Lady Tigers Take Crucial Early League Win - January 9, 2012
By John Krueger, Sports Correspondent

Tenaha Lady Tiger post Tia Thomas drives to the basket during recent season action. Thomas scored six points Friday night to help the Lady Tigers to a 37-28 win over Beckville in the SEC. (Photo by John Krueger)

With the District 22-1A girls basketball race expected to be a dogfight with several evenly-matched teams from the six-team chase, each game is magnified this season. Defending district champion Tenaha showed Friday night in the TISD Special Events Center that the Lady Tigers aren't about to give their title up easily as they overcame first and second-half deficits before outlasting Beckville, 37-28.

In other league openers on Friday, Garrison surprised Timpson at home, 37-24, and Shelbyville went on the road to knock off Gary, 46-31.

Tenaha (9-11), Shelbyville (13-5) and Garrison (4-9) are now tied atop the 22-1A standings with 1-0 marks, while Beckville (8-12), Timpson (4-9) and Gary (3-16) are sitting at 0-1.

In Tuesday's games, Beckville will host Timpson in another key game early in the league chase. Gary will travel to Tenaha and Shelbyville will be at home to host Garrison in a battle of unbeatens.

Ashlee Ray led the offensive charge for Tenaha against Beckville on Friday, scoring 11 points. Eboni Moore dropped in eight points, Whitney Jackson scored seven points, Tia Thomas pitched in six, Jalysa Steadman scored three and Shantivia Gray chipped in two points.

The Ladycats looks as if they were going to give the Lady Tigers fits early on, building an 11-6 lead at the end of the first quarter. But Tenaha showed that its not how you start, but how you finish as the Lady Tigers battled back to a 17-17 tie at intermission.

Beckville once again moved ahead in the third quarter, outscoring Tenaha 9-5 to hold a 26-22 lead heading into the final eight minutes of play.

But the Ladycats could only manage two points in the final eight minutes, while Tenaha scored 14 to overcome the deficit and take the league-opening victory.

Rams claim district opener over Winona, 40-7 - October 11, 2011
By Stephen Ewing
Sports Correspondent

Joaquin's Lance Lawson (15) holds on to a Winona runner during Friday night's game at Wildcat Stadium. The Rams won their District 9-2A D-II opener, 40-7. (Photo by Rusty Wilson)

WINONA -- The Joaquin Rams traveled here to Wildcat Stadium in Winona Friday night to open play in District 9-2A Division II and came away with another dominating win, beating the Wildcats, 40-7, in front of a homecoming crowd.

The newer, more balanced offense, continued to roll for the Rams, but the "Ram Nation" is still smiling big about their newfound defensive prowess, as the Rams held the 'Cats to only 120 total yards on the night.

The Rams scored in all four quarters of the contest, but by halftime it was clear that the better team was the one wearing blue and white. Coach Wayne Gandy even unveiled a two-minute offense at the end of the first half, which his troops executed it to perfection.

Junior quarterback Will Vaughn appeared very comfortable throwing the football, as he was never pressured, while completing 6-of-10 passes for 101 yards and a touchdown. The offense "only" totaled 390 yards for the game, but that was only because the defense kept them in good field position. Joaquin moved the ball up and down the field at will, but because the Ram offense took over in excellent field position, the team wasn't able to accumulate as much offense as it has been.

The Rams struck paydirt for the first time when junior Wyatt Hairgrove scored on 15-yard touchdown run. Vaughn dove in for the 2-point conversion and Joaquin led 8-0 with 3:04 left in the first period.

After a long drive by Winona, which was stopped by the Rams' defense inside its own twenty, Vaughn capped off a Joaquin possession by drilling a 30-yard touchdown pass to senior running back Kain Yates. Lance Lawson bulled his way in for the conversion, giving the Rams a 16-0 lead with 3:12 left in the half.

A quick stop by the defense led to a Wildcat punt, giving the Rams the ball back deep in their own territory with only 1:29 left on the clock. That would be just enough time to move down the field and set up kicker Fidel Perez for a 32-yard field goal attempt. The sophomore responded by booting it through the uprights on a kick that could have cleared from 45 yards away. It cleared the uprights as time expired, sending the teams to the break with the Rams ahead 19-0.

Joaquin running back Austin Bloodgood eludes a pair of Winona defenders during Friday night's game at Wildcat Stadium. Bloodgood finished the game with 88 yards and a touchdown. (Photo by Rusty Wilson)

The Rams set up to receive the second half kickoff. Winona tried a pooch kick, which Hairgrove scooped up at his own 22-yard line and ran across the field before turning on the jets en route to a 78-yard touchdown return.

That seemed to take away any fight the Wildcats had left in them, as they could not manage a first down in the entire third quarter. Tra Rodgers finished off a third quarter drive with a 3-yard touchdown run, and Austin Bloodgood found the endzone in the fourth on a 5-yard run.

The Wildcats completed a 35-yard pass to set up a 2-yard touchdown run by Ke'Andre Cobb with 4:22 left in the game, avoiding a shutout.

The Rams were led offensively by Kain Yates, who ran the ball 16 times for 115 yards. He also caught a 30-yard touchdown pass. Austin Bloodgood added 88 yards on 15 carries, with one touchdown, while catching one pass for 24 yards. Tra Rodgers picked up 39 tough yards on only six tries, scoring once. Hairgrove also scored one touchdown while running for 27 yards on only two carries.

The Rams improved to 3-3 on the season, but more importantly 1-0 in District 9-2A D-II play. The Wildcats dropped to 1-5 overall, 0-1 in district. The Rams will be back at home Friday night when they host league favorite Arp (4-2, 1-0 in district). The Tigers defeated Frankston, 46-28, on Friday

The Joaquin-Arp contest will be a "Pink Out" game, as special pink T-shirts have been sold, with proceeds benefitting the Relay for Life.

STATS AT A GLANCE

SCORING BY QUARTERS

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICAL LEADERS
Rushing
Joaquin: Kain Yates 16-115; Austin Bloodgood 15-88 TD; Tra Rogers 6-39 TD; Wyatt Hairgrove 2-27 TD; Will Vaughn 3-20. Winona: Cobb 18-72 TD; Dykes 7-8.
Passing
Joaquin: Will Vaughn 6-10-0 101 yards TD. Dykes 1-3-0 35 yards.
Receiving
Joaquin: Wyatt Hairgrove 4-47; Kain Yates 1-30 TD; Austin Bloodgood 1-24. Winona: Jackson 1-35.

Bulldogs turn back 'Riders, 27-0 - September 26, 2011
By John Krueger, Sports Correspondent

Turnovers enable Carthage to take win

Carthage running back Tevin Pipkin (with ball) tries to stiff-arm Center defensive back Tony McCollister (2), while Darron Bolton (24) comes up for help during Friday night's game at Roughrider Stadium. (Photo by John Krueger)

Costly turnovers and the inability to score in the red zone cost the Center Roughriders in their bid to knock off No.11-ranked Carthage here at Roughrider Stadium tonight as the Bulldogs captured their second straight win and sent the 'Riders to their third consecutive defeat.

The Bulldogs (3-2) outgained the Roughriders, 346-195, and scored in each of the four quarters as they turned each of Center's lost fumbles into touchdowns, which accounted for 21 of the Dawgs' 27 points.

"If you put the ball on the ground, you're not going to win," said Center head coach Kevin Goodwin, referring to his team's fumbles. "You get in the red zone and don't score, you're not going to win. That's it.

"We moved the ball up and down the field and then do things that aren't typical of us. We put our defense in bad situations by giving (Carthage) a 'short field' here and a 'short field' there. And I consider 55 yards or less a short field.

"We can't put our defense in those situations. We have to take control, stay composed, run the offense and we've got to score. That's all we have to do. If we do that, we'll be fine."

Johnny Sudds and K.J. Garrett led the Roughrider ground attack with 64 and 61 yards, respectively. Center finished with 178 yards on the ground, but only 17 yards passing.

Center defensemen K.J. Garrett (14) and Myles Netherly (5) put a stop on Carthage running back Tevin Pipkin during Friday night's game at Roughrider Stadium. The Bulldogs won the game, 27-0. (Photo by John Krueger)

Out for the second consecutive game was starting signal caller Cameron Cloudy. In his absence, Cody Carleton completed 6-of-10 passes, but only for 17 yards, while being intercepted once.

"I can't question how hard our kids played. But when you lose you've got to find the problem and correct it," Goodwin stated. "We've got to get it right, that's the answer."

Carthage sophomore running back Tevin Pipkin led the Bulldogs' ground attack with 124 yards on 23 carries, picking up 91 of that in the first half. D.K. Calloway added 38 yards on eight carries.

Sophomore Blake Bogenschutz hit 17-of-23 passes for 150 yards and three touchdowns. He was intercepted twice as most of his passes were on the short variety as that is what the Roughrider defense was giving him.

"(Center) came out and really loosened up on us (defensively)," Bulldog head coach Scott Surratt stated. "They had shown a lot of 'bump corners', so we were going to do some big plays. Then they got in 'cover 3' and kept the safety way back and the corners way back, trying to prevent the big play, so we had to run the ball more.

"Offensively, you've got to take what they give you. But we had a few things tonight that we couldn't get to and we've got to get that corrected in the off-week."

Edward Pope was once again the leading receiver for Carthage, pulling in six passes for 57 yards and a pair of scores. Meechie Bowman hauled in four for 36 yards and Clint Cage caught three for 38 and a score.

Carthage did turn the ball over three times, but only one came during a time when it hurt the team. One of team's three interceptions came just before the half on a 'Hail Mary' pass into the endzone and another came when Center defensive back Augustin Johnson made a timing move and intercepted Bulldog backup quarterback Jaylon Allison late in the game.

"We only had one turnover when it was really 'on the line, so that was a big difference in the game," Surratt stated. "We felt, defensively, if we put a 'hat' on them they might put the ball on the ground and that's exactly what they did."

When the 'Riders lost three of their five fumbles, that was their demise, although it didn't look that way early.

Carthage took the opening kickoff and drove to the Center 26-yard line. But Bogenschutz's pass into the endzone was picked off by Tony McCollister and he returned it 24 yards to end the Bulldog threat.

The next time the Dawgs got the ball, they stuck it in the endzone, marching 80 yards in 14 plays and taking 6:51 off the first-quarter clock. Bogenschutz rolled right and hit a diving Edward Pope in the endzone for a 7-yard touchdown. Jimmy Gonzalez missed the point after, leaving the score 6-0 with 1:12 left in the first quarter.

Center drove the ball to the Carthage 28-yard line on its next possession, but Rickey Ingram stepped in front of the intended receiver at the Center and made the interception for the Dawgs to stop the threat.

After punting the ball back to Center, the 'Riders coughed the ball up on the first play and Gregg Graves was there to pounce on the loose ball for the Dawgs.

It took Carthage just four plays to put the ball in the endzone as Bogenschutz went back to pass on a half-roll and hit Clint Cage coming across the feld to the sideline for a 19-yard score. Gonzalez's kick gave the Bulldogs a 13-0 lead at the 5:59 mark and they took it into the locker room at the break.

The Dawgs did have one chance to score just before the half when a high snap on a punt attempt gave them the ball on the Center 23. But Bogenschutz had his pass into the endzone intercepted by Myles Netherly.

Center turned the ball over on its first drive of the second half and Carthage made the 'Riders pay for it by putting the ball in the endzone. Bogenschutz threw his third touchdown of the night, a 16-yarder to Pope on a slant pass and with 7:35 left in the third quarter. Carthage's lead was 20-0.

The 'Riders took the ensuing kickoff and drove into the red zone, but they were stopped on downs at the Carthage 17 after a 10-play march.

The Roughriders' defense rose up and stopped Carthage, but Johnson muffed a punt by Gonzalez and the Bulldogs were back in business at the Center 28 as the third quarter ended.

Payton Klysen scored for Carthage with 9:50 remaining to end the 5-play drive and Center was looking at a 27-0 deficit, which the Roughriders couldn't overcome.

The task doesn't get any easier for the 'Riders. after falling to the pair of state-ranked teams the past two weeks in Henderson and Carthage, they will visit No.1-ranked (AP) Chapel Hill Friday at 7:30 p.m. Carthage will enjoy an open week before starting the treacherous District 16-3A run Oct. 7 at Pittsburgh.

STATS AT A GLANCE

SCORING BY QUARTERS

INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS
Rushing
Carthage: Tevin Pipkin 23-124; D.K. Calloway 8-38; Sammy Chhor 1-13; Trent Jackson 2-11; Blake Bogenschutz 3-9; Payton Klysen 1-1 TD. Center: Johnny Sudds 10-64; K.J. Garrett 16-61; Shaquille Ingram 5-37; Augustin Johnson 3-13; Myles Netherly 2-11.
Passing
Carthage: Blake Bogenschutz 17-23-2 150 yards 3TD; Jaylon Allison 0-1-1 0 yards. Center: Cody Carleton 6-10-1 17 yards.
Receiving
Carthage: Edward Pope 6-57 2TD; Meechie Bowman 4-36; Clint Cage 3-38 TD; Terian Goree 2-17; Tasker Shannon 1-7; Tevin Pipkin 1-(-5). Center: Tony McCollister 3-5; Augustin johnson 2-7; Johnny Sudds 1-5.
Records
Carthage 3-2. Center 2-3.

SCORING SUMMARY
First Quarter
(Carthage) 1:12 - Edward Pope 7-yard pass from Blake Bogenschutz (Jimmy Gonzalez PAT NG), 6-0.
Second Quarter
(Carthage) 5:59 - Clint Cage 19-yard pass from Blake Bogenschutz (Gonzalez PAT), 13-0.
Third Quarter
(Carthage) 7:35 - Edward Pope 16-yard pass from Blake Bogenschutz (Gonzalez PAT), 20-0.
Fourth Quarter
(Carthage) 9:50 - Payton Klysen 1-yard run (Gonzalez PAT), 27-0.

Dawgs grab victory in final seconds, 42-36 - September 26, 2011
By John Krueger, Contributing Writer

Freshman Action

Center freshmen running back Johnny Shaw tries to break away from a Carthage defender during Thursday night's game at Bulldog Stadium. Shaw rushed for 193 yards and two touchdowns in the game. (Photo by John Krueger)

CARTHAGE -- After taking a 20-0 lead with 5:45 left in the first half, many would have thought that the Carthage freshmen Bulldogs had their game with Center here at Bulldog Stadium Thursday night safely in hand.

But not when it's a game between rivals.

The Roughriders fought back with two late touchdowns in the first half to pull to within 20-14. The 'Riders then continued battling and even took the lead, not once; not twice; but three times in the second half - the final time coming with 59 seconds left to give Center a 36-34 lead.

But after surrendering a 20-point lead and falling behind in the final minute of play, Carthage drove 52 yards in five plays and took only 36 seconds off the clock to take the lead - and the win - with just 23 seconds remaining to knock off the Roughriders, 42-36.

Carthage quarterback Trevin Bishop, who finished the night with 118 yards passing on 6-of-9 completions, hit Aaron Benefield on a 16-yard fade route to the left side of the endzone for the winning score. Bishop then hit James Marshall for the 2-point conversion to give the Dawgs the thrilling 6-point win.

In a last-ditch effort, Center tried to move the ball and a pass was intercepted Benefield and ran back for a touchdown, but a penalty nullified the score as time ran out.

Center freshman quarterback Dalton Horton (7) scrambles to get away from a Carthage defender during Thursday night's game at Bulldog Stadium. Horton threw for 234 yards and three touchdowns in the game. (Photo by John Krueger)

Lost in all the excitement of the finish was the dominating running performance of Bulldog running back Bryian Bolton. Bolton carried the ball for all but one of the Carthage running plays, finishing the night with 326 yards on 25 carries, scoring a pair of touchdowns.

Center's Johnny Shaw also had a impressive running night. Shaw ran for 193 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. Dalton Horton added 46 yards on 10 running attempts, Dustin Hearne added 28 yards on three carries and Eric Vaughn ran for eight yards.

The two squads definitely had a lot of offensively excitement, combining for 908 yards in the four 9-minute quarters. Only 16 yards separated the two squads in total offense, with Center gaining 462 and Carthage picking up 446.

The Bulldogs committed three turnovers to the Roughriders' two.

Bolton began adding up the yardage in a hurry, scoring on a 73-yard run on the first play of the game. The 2-point conversion was good and the Bulldogs grabbed the early 8-0 lead.

After Center drove to the Carthage 2-yard line and was stopped, the Dawgs moved 98 yards in only two plays. Bolton again broke loose, this time from 95 yards out to give Carthage a 14-0 lead at the 8:00 mark of the second.

A fumble return on a Center punt attempt created the 20-0 score when Carthage's Micah Templeton alertly picked up the loose ball and sprinted 13 yards into the endzone for a 'comfortable' 20-0 advantage with 5:45 left in the half.

The 'Riders used some trickery to get their offense kick started. On a double reverse pass, Dalton Horton, who passed for 234 yards on 16-of-31 passing, hit Sakedron Williams for a 63-yard strike with 3:56 left in the half and suddenly Center was within 20-8.

After an Eric Vaughn fumble recovery on the fourth play from scrimmage, Center drove 75 yards in nine plays and Horton connected with Josh Burns for a 20-yard TD strike to pull the 'Riders to within 20-14 at the break.

Center wide receiver Josh Burns (2) makes a catch near the goalline of Thursday night's freshmen game in Carthage. The 'Riders lost the game, 42-36. (Photo by John Krueger)

Shaw came out sprinting in the third quarter. He took the handoff on the second play from scrimmage and didn't stop until he had scored 64 yards later and Center led 22-20 with 8:26 left in the third.

The teams traded possessions. Then, with 1:08 left in the third, the Dawgs struck as Bishop hit Aaron Benefield for a 42-yard scoring pass. Bishop added the 2-point conversion and Carthage was back on top, 28-22, with 35 seconds left in the third.

Back came the 'Riders, taking the ensuing kickoff and moving 64 yards in eight plays. Shaw broke up the middle for a 29-yard into the endzone and Center was back on top 30-28 with 7:32 showing on the fourth-quarter clock.

Just as quickly as they had lost the lead, the Bulldog took it back. Two plays after the kickoff, Bishop rolled right and hit James Marshall for a 22-yard scoring toss with 6:54 on the clock. The 2-point conversion was stopped and Carthage was clinging to a 34-30 lead with 6:54 remaining.

That's when this rivalry stepped up a notch as the 'Riders moved 80 yards in 12 plays to scoring what the they thought was the winning score when Horton hit Williams on a crossing pattern for a 36-34 Center lead with one tick under a minute remaining.

That set up the exciting finish in which the Dawgs prevailed.

GAME AT A GLANCE

SCORING BY QUARTERS

INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS
Rushing
Center: Johnny Shaw 19-193 2TD; Dalton Horton 10-46; Dustin Hearne 3-28; Eric Vaughn 1-8. Carthage Bryian Bolton 25-326 2TD; Aaron Benefield 1-2.
Passing
Center: Dalton Horton 16-31-1 234 yards 3TD. Carthage: Trevein Bishop 6-9-1 118 yards 2TD; Bryian Bolton 0-1-1.
Receiving
Center: Johnny Shaw 4-51; Sakedron 3-100 2TD; Eric Vaughn 3-24; Gavin Steele 2-26; Quinard Jackson 2-7; Josh Burns 1-20 TD; Jack Ford 1-6. Carthage: James Marshall 2-36 TD; Aaron Benefield 2-58; Dylan Poissoit 1-13 TD; Johnathan Brown 1-11.

Dragons strike down Crusaders, 49-14 - September 26, 2011
By Stephen Ewing, Sports Correspondent

Shelbyville Trevor Henkel (88) reaches out to make a tackle on a T.K. Gorman runner during action Friday night at Dragon Stadium. The Dragons won their third straight game in a 49-14 blowout of the Crusaders. (Photo by Scott Flowers)

In the past three weeks the Shelbyville Dragons have begun turning a 'rebuilding season' into a surge for a possible run for the playoff berth. The third consecutive victim for the Dragons was Tyler T.K. Gorman this week as SHS rolled to a 49-14 blowout victory.

In what was figured by many to be a rebuilding year due to the graduation of a large senior class, which led the way in the Dragons' playoff qualifying season last year, they have shocked everyone but themselves by rebounding from an 0-2 start to wrap up their non-district schedule with three consecutive wins to improve their record to 3-2.

The Dragon offense exploded again, using a balanced attack to roll up 499 yards, while finding the endzone seven times. Junior quarterback James Bradford led the way, completing 16-of-23 passes for 240 yards and three touchdowns, while running the ball 15 times for 101 yards and a score.

Running back Dillon Brown helped out with 20 carries for 93 yards and two scores. The Dragons totaled 259 yards and 4 touchdowns on 49 carries for the game.

On the defensive side of the ball, Shelbyville surrendered only 170 total yards, with 103 of that coming on the ground on 18 Crusader rushes. T.K. Gorman quarterbacks completed 8-of-11 passes, but for only 67 yards.

Brown led the defensive assault from his middle linebacker spot, tallying 10 tackles, including two for losses and eight solo stops. Colton Brown added six tackles, with a pair of sacks and three stops for losses. Bradford secured five tackles, while Jagerrick Moore, Blane Deal, Symyron Robertson and Sawyer Wilburn had three apiece.

Shelbyville defender Colton Brown (64) chases down a T.K. Gorman runner during Friday night's game at Dragon Stadium. The Dragons improved to 3-2 on the year with a 49-14 win. (Photo by Scott Flowers)

Bradford got things started early in the first quarter, scoring on a three yard run. Brown kicked the PAT, putting the Dragons on top 7-0. Later in the quarter, Bradford hooked up with freshman wideout Trevor Henkel on a 10-yard touchdown pass. The PAT was blocked and the quarter ended with the Dragons leading 13-0.

Brown made his first trip to paydirt on a 10-yard run early in the second quarter and Brown found Blaine Deal open for the 2-point conversion to stretch the lead to 21-0. Brown scored again minutes later on a 9 yard run and Bradford and Deal hooked up again on the conversion to stretch the lead to 29-0.

The Crusaders also got on the board before halftime and the teams went to locker room with the score 29-7.

The Dragons kept rolling in the third quarter as Bradford found Henkel on a 7-yard touchdown pass. Brown added the PAT, making the score 36-7. Bradford found Henkel again from 18 yards out for another score and Brown's PAT stretched the lead to 43-7.

T.K. Gorman found the endzone again in the third period, making the score 43-14 going into the fourth.

Landon Wilburn wrapped up the scoring with a 2-yard run. Brown's PAT was good, making the final score 49-14.

The Crusaders dropped to 2-3 with the loss. They will open district play next week against cross-town rival All Saints Episcopal in a TAPPS Division III, District 2 contest. Tyler area private schools will be glad to get out of Shelby County, as All Saints fell to 3-2 Friday with a 71-8 loss to Joaquin.

The Shelbyville Dragons will get a week off before opening District 10A Div. I play against the Grapeland Sandies, who will bring a 1-4 record into district play.