The Tigers opened the season comfortably at home last Friday night in a grudge match as the Florence Eagles rolled into town.
The Eagles beat the Tigers 28-19 last season in Florence. The loss sparked a seven-game win streak for the Tigers that led to a District Championship. Head Coach Chuckie Allen said during the summer that the Tigers’ offense would be elite. He expected to score fast and often.
The Tigers wasted little time lighting up the score board after receiving the opening kickoff. Michael Simmons Jr. is filling the role of running back this season. Fans have not soon forgotten the production of past backs like Jordan Willis, Deion Dampier, and Kendrick Feazell. Simmons put any doubt to rest early by breaking for a big run to put the Tigers in scoring position. Returning quarterback Christian Allen capped the drive with a rushing touchdown. The 2-point conversion was no good.
The Eagles were led by running back Degerrick Lee, one of the best in the state last year at his position. Florence wasted little time responding to the Tigers. They drove down the field due mostly to the strength of Lee, who punished the Tiger defense. Lee scored the Eagles’ first touchdown. The extra point was no good and the game was tied at 6-6.
The Mendenhall Tiger offense continued to execute flawlessly. Simmons broke four tackles for a 9 yard gain on the second play of the drive. A balanced offensive attack by the Tigers kept the Eagle defense off balance as they marched down the field. Coach Allen did a good job of calling plays and spreading the ball around. The drive once again ended with a Christian Allen rushing touchdown and a failed 2-point conversion. The Tigers entered the second quarter with a 12-6 lead.
The Eagle offense stayed true to their identity and ran the football. The Tigers could do very little to stop them. An inability to stop the run coupled with some first game discipline issues led to another Degerrick Lee touchdown. The game was tied at 12-12 after a failed 2-point conversion attempt by Florence. The score wouldn’t stand for long. Keshun Collier electrified the crowd by weaving his way through defenders for a touchdown on the following kickoff. Christian Allen scrambled his way into the end zone for the first successful conversion of the game.
The touchdown by Collier gave the Tigers a lead but it also brought the Eagle offense back onto the field with only three plays to recover. Lee did not return for the following series and the defense finally caught a break. An impressive fourth down stand near midfield gave the Tigers a momentum boost. Christian Allen led the offense onto the field and they continued to perform as advertised. A two play scoring drive followed, thanks to a deep pass caught by BoBo Walker and touchdown run by Junkevious Mack. Keshun Collier caught the 2-point conversion.
Lee still did not return for the Eagles. Despite that they were still able to respond to the back to back scores they had just given up. The Eagles once again consistently ran the football for positive yards. They completed one pass on the drive which brought them to the goal line. A quarterback read option led to a touchdown. The extra point was no good. The Tigers led 28-18.
Allen appeared indecisive in the pocket on the next drive and fumbled the ball after being sacked. The turnover set the Eagles up with excellent field position. Lee also returned to the field for the Eagles. The Tigers’ defensive woes continued. There were visible alignment issues and mental mistakes being made. Lee and the Eagles capitalized. Lee crossed the goal line for his third touchdown of the night. The extra point was good and the Tigers led 28-25. Time was winding down in the first half as the Tigers held on to a slim lead, but it was plenty of time for the Tigers to score. On the first play from scrimmage Michael Simmons ripped off an 80 yard touchdown run that brought the fans to their feet. The Tigers led 34-25 heading into halftime.
The game was back and forth for the first half and the defenses’ inability to stop the run was evident. There was an expected feeling-out process to be had. It was the first half of football for the season and the Tigers were still settling in.
After half time the Tigers returned and dominated every aspect of the game. Allen, Simmons, Walker, and Collier led the offensive attack, which appeared to be unstoppable. Defensively the Tigers did not allow another score. The majority of the issues in the first half were cleaned up. The game turned into a blow out and Coach Allen was able to play his younger players to close things out.
Mendenhall got their revenge and soundly defeated the Eagles 62-25. Michael Simmons had a breakout performance in his return to the field. Simmons had not played in an organized football game since 2016. He rushed for 180 yards on 9 carries and finished with a touchdown. Christian Allen looked sharp and made great decisions for most of the contest. He completed 6 of 7 pass attempts for 127 yards and 2 touchdowns. Keshun Collier will be a big time playmaker for the Tigers this season. He is a threat to score whenever the ball is in his hands. Collier had 5 carries for 67 yards and two receptions for 34 yards. He also had a trio of touchdowns to his credit.
New defensive coordinator Derrick Jenkins had said the defense would be a work in progress during the summer. They showed significant improvement in two halves of football. Jenkins said, “It’s the first game and there were some first game jitters. I even got excited myself.” He explained that the tempo of the Eagles caught them off guard and led to some misalignment and missed assignments in the first half. Once the team settled into the second half they were able to shut out the Eagles. When asked where the defense needed to improve, Jenkins emphatically said, “Tackling!”
Head Coach Chuckie Allen said, “It was a great test for us and we got a lot of guys playing both ways. We got to be able to finish the ball game.” Allen was pleased with Simmons, Collier, and Allen on how they ran the ball. He also praised the offensive line for improving as the game went on. Allen said, “We have to get in shape, but at the end of the night I’m pleased. We have to keep pushing.”
