Tigers trounced by Panthers
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
EBER — It just wasn't the McClain Tigers' night Friday at Panthers Stadium as Miami Trace ran the ball and played relentless defense, holding MHS scoreless until the final couple minutes as they defeated the Tigers 49-8.
The Tigers (3-2, 5-3) were held to just 123 yards of offense, as Zach Puckett led the Tigers with 52 yards on one carry late in the fourth quarter. That run set up the Tigers' lone score as Alex Hollar ran to the end zone for 6 yards and six points. Puckett then scored on a 2-point conversion run for the eight MHS points.
Besides that, it was a pretty forgettable game for the visitors with early scores by MT and early turnovers committed by the Tigers … and failing to score when reaching the red zone piled up on the five-win Tigers, which led to a deficit that they couldn't overcome.
"We really did have a hard time blocking them up front," MHS head coach Randy Closson said. "We didn't pick them up, and their linebackers caused us fits. Credit Miami Trace's defense … they did a heck of a job and shut us down.
"We put our defense in bad spots, and we didn't move the ball offensively. MT did a good job prepping for us, and we didn't execute well and they took advantage of that."
The Panthers (5-0, 5-3) have now won five straight games, as they totaled 404 yards of offense, including 227 yards rushing on 44 carries and 127 yards in the air by quarterback Jimmy Stroker.
Also for MT, Cedric Pettiford had five catches for 40 yards. Leading rushers for MT were Jerimiah Jones with 59 yards, followed by Stroker and Trevor Haines, who each had 52 yards on the ground. Austin Dyer totaled 46 yards on nine carries for MT.
MT didn't score on their first drive of the game, but they retained possession of the ball three plays later when Austin Schoellkopf intercepted a pass at the MHS 20-yard line, taking it to the 12. On the very next play of the game, Stroker went 13 yards on a sweep for six points. The PAT by Quinton Miles put MT ahead with 5:25 left in the first quarter.
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The Panthers made it a 14-0 score when Jerimiah Jones ran 16 yards for a TD, breaking tackles along his way for a touchdown with 10:00 left in the second quarter. That drive was initially set up when the Tigers were said to have fumbled in the end zone, giving MT a touchback.
MT made it a 21-point advantage on a two-play drive when Stroker went untouched for 21 yards and a touchdown with 1:41 left in the first half.
In the third quarter, the Panthers scored on their second possession when, again, they scored a touchdown on their second play of the drive, when Brantlyn Decker caught a pass from Stroker in stride, going 65 yards for the six points. The converted PAT gave the Panthers a 28-0 advantage with 7:00 left in the third frame.
With the game well in hand, the Panthers couldn't be stopped as Trevor Haines scored on a 25-yard run (11:50 in fourth), Brody Price went 11 yards (3:31 left in fourth) and Russell Miller went 7 yards with 1:58 left in the game for their total of 49 points with all PATs made. Price finished with 30 yards rushing, while Miller had 29 yards.
For the Tigers, Jordan Goble led with three catches for 63 yards, and Shawn Haddox had one catch for 13 yards. Roscoe East had two receptions.
Leading MHS in rushing was Puckett with 52 yards, followed by East with 21 yards on 14 carries. Thomas Schrader was 6-of-17 for 82 yards and two interceptions.
On defense for MHS, Kevin Willis recovered a fumble.
MT will host 8-0 Clinton-Massie next week, and they and MT are each 5-0 in the SCOL. MHS will host the Madison-Plains Golden Eagles.
BOX SCORE
MHS 00 00 00 08 — 08
MT 07 14 07 21 — 49
The Tigers (3-2, 5-3) were held to just 123 yards of offense, as Zach Puckett led the Tigers with 52 yards on one carry late in the fourth quarter. That run set up the Tigers' lone score as Alex Hollar ran to the end zone for 6 yards and six points. Puckett then scored on a 2-point conversion run for the eight MHS points.
Besides that, it was a pretty forgettable game for the visitors with early scores by MT and early turnovers committed by the Tigers … and failing to score when reaching the red zone piled up on the five-win Tigers, which led to a deficit that they couldn't overcome.
"We really did have a hard time blocking them up front," MHS head coach Randy Closson said. "We didn't pick them up, and their linebackers caused us fits. Credit Miami Trace's defense … they did a heck of a job and shut us down.
"We put our defense in bad spots, and we didn't move the ball offensively. MT did a good job prepping for us, and we didn't execute well and they took advantage of that."
The Panthers (5-0, 5-3) have now won five straight games, as they totaled 404 yards of offense, including 227 yards rushing on 44 carries and 127 yards in the air by quarterback Jimmy Stroker.
Also for MT, Cedric Pettiford had five catches for 40 yards. Leading rushers for MT were Jerimiah Jones with 59 yards, followed by Stroker and Trevor Haines, who each had 52 yards on the ground. Austin Dyer totaled 46 yards on nine carries for MT.
MT didn't score on their first drive of the game, but they retained possession of the ball three plays later when Austin Schoellkopf intercepted a pass at the MHS 20-yard line, taking it to the 12. On the very next play of the game, Stroker went 13 yards on a sweep for six points. The PAT by Quinton Miles put MT ahead with 5:25 left in the first quarter.
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The Panthers made it a 14-0 score when Jerimiah Jones ran 16 yards for a TD, breaking tackles along his way for a touchdown with 10:00 left in the second quarter. That drive was initially set up when the Tigers were said to have fumbled in the end zone, giving MT a touchback.
MT made it a 21-point advantage on a two-play drive when Stroker went untouched for 21 yards and a touchdown with 1:41 left in the first half.
In the third quarter, the Panthers scored on their second possession when, again, they scored a touchdown on their second play of the drive, when Brantlyn Decker caught a pass from Stroker in stride, going 65 yards for the six points. The converted PAT gave the Panthers a 28-0 advantage with 7:00 left in the third frame.
With the game well in hand, the Panthers couldn't be stopped as Trevor Haines scored on a 25-yard run (11:50 in fourth), Brody Price went 11 yards (3:31 left in fourth) and Russell Miller went 7 yards with 1:58 left in the game for their total of 49 points with all PATs made. Price finished with 30 yards rushing, while Miller had 29 yards.
For the Tigers, Jordan Goble led with three catches for 63 yards, and Shawn Haddox had one catch for 13 yards. Roscoe East had two receptions.
Leading MHS in rushing was Puckett with 52 yards, followed by East with 21 yards on 14 carries. Thomas Schrader was 6-of-17 for 82 yards and two interceptions.
On defense for MHS, Kevin Willis recovered a fumble.
MT will host 8-0 Clinton-Massie next week, and they and MT are each 5-0 in the SCOL. MHS will host the Madison-Plains Golden Eagles.
BOX SCORE
MHS 00 00 00 08 — 08
MT 07 14 07 21 — 49