BY MARLAN JONES
NEWS EDITOR
The Mendenhall Tigers got off to a fast start in their 18-8 win over reigning 2A State Champions Scott Central Rebels. The Tigers pushed their win streak to 5 after leading in the game wire-to-wire.
Defense set the tone early for the Tigers and got the ball back to start the game. The offense led by quarterback Tayton James had a great opening drive. James found Walter NoNo Owens early in the game for a fade route that moved his team near the endzone. James finished the drive himself with a 5 yard rushing score to take a 6-0 lead into the second quarter.
Owens mixed in on defense at the free safety position and came down with an interception to start the second quarter. The following drive stalled near midfield and the Tigers were forced to punt. Both defenses played well to end the first half, and the Tigers took a 6-0 lead into halftime.
The defensive line of the Tigers did an outstanding job at the line of scrimmage. Anchored by Prentiss Eichwurtzle and Fred Dampeer, the defense was able to get a good push up front. The pair of Markquise King and Trey Whitlock harassed the Rebels quarterback on every pass, which led to several mistakes in their passing attack.
Offensively the Tigers were having success mixing it up with their arsenal of weapons. However if they managed to get off schedule it became hard to sustain momentum. The rushing attack led by James and Darius Dampier continued to be effective as it has been much of the season.
The Tigers possessed the ball to start the second half and found success attacting the interior of the Rebel defense. They elected to run the ball straight ahead, thanks to the push they got from Davonta Camper, Keairtee McGruder, Mason Westmoreland, and Leonard Herring. However, the Rebels adjusted and loaded the box to stop the run, forcing another punt.
The defense yielded no ground and Markquise King and Trey Whitlock combined for a sack on the Rebels’ opening play of the second half. Fred Dampeer stuffed the run on second down, and Mylin Jenkins made a play on third to force another punt.
With the ball on their 24-yard line James led the offense back onto the field. On the first play James stood tall in the pocket and delivered a perfect ball to Chris Davis over the middle of the field. The pass hit Davis in stride, and he ran 68 yards untouched for a touchdown. It was the best pass James had thrown all season and showed a glimpse of his potential as a polished passer. The ball came out on time and on target. The following 2-point conversion was unsuccessful, but the Tigers led 12-0.
Down two scores, the Rebels reverted to a “3 yards and a cloud of dust” style of play. They brought in their power back and began pounding on the Tigers up the middle. They were looking for 3 to 5 yards a carry and finding success. They were able to march down the field for a touchdown and burned most of the third quarter. The Rebels’ 2-point conversion was good, and the score was 12-8 to start the fourth quarter.
James did a good job protecting the football, and the Tiger offense found an early rhythm. When penalties threatened to derail the Tiger drive, they lined up to punt the ball near midfield. It set the stage for one of the best efforts on a fake punt anyone has ever witnessed.
Darius Dampier took a direct snap and faked right, then kept it around the left end of the defense. Dampier juked two defenders, broke the tackle of another, then raced for the first down marker before being pushed out of bounds.
It brought the fans to their feet and the team fed off the energy. The offense picked up the tempo, and James completed a pass to Myles Womack for 19 yards to bring the Tigers inside the redzone. A strong run by James put the Tigers near the goal line. On third and goal Darius Dampier took a snap at quarterback, faked inside, rolled left, and threw a hot pass to Owens for a touchdown. The Tigers led 18-8 with 5 minutes left in the game.
With time working against them Scott Central still chose to keep the ball on the ground and picked up a first down at the start of their next drive. They needed big plays and were running out of time, but their pass attempts led to disaster.
On back-to-back plays the quarterback dropped back to pass and was introduced to Jefferey Hobbs. Hobbs notched consecutive sacks to bring up third and very long. He made a move inside on third down and would have had his third sack of the game, but the quarterback escaped the pocket to his left. The Rebel quarterback was running for his life with the linebackers in pursuit. He flipped a pass to his running back, and Chance Barron erased him. Barron knocked the defender off his feet and sent the towel he was wearing 15 feet into the air.
The Tiger Den erupted! Mylin Jenkins secured the tackle on fourth down to give his team the ball back. The Tigers were content to kill the clock and keep the ball on the ground. Scott Central had the ball for one last shot at points, but any hope was snuffed out by an acrobatic interception made by Victor Davis to seal the win.
Head Coach Chuckie Allen said, “Scott Central are defending state champs and they came out and played hard. Offensively we are getting better; we were able to get Jamar Winn back and he was able to play more and had a good game. Our quarterback is getting more confidence and it’s showing each game. Defense is still winning us games; they are playing great football and we’re going to continue to lean on that down the stretch. The real season starts next week with district. We have Newton County coming here and we’ll roll from there.”
James enjoyed a good day passing the ball completing 9 of 17 pass attempts for 156 yards and a touchdown. He added 101 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. Darius Dampier finished with 18 carries for 71 yards. Walter Owens led the receiving corps in receptions with four for 51 yards and a touchdown. Chris Davis finished with one catch for a 68-yard touchdown.
The defensive unit for the Tigers played with star effort on every level. Junior linebacker Davin Chung led the defense with 14 tackles followed by Chance Barron with 12. Markquise King played a great game with 11 total tackles, two for a loss, and a sack. Prentiss Eichwurtzle finished with 8 tackles from the defensive tackle position. Hobbs led the team with two sacks. Cornerbacks Jay Ulmer and Victor Davis each finished the game with an interception.
The Tigers look to extend their winning streak to 6 this Friday as they take on Newton County for Homecoming.
