The Mendenhall Tigers are third round bound after a nailbiter against the Columbia Wildcats last Friday. The Tigers edged out the Wildcats 29-20 in a rollercoaster game and avenged their only loss of the season.
The Tigers took the ball to start the game, and Columbia set the tone early with stifling defense. The Tigers were able to have success, but penalties kept them from getting an early rhythm. The Mendenhall defense led by Markquise King answered the bell and kept the Wildcats from gaining any momentum offensively.
Both defenses came to play and at the end of the first quarter the score was 0-0. Columbia scored first after putting together a good drive with some help from penalties. The Wildcats found some success on the ground and scored from the one-yard line to take a 6-0 lead after a missed extra point.
The Tigers picked up the tempo on offense and were marching down the field. Tayton James was finding success with his legs on read option plays. This opened up the passing lanes and he was able to take advantage and find his receivers. Penalties threatened to derail the drive once the Tigers moved into the redzone, but on a desperate fourth down Walter No-No Owens drew a pass interference call that moved the Tigers within the five-yard line. Darius Dampier capped the drive with a two-yard touchdown run to give the Tigers a 7-6 lead after a Sam Smith extra point.
Columbia’s attempts at a late first half drive were stifled. Markquise King sacked the quarterback to end any chance they had at points at the end of the first half. The Tigers carried the one-point lead into halftime.
Following halftime the Tigers looked to build on their momentum. Fred Dampeer opened the second half with a tackle for a loss. Dampeer met the running back in the hole on third down to end Columbia’s first drive of the second half. A fumble by the Tigers on the next possession led to a short field for the Wildcats. Columbia scored on a 27-yard touchdown run following the sudden change, giving them a 12-7 lead.
The Tigers failed to move the ball on their next possession and a miscue on the punt would lead to another Columbia touchdown. A low snap saw Smith bend down to pick up the ball. The referee ruled him down due to his knee being on the ground. Columbia scored on their first play, connecting on a quick slant route for a touchdown and converted the two points for their final points of the game and a 20-7 lead.
James and the Tiger offense were moving the ball. James connected on a short pass to Owens near the 42 yard line. Owens went to work knifing through defenders and fighting his way out of tackles for a hard five yard gain. The play was not a big gain, but his teammates responded to the effort they saw him put forth. The Tigers moved the ball to the 18 yard line looking to score. A hot pass from James tipped off the hands of his receiver and was intercepted.
Columbia took over near their10 yard line. The Tiger defense knew they had to answer, and Coach Chuckie Allen could be heard telling his guys, “Hey! We need that ball back! Right now! Let’s get it back!”
Not only did the Tiger defense get the ball back but they scored two points. Columbia’s quarterback dropped back to pass and was flushed out of the pocket by Markquise King. He ran into Trey Whitlock and tried to avoid the sack by drifting backwards, where he was sacked by Whitlock and Jefferey Hobbs for a safety.
The Tigers trailed 9-20 to start the fourth quarter when James led the offense back onto the field. He was poised and made good decisions to move the ball down the field. He was able to find his playmakers and they made plays. He showed a particularly good rapport with Chris Davis. James connected with Davis over the middle for a 37 yard touchdown. Davis broke tackles and fought his way into the endzone. The Tiger two point conversion attempt was no good, and they trailed 15-20.
On the Wildcats’ next drive Victor Davis came down with an interception to get the Tigers the ball back with 9:13 left to play. The Tigers were having success on the drive with big plays from James, Darius Dampier, and Chris Davis. In the redzone the Tigers were facing fourth and five on the 20 yard line. Offensive coordinator Darius Wren called a shot play to No-No Owens. James threw a fade ball to Owens, and he out battled his defender for the football. Touchdown Tigers! Mendenhall took a 22-20 lead after a successful extra point by Sam Smith.
The Wildcats went on one last drive and gave an earnest effort. A touchdown saving tackle from Jay Ulmer led to an interception by Mylin Jenkins later during the possession. Jenkins returned the touchdown 86 yards for a touchdown and put the game out of reach. The Tigers won 29-20.
Head Coach Chuckie Allen said, “We don’t like nothing easy. Our defense played well from start to finish, and our offense made plays. We’re moving on to the next round and getting ready for Quitman.”
After the game, Quarterback Tayton James said, “We started slow on offense with four drives and we didn’t score. We finally found the endzone and started to put it together. Our defense played tough all night and 44 (Mylin Jenkins) came through with the clutch touchdown!”
The Tigers will face the Quitman Panthers in the third round of the playoffs this Friday night.
