It was business as usual for the Mendenhall Tigers as they increased their win streak to four with a 39-0 win over the Collins Tigers Friday.
Mendenhall’s Tigers played up to their potential from the opening quarter. Darius Dampier started the game under center and connected with Jeffrey Hobbs midway through the first quarter for a 64-yard touchdown pass on his way to a monster game catching the football.
The Tiger defense got the ball back for their offense, and Dampier threw another strike to Walter NoNo Owens for a 45-yard touchdown pass. The Tigers carried a 13-0 lead into the second quarter and kept up the pressure. Dampier added a 15-yard rushing touchdown with 5 minutes to go in the second quarter to push the lead to 20-0 after a successful PAT.
Collins was overmatched from the start, which was to be expected. The Collins offense has struggled to score all season and that fact was amplified as they faced possibly the best defense in the state on the Tigers side. In the final minutes of the first half, Darius Dampier connected with Nicholas Williams for a 9-yard touchdown to push the Tiger lead to 27-0 at halftime.
The reserve skill players played much of the second half for Mendenhall and continued to find success. Jefferey Hobbs added another touchdown to his stat sheet in the third quarter on a 20-yard reception from Myles Womack, who would throw the game’s final touchdown late in the third quarter to Vincent Dixson for an 11-yard touchdown.
The Tigers cruised to a victory led by Darius Dampier, who completed 8 of 15 passes for 157 yards 3 touchdowns and one interception. He also added 122 yards rushing and one touchdown on 6 carries through two quarters.
Myles Womack led the team in the second half and completed 6 of 10 passes for 83 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Womack also had 50 yards on seven carries.
The receivers were led by Walter Owens in receptions with four catches for 64 yards and one touchdown, followed by Jefferey Hobbs with three receptions for 95 yards and two touchdowns. Owens reached a milestone during the game, becoming the school’s all-time receptions leader and the first player in Mendenhall’s history to catch 100 passes.
Prentisss Eichwurtzle led the defense with seven tackles, one tackle for a loss, and one sack. Jadarius McGill added six tackles and Chance Barron finished the night with five tackles. Jacob Martin recorded a blocked punt for the Tigers. Chris Davis finished the game with three tackles and snagged his third interception of the season. Davis has caught an interception in back-to-back games.
It was a complete game for the Tigers from start to finish. They will face another reigning state champion in Scott Central this Friday and look for some measure of revenge from last season. The teams come into the game with identical records of 4-1. The Tigers will look to extend their win streak in this final non-conference matchup.
