Dyersburg survives offensive slugfest in Fairview

 

The Trojans had a dominant first quarter but had to fight off a very good and scrappy Fairview team before handing the Yellow Jackets a 52-35 season-ending loss in Fairview on Friday night in the TSSAA Class 3A Playoff Second Round.

The Yellow Jackets got on the board first, getting a long kickoff return to the Trojan 28-yard line. The Dyersburg defense forced a fourth-and-long only to have a Fairview pass from Jax McCoy to Jackson Jones get the home team out from behind the eight ball. Julis Carter then capped the short drive moments later with a four-yard touchdown run. The extra point put Fairview on top at 7-0 with 9:54 left in the opening frame.

Dyersburg was able to answer with a well-put-together scoring drive. Running on the legs of Peyton Hill, the Trojans moved the ball from their own 35-yard line down the field towards the end zone. Dyersburg capped the scoring drive with a three-yard run by Hill for the score. Elian Gonzalez tacked on the extra point to tie the game at 7-7 with 5:41 left in the first quarter.

The Trojan defense stepped up on the next Fairview possession, forcing a three-and-out. The ensuing Yellow Jacket punt pinned Dyersburg at the Trojan 10-yard line.

But, Dyersburg was only pinned momentarily as Necari Hall broke free for a 90-yard touchdown run on the first play of the drive to give the Trojans the lead. The extra point put Dyersburg on top 14-7 with 3:10 left in the first quarter.

It was the Trojan special teams’ chance to make a play and the black and gold did as Dyersburg recovered the ensuing kick – a pooch kick – at the Fairview 20-yard line.

Again, it took just one play for the Trojans to benefit as Quincy Terry scored on a 20-yard run on the first play of the drive. Gonzalez’s extra point extended Dyersburg’s lead to 21-7 with 2:59 left in the frame.

Dyersburg continued to make big plays on defense as a sack from Peyton Hill on second down led to a Kendrick Gourley safety on third down. The play put two points on the board and extended the Dyersburg lead to 23-7.

On the first play of the ensuing drive, Hill opened up with a 15-yard run to the Fairview 30-yard line. From there, Trojan quarterback Logston Morgan hit an open Ty Seaton for a 30-yard touchdown with 1:07 left in the first frame. The extra point from Gonzalez pushed Dyersburg’s lead to 30-7.

Moments later, the first quarter ended with Dyersburg piling up over 200 yards of offense, including 186 yards on the ground.

The second quarter saw Fairview’s offense step up, getting a pair of touchdowns from Carter.

The first one came with 8:29 left in the half via a 19-yard run by Carter. The two-point attempt on the ground failed as but the Yellow Jackets had cut the Dyersburg lead to 30-13.

The second touchdown run came late in the second frame and was an eight-yard run. The two-point pass fell incomplete, leaving Dyersburg up 30-19.

The Trojans were able to stop a late Fairview drive at the end of the first half to take an 11-point lead into halftime.

Dyersburg opened the second half with a strong drive beginning at the Trojan 30-yard line. Powered by a healthy dose of Hill and Hall, the black and gold drove into the red zone while eating up precious clock. Hill capped the drive with a three-yard touchdown with 5:36 left in the third quarter. The extra point pushed Dyersburg’s lead to 37-19.

Almost as important as the Dyersburg score was the six-and-a-half bite out of the clock the Trojan offense took to start the second half.

The Yellow Jackets went back to work on offense, putting together a long drive of their own but also eating up more time on the clock. Kentrell Harrison scored on a two-yard run with 1:30 left in the third frame. Fairview went for two for a third time and got it this time, cutting the Dyersburg lead to 37-27.

Dyersburg was able to answer the Fairview score with another scoring drive, this one bridging the third and fourth quarter. The 51-yard drive was capped by a five-yard touchdown from Hill with 10:32 left in the game. Gonzalez’s extra point extended Dyersburg’s lead to 44-27.

But, the Yellow Jackets were intent on not going away, as Fairview answered with an 18-yard pass for a touchdown with 8:19 left. The two-point conversion cut Dyersburg’s lead to 44-35.

The Trojans went back to work on offense, looking to eat up clock and put more points on the board. A Hill run for a first down with just under 5:30 left was a big play for the black and gold. The senior running back was again the workhorse, capping the drive with an 18-yard touchdown run with just under three minutes left. The two-point conversion by Terry extended the Dyersburg lead to 52-35 with 2:54 left in the game.

On the ensuing pooch kick, Dyersburg was able to get the ball back as it was recovered by Jaden Harris. The recovery all but secured the Trojans’ spot in next week’s quarterfinal game.

Hill led the way on the ground with 225 yards on 26 carries and four touchdowns in the second-round win and a 400-plus yard game offensively for the Trojans. Hall had nine carries for 121 yards and a score.

Dyersburg will travel to Covington on Friday, Nov. 21, in the TSSAA Class 3A Quarterfinals. The Chargers defeated Sycamore, 56-14, in the second round in Covington.

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