The Tigers rode into Raleigh knowing that they were supposed to serve as the school’s homecoming game. Traditionally teams schedule what they believe to be beatable opponents for homecoming. An inconsequential rivalry began between the Tigers and Lions during the spring jamboree. The two teams participated in games at Collins, but didn’t get a chance to play each other. Bold talk from both sides ensued leading up to this game. Raleigh had won only one game coming into Friday’s contest and was in the midst of a 4 game losing streak. Mendenhall on the other hand had won three in a row.
The Tigers kicked off to the Lions to start the game. On their opening drive, a big run by Kris Moncrief through the middle set up the Lions first rushing touchdown. The two point conversion was no good. Mendenhall responded with a touchdown drive capped with a touchdown carry by Keshun Collier. Josh Freels converted the extra point and gave the Tigers the lead.
Closing minutes of the first quarter the Tigers defense was struggling to stop the Lions rushing attack. The Tigers were lulled to sleep with short effective runs by Moncrief. Moncrief was averaging about four yards a carry at this point and was pounding on the Tigers defensive front. A fake dive to Moncrief saw the Tigers collapse into the middle of the field. This opened the field for a reverse that was stopped near the goal line. The Tigers defense ramped up the intensity near the goal line and drove the Lions back to the 23 yard line. Facing third and goal a simple roll out pass to Moncrief was good for a touchdown. The two point conversion was no good. Collier fielded the following kickoff and had a solid return to give the Tigers excellent field position. The rotation of running backs for the Tigers led by Jordan Willis was punishing the Lions. Willis helped advanced the ball to midfield. Tigers’ Junkevious Mack carried the ball through the heart of the Lions defense for a big gain. Quarterback Christian Allen finished the drive with a touchdown run from 5 yards out. Freels converted the PAT and the Tigers led 14-12.
Mendenhall and Raleigh fans knew they were in for a shootout that would come down to whoever had the ball last. The defenses played evenly through much of the first half. Raleigh was trailing by two points in the second quarter when they methodically marched down the field for a touchdown. The Lion’s running game was too much for the Tigers, and they continued to lose at the point of attack. The two point conversion was good and Raleigh led 20-14 with 53 seconds left on the clock. This set the stage for Mendenhall’s best offensive possession of the season. Allen and company were in sync and executed the play calls with precision to end the first half. The Tigers’ offense took over on their 45 yard line. Allen completed a hitch to Zykiel Woodard for minimal yards. This was followed by a 38 yard strike to BoBo Walker. Allen completed his third pass of the drive for a 14 yard touchdown to Zykiel Woodard. Woodard made a difficult toe dragging sideline catch in the end zone for a touchdown. The Tiger converted the extra point. Mendenhall led 21-20 heading into halftime. The Tigers have proven themselves to be a team capable of making mid game adjustments. It was evident in their win over Purvis when they dominated the second half.
Allen led the offense onto the field to start the second half. For a moment at the start of the second half the game became the Jordan Willis show. Willis brought the crowd to its feet with crushing runs against would be tacklers. He flattened the Lion’s cornerback, and this came after he lost his helmet on the previous play running over a defender. Willis was replaced by Mack who continued the rally. Mack moved the ball to the 19 yard line dragging defenders along the way, but it wouldn’t be enough. From that point the drive became riddled with penalties and poor protection from the offensive line leading to a punt.
Defensively the Tigers adjusted, and began stuffing the Lions in the backfield. Yards were harder to come by for Moncrief, but he still commanded much attention. After pounding the ball inside for most of the drive a play action pass by the Lions sprung a running back for an easy catch and run for a touchdown. The Lions kicked their first extra point of the night and it was good. The Tigers responded immediately. On the next drive Allen threw his best pass of the night to Dee Newsome. Newsome ran a corner route from the slot position. Allen set his feet and released the ball when Newsome cut. The pass was placed perfectly, just missing the fingertips of the Lion defender. Newsome secured the catch and sprinted for a 63 yard touchdown. Following the extra point the Tigers led 28-27.
Fatigue was clearly a factor for the Lions at the start of the fourth quarter. Mendenhall had the ball and was looking to increase their lead. Willis, who was having a stellar game, took the ball through the middle of the Lions defense. He broke one tackle in route to a 70 yard touchdown run. Tigers lead 35-27. Raleigh had several opportunities to tie the game but the Tigers defense was firm. Defensive tackle Jarious Newsome came alive in the fourth quarter and made it his mission to neutralize Moncrief. On a crucial third and short Newsome stuffed Moncrief in the backfield for a loss of yards.
Running back Jordan Willis and Kicker Josh Freels put the game out of reach. Willis broke for another big run that set up a Freels field goal from 34 yards. The final score was 38-27.
The game was exciting for fans from start to finish but the coaches expected more. Defensive Coordinator Jeff Crosby said, “We played like garbage the first half (defensively) and we had some mental breakdowns. The second half we got better but the D-line has to improve.”
Head Coach Chuckie Allen said, “Our mind wasn’t on football tonight they were not focused.” He harkened back to his comments made in the summer about handling success. He explained that after winning three in a row the team believed the game was going to be easy. Allen said, “We need one or two of these types of games as a wakeup call, so we can know how to handle success.”
The Tigers played a well-executed game offensively. Defensively, they faced a tough group led by a bruiser in Kris Moncrief. The defense has surrendered 51 points in their last two contests, but that doesn’t tell the complete story. Impressively enough, through 5 games the Tigers have only allowed 8 points to be scored in the fourth quarter. Those 8 came in the loss to Florence to start the season. The Tigers ability to command the fourth quarter will be paramount to their success as the season progresses. In addition to crunch time defense, the Tigers most valuable asset to this point has been their depth. Teams that don’t have enough bodies will be hard-pressed to stop the Tigers. The team loses very little in terms of talent when subbing in fresh legs. This applies to almost every position on the field except for quarterback. With a healthy Christian Allen and the plethora of weapons at his disposal the season is bright. District games begin this Friday, and the Tigers will host Newton County.
