. Tyler Plant & Dakota descend on the dive play into right tackle after 5. Kyle & Tyler add a smack down to the runner as he cuts around left end & it's 4th & 1...and HHS is lined up to go for it. They run around right end where Michael is able to finally get him on the ground at the 50, 1st down Huntingdon. Dakota & Kyle meet the runner in the gap, big bang, gain of only 2. Tyler, Patrick, and Kyle convene to stop a run around right end, 3rd & 2 at the CHS 42. The Wright Field clock says one minute left, their speedy back has the right side edge & a first down at the 30 before Michael can get him stopped. Same guy same side, Michael & Tyler sit on him at the 22, we are at the end of One Very Quick Quarter.
Huntingdon's 12th play is a run left into the big pile that Tyler & Larry Jamison created, but it's a 1st down at the 16. The pitch is out to the right & looks ‘way too good, but Trae is ready & throws him down in the backfield, loss of 6! The speedy back tries the left side...right where Kyle & Tyler are ready for him; 3rd & 12 at the 18. Dakota & Tyler has some huge pressure on the QB, the pass is away, Michael is there with coverage at the goal, incomplete pass, 4th & 12, time out ‘Stangs. 9:59 showing in the 2nd, quick back starts right, cuts back left...and Derek Easley drops him with a monster solo stop, Lions ball at the 8 yard line! Great stop, defense!
The offense is starting in a hole, so Devon starts it up with a 2-yard run behind Ethan Melton & Blake Riley. Maurice behind Jacob Sharum & Trevor Latendresse, no gain. We move, yellow flag says back it up 5. Trae can't get going, down at the 4 yard line. Lions are in a mo' deeper hole & Michael has his heels on the end zone back line ready to punt. He uses the low snap to freeze the Ponies, runs right...right to the OTHER endzone for the score! Barely touched at the 30, his 110-yard run is recorded as a 96-yard score! Michael records a coast-to-coast touchdown to break the ice against Huntingdon! Dee has the snap back, Michael has it set up & Tanner Hudson drills it thru the sticks to make it a 7-0 game.
Dakota sends a low-driving kick down to the 25 where one of the up backs falls on it & the defense is on the field. A motion penalty on the Lions gives HHS a 1st & 5 start, but Sean Flores & Larry Jamison stop the next play after only a 2-yard gain. Kendrick leads the tackle, but it's enough for a 1st down at the 37. Tyler has the ball carrier on the outside run on the ground after only 3. They get around the left corner for a 1st down at the 47 with 5:10 showing.
Need a stop, defense...
Dakota & LJ pile drive the runner as he heads behind his left tackle, 2nd & 8. The dive play starts up the middle, but LJ, Murf, and Michael Heck stand him up, Kyle pulls the ball out & Sean Flores is on it, Lions ball at the CHS 48!
4:29 on the Wright Field clock, but the ‘Stangs didn't know it was actually "Pay The Piper Time"...
Gaskin pitches it to Whitfield headed left, the Lions offensive line is a granite wall & he has the corner. One move at the edge & Maurice runs untouched for the 52 yard touchdown! Dee has the snap, Michael puts it down & Tanner smoothes it thru, 4:16 before the half with the Lions up 14-0 on a one play touchdown drive!
Dakota invents yet another squirrelly squib kick & HHS downs it at the 30. The Mustangs string together 6-plays that go downfield mostly on a long run by their speedy back. Their drive grinds out on a recovered fumble and a great second effort tackle by Trevor Latendresse in the backfield to make it 4th & 15 at the Lions 27. They are going for it, time out CHS. They go to the air & Kendrick Hudson has the ball tipped away clear, Camden ball! Four plays later, Michael runs around left end for a first down & the horn sounds for halftime, Lions 14, Mustangs 0.
Co-captain Dakota Summers is on the field after halftime & reminds the refs that we will kick it away. It is a low bouncer they finally get a handle on & run it out to the 40 where Cody Beal leads the tackle. Their speedy back starts right, but Trevor has a hand full of jersey and puts him on the ground, no gain. They try the left end, but Dakota, LJ, & Sean smother him, no gain. The Horses try a quick pass, run left, reverse run right, back left...Murf & Kyle stop that mess at the 43 & they are punting it away. A fumble of the fair catch gives the ‘Stangs a reprieve at the CHS 25, but it still takes four plays and a wildcat formation snap for them to get into the end zone. Their kick is good & with 7:35 left in the 3rd, the score is Lions 14, Mustangs 7.
Patrick handles the low kick & has the 27-yard line. The Lions offense looks sharp as Gaskin pitches to Whitfield right, he has the corner, the right sideline & is gone to the 38, 1st down! Devon behind Murf for a gain of 2.
...wonder what THAT set up?
Gaskin fakes the ball to Devon as he busts in behind Ethan Melton, sold it, hides it, gives it to Derek Easley around right end & he is gone! Three Ponies have a shot at him, so Derek grabs another gear & the fastest guy in that backfield scores! Speed kills & a 60-yard Easley score was deadly with 6:08 left in the 3rd! Tanner Hudson has it in the slot & Lions are up 21-7!
Dakota has the kick on the ground, it's mishandled & Maurice makes the stop at their 40. The Mustangs mount a 5-play drive that is stopped with some big hits by Sean, Dakota, Kyle & Kendrick, but Trae White puts them into a 4th & 11 with a huge solo tackle at our 45 & they are punting. Dakota, Trae & LJ have the punter in their sights, but he gets it away & it is downed at our 22. Three plays later, a fumble give the ball back to HHS at their 48. They weave an 8-play scoring drive over into the 4th quarter that gets into the endzone, some say almost into the endzone, with a roll out pass close to the right pylon. Their kick misses wide right & with 9:55 left to play it's 21-13. Coach Ward offers his view of world peace & pylon watching with the ref who displays his talent at vertical laundry tosses, so the Mustangs will kick from our 45. That puts the ball thru the endzone, Lions start at the 20.
Camden can't get the offense in gear & 6-plays later with 6:40 left, Gaskin sends a low spinner down the field with some added Wright Field Roll to the HHS 26.
The Black & Gold defense isn't done for the night & mounts a huge 1st down stop: Their QB fakes to a back into the line, result: That pony get's tackled. He pitches to an option man, result: The quarterback get's hammered. The pitch man doesn't have anywhere to run, result: Trae White pounds him for an 8 yard loss! Great play, defense! They line it up, somewhere in the middle the ball is loose & Trevor has it! CHS ball at the Huntingdon 14!
Flag before the snap, the Carroll County team lined up offsides, 1st & 5 at the 9. Devon behind Murf, big push, 1st down at the 3! Devon again, this time it's paydirt, Lions touchdown! Some of the far side Blue fans start to file out as Tanner Hudson smoothes another one thru into the net to notch the final score on 28-13 with 4:19 left to play.
Dakota squibs it down the middle; a returner finally finds the handle just in time for Cody Beal to drop him at the 38. The Lions defense is cranking & after a pass completion on 4th down, Kyle & LJ catch the receiver from behind short of the 1st, Lions ball at the 40! The Lions offense is able to run the clock down to 28.7 seconds before it goes back to HHS at the 43. Their QB runs one; the striped wonders add some mileage for a horse collar (appropriate?), 1st down at our 34, but the short pass as time runs out stamps the score in the record book: CHS 28, HHS 13.
Some stats of interest:
First downs: HHS-11, CHS-9
Rushing (carries/yds): HHS-51/192, CHS-39/327
Passing (att/yds): HHS-3/29, CHS-0
Passing (comp/att/int): HHS-3/7/0, CHS-0/1/0
Fumbles (#/lost): HHS-3/2, CHS-3/2
Penalties (#/yds): HHS-3/15, CHS-7/60
Leading rushers:
Michael Gaskin 9 rushes for 128 yards, 1 TD
Maurice Whitfield 12 rushes for 98 yards, 1 TD
Leading tacklers:
Kyle Blackburn 16 total, 2 solo, 1 caused fumble, 6 first hits
Dakota Summers 15 total, 7 solo, 7 first hits
Tyler Plant 13 total, 5 first hits
Talking with Head Coach Kevin Ward after the win:
"This was a good win for our program, but mostly for these kids & this senior class. I am very proud of them finishing their football careers without a loss to Huntingdon. Very proud of our defensive front, they were so physical tonight; it really set up everything we were able to do. Linebackers ran to the ball & made plays, the secondary took on their great fullback, just a great effort. I thought we were a little faster tonight, just a great high school game. I though we got a break when we scored on a muffed punt snap and they got a break & scored when we muffed a punt catch! I can't say enough about our defense & how they played. We did give up 14 points, but they had a short field on one, and the 2nd, well, I didn't think it even WAS a touchdown! We only gave up one rushing touchdown & they have been averaging a lot of scores & yards in the course of the past five weeks. We challenged our defense to win the battle up front & I think they did that."
On the pregame attitude of the team:
"After a good week of practice, we told them that we weren't going to get too excited when good things happen in the game, and we are not going to get down when bad things occur. We try to stay even-keeled as much as we can. Our kids are mature enough to know that Huntingdon is a good football team! We don't have to add any incentives to get them "ready" to play. Our past success against Huntingdon helps give our kids some confidence & they played that way tonight."
On the halftime:
"We talked about it in the lockers, Huntingdon has been able to wear people down in the first half this year, come out and beat teams in the 2nd. Although we gave up two touchdowns in the 2nd, they kept playing hard, and didn't get down mentally. Really, we played better up front during the 2nd half; just a great effort by this team!"
On the kick off strategy:
"We knew they had two kids back there that could go the distance every time, so we wanted to make sure they wouldn't get a clean field on the ball. The ball on the ground slowed them down a little bit, worked perfect the first half. They moved some people around for the 2nd half & they had some success getting the ball up field later in the game. We didn't give up any points on kickoffs & that was important."
On Tanner Hudson's kicking:
"Was 3 for 3 tonight, 4 of 5 for his career. Tanner has really improved over the last two weeks, really kicking the ball hard now. He is making corrections on the practice field, thinking about it more, practicing better & that is what it takes. Hopefully by the end of the year he will be a weapon for us & win a game for us with a field goal!"
On Dakota Summers new number assignment: #74
"No, we just tried a different defensive combination this week, 5 down linemen, to see if it was any better. Michael Heck has been doing a good job for us, but we have played him more on defense lately. I will have to look at the tape, but it looks like it was working pretty well tonight & may have given Huntingdon a little different look."
On Michael Gaskin's coast to coast touchdown:
"That was the play I drew up! I just don't know what to say about that score! Probably run that 99 more times & he gets tackled every time! We probably don't even get a first down on eighty of them! I have never seen that done before, just an athletic heady player trying to make something happen."
On Sean Flores physical play:
"I was proud of him tonight, playing hard & being very physical. He turned plays back inside like he should. I get his best effort every day on the practice field! Has a great attitude, smile on his face, loves to practice, & you know when the ball is snapped he is going to give you everything he has got."
On the huge crowd:
"Our fans were super loud! I told everyone in the team & parent huddle on the field after the game, I want to do that EVERY Friday! I love the big crowd, the kids feed off of it, and it's wonderful as a coach to see that much support for this team! I hope they will come back every home game!"
On the extra care Wright Field received today:
"We mowed, raked grass, waited until after school to paint just trying to get all the drying time we could. If we hadn't had the help of the chopper drying the field, we would have had a mess. Special thanks to all that helped get the field in much better shape than the conditions warranted!"
On next week's game against Montgomery Central:
"We are back on the road in Clarksville, first time I have ever been up there. Don't know much about them, we will swap tape with them in the morning & get back to work on a game plan to get after them. Hopefully we will be able to go up there and get another District win."
Let's all get our Road Colors ready & head up Highway 13 to Montgomery Central Friday night. The Lions will play an important District game against the Indians, let's be there to cheer them to victory!
GO LIONS!
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lion.news@whitestoneservices.com.