Dyersburg holds off Central second-half effort for region win

 

Jason Peevyhouse

Editor, JP Productions Sports

A quartet of first-half turnovers both stung the Rebels and benefitted the Trojans, who jumped out to a 28-0 lead at the half before Central made things interesting the second half as Dyersburg had two touchdowns wiped off the board before claiming a 37-20 win over Obion County Central on Friday night in Troy.

Dyersburg Head Coach Bart Stowe agreed the big lead early was all about taking advantage of the opportunities the Trojans were given thanks to turnovers.

“Was really proud of us in the first half,” Stowe explained. “In the second half, we came out and made some mistakes.

“I’m really proud of our defense. Our defense stepped up and got a safety. In the second half, we had two touchdowns called back. Holy smokes! Because of errors that we made. Simple errors that we’ve got to correct.”

Stowe added the Trojans were playing some of their team in different positions due to injuries, but that was part of it.

“Really proud of the boys,” the Trojan head coach said. “Defense travels. The defense came over and played really well all four quarters.

“On offense, we really shot ourselves in the foot in the second half. We’ve got to do better.”

Central Head Coach Clayton Morris was quick to point out you can’t start at game like that against a good team.

“You can’t spot them four turnovers,” Morris said. “Four turnovers lead to 28 points.

“You can’t do that to good teams. When the game plan is going to schedule, hey, we’re banging with them. It’s a good football game between two good teams.”

Morris added two special teams turnovers and a pair of interceptions put the Rebels in a hole early.

“It’s hard to fight out of a hole like that against a good team,” Morris said. “And, Dyersburg’s a good team with a great coaching staff and a great head coach.”

Still, the second-half effort from the Rebels was a big positive takeaway for the Central head coach.

The turnover bug bit the Rebels early as Dyersburg’s coverage team on the opening kickoff caused a fumble recovered by the Trojans.

Dyersburg’s running game gave was on point early, needing just four runs along with an 8-yard pass from Logston Morgan to Demond Dillard to get into the end zone. Peyton Hill’s opening touchdown came from a yard out with 10:07 left in the first quarter. Elian Gonzalez’s extra point gave Dyersburg a 7-0 lead.

The Trojans got another break on the ensuing kickoff as the Rebels called for a fair catch on the kick but fumbled the ball away with Dyersburg coming up with it. This time, though, the Rebel defense was up to the task, stopping the Trojans from scoring with a stand aided by a DHS penalty.

But, the defensive effort was wiped away as, on the ensuing play of the following Rebel drive, Dyersburg’s Kendrick Gourley snagged a Rebel pass to end the drive.

The Trojans needed just six plays to score as a 16-yard Necari Hall touchdown run put Dyersburg back on the board. Gonzalez added the extra point to give Dyersburg a 14-0 lead with 4:40 left in the first frame.

The Trojan defense stepped up and forced a three-and-out and the Dyersburg offense thanked them with another score. The 52-yard, 10-play drive bridged the first and second quarters and was capped by a Jaden Harris one-yard run for the score. The extra point extended the Dyersburg lead to 21-0 with 10:25 left in the half.

The Trojan defense came up with another big play as Santavion Williams picked off a pass on the second play of the ensuing Rebel drive.

Utilizing the running abilities of Hill and Harris, Dyersburg needed just six plays to score as Hill capped the drive with a four-yard run for the score. The extra point put the Trojans on top 28-0 with 6:14 left in the half.

The Rebels were able to put something together on the next drive as Tyler Stork carried the ball six times on the 76-yard drive for 50 yards. With under a minute left in the half, Central opted to go for the field goal but the 33-yard try failed leaving Dyersburg on top 28-0 at the half.

Central finally got on the board late in the third quarter as quarterback Tucker Phelon hit Red Hudson for a 39-yard score. The extra point failed, leaving the Rebels trailing 28-6 with 4:16 left in the third quarter.

On the next drive, Dyersburg appeared to score on a Hall run before the touchdown was waved off due to a penalty. The Trojans also looked poised score on the drive later before a fumble was recovered by Central’ s Tae Stallings at the 1-yard line.

Dyersburg’s defense was able to make up for it on the first play, throwing Stork for a loss in the end zone for the safety with 2:17 left and a 30-6 lead.

But, after stopping Dyersburg again, Central continued to battle, getting a 19-yard run by Stork for the team’s second score. The two-point conversion failed, but the Rebels had cut the Dyersburg lead to 30-12 with 10:13 left.

Dyersburg was able to answer later in the quarter as Hill scored on a 17-yard run. Jackson Duggan added the extra point to put the Trojans on top 37-12.

Central was able to score late in the game on a 72-yard pass from Phelon to Bradley Grady. The two-pointer saw Phelon hit Jaymir Harper for the good attempt to cut Dyersburg’s lead to 37-20 with 1:37 left in the game.

The Trojans were able to recover the onside kick and run out the clock for the win.

“All three phases of the game showed up for us,” Stowe pointed out. “Obviously, in the second half, we struggled in the second half, offensively, because of our mistakes.”

The loss is the third in a row for the Rebels and brings their record to 3-3. However, all three teams Central lost to are ranked in the TWSA/USA Today Class 3A poll with a combined record of 16-1. There is still a lot of season left as Morris pointed out.

“The postgame message is – and I don’t mind saying it on the record – we don’t lose again,” Morris said. “That’s our mindset going forward.

“And, what we did in the second half – that refusal to go away – we’ve got to carry that for the rest of the season. There’s still a lot of season left. Our destiny is still in our hands. We’ve got three region games left. Yeah, it’s not where we want to be but, we’ve still got control of our destiny. We’ve got to get it together and get healthy. We’ve got to get some kids back. But, I do like what I saw in the second half.”

Next up for the Rebels is McNairy Central next Friday night in Selmer. The Bobcats are 2-4 on the season after defeating Bolivar on Friday. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. next Friday night at McNairy Central.

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