CLASS 2A ROUNDUP: Class 2A, DII Meridian Yellowjackets start strong before falling to Cross Roads, travel to Bosqueville Friday; young Class 2A, DI Valley Mills Eagles learning under fire
Despite Meridian senior Ian Gomez breaking off two electrifying 70-yard touchdown runs in the first half, it proved to be not enough as Malakoff Cross Roads surged in the second half to a convincing 36-14 victory last Friday night at Jacket Stadium.
Already playing shorthanded due to injuries coming into the game, the Jackets saw two more key players go down, and it proved to be too much to overcome.
“We were playing well until we received injuries to two of our key players,” Meridian football head coach Jim Kerbow said. “With several key players already on the injury list, we had several young players thrown into the fire.”
This week, the Jackets (0-2) will hit the road to take on the Class 2A, DI Bosqueville Bulldogs (2-0) at 7 p.m. Friday. Under new head coach Reggie Patrick, the Bulldogs have opened the season with back-to-back wins, knocking off the Bartlett Bulldogs, 21-12, at home in the season opener before hitting the road to defeat the Milano Eagles, 13-10, last Friday night.
“We have been plagued with injuries over the past three weeks,” Kerbow said. “So, we will have to have some of our young players to step up this week if we are going to get in the win column.”
After battling to a 14-14 tie in the first half on the strength of his two touchdown runs, Gomez finished with 161 yards rushing on 14 carries to earn Offensive Player of the Week honors. Senior quarterback Matty Jones completed four of nine passes for 29 yards, connecting with Gomez twice for 15 yards.
“Our offense moved the ball well in the first quarter,” Kerbow said. “But we had two offensive lineman go down midway through the second quarter, which stalled our offensive efforts.”
On the other side of the ball, Defensive Player of the Week junior Garrett Pope led the Jackets with 12 tackles, four assists, two tackles for a loss and a sack, followed by senior Jesus Martinez and junior Dustin Padgett with seven tackles each, Gunner Chandler with six tackles and a sack, as well as sophomore Ezekiel Mabry and junior Bradley Perry with five each.
“The defense played well the first half,” Kerbow said. “However, injuries stifled our defensive efforts in the second half as well.
“The turning point in the game was the loss of two of our starters. We are thin at every position, especially on the offensive line. That greatly diminished our offensive and defensive performances.
Against Cross Roads, Jones was named the Special Teams Player of the Week for averaging 22 yards per return, while freshman Devon Eakin was named the Practice Player of the Week.
HOLLAND 48, VALLEY MILLS 20
Valley Mills junior Jasean Johnson scored two touchdowns and rushed for 211 yards, but it wasn’t enough as the Eagles fell to the Holland Hornets, 48-20, on the road in a non-district matchup last Friday night.
“Holland has a good football team with a lot of experience,” Valley Mills head coach Bob Featherston said. “Our youth hurt us again, and little mistakes cost us a chance to be in the game.”
Opening the season with back-to-back losses, the Eagles (0-2) were led offensively by sophomore quarterback Blayne Griner, who completed six of 13 passes for 73 yards and a touchdown, hitting junior Jacob Garcia on a 19-yard scoring strike to make it a two score game before Holland put the win away. Garcia finished with four catches for 41 yards.
“We were much better offensively this week,” Featherston said. “The offensive line was better, and we were able to move the ball.”
Defensively, senior Fred Sadler led the Eagles with five tackles and three for losses, followed by sophomore Landon Lemaster with four as well as senior John Becker, sophomore Cross Warner and junior Garret Poth with three each.
“Defensively, we had trouble giving up the big plays,” Featherston said. “We didn’t make them drive the entire field.”
Playing on the road for the second straight week, the Eagles will be looking for their first win of the season DeLeon, taking on the Bearcats at 7 p.m. Friday. After DeLeon (1-1) opened the season with an impressive 79-43 road victory over Dublin, the Bearcats lost their home opener 44-20 to Stamford.
“DeLeon is extremely talented and puts a lot of pressure on the defense,” Featherston said. “We must be more disciplined on both sides of the ball and prevent big plays defensively.”
Photos by WENDY OROZCO
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