Dyersburg utilizes special teams to pull away from McNairy

 

Jason Peevyhouse

Editor, JP Productions Sports

A back-and-forth contest on Friday night at J.C. Sawyers Stadium turned towards the home team’s favor after a turnover on a McNairy kickoff return resulted in a touchdown moments later for the Trojans to set the tone for Dyersburg’s 58-34 win over McNairy Central in Region 7-3A play.

“We were back and forth with these guys,” Dyersburg Head Coach Bart Stowe said. “They’re an explosive team and they have some dynamic players.

“They were 3-0 coming in.”

After McNairy scored on the opening drive, the Trojans were able to march down the field and answer. The Trojan scoring drive was capped by a nine-yard pass from Logston Morgan to Demond Dillard to cut the Central lead to one. Jackson Duggan added the extra point to tie the game at 7-7 with 6:11 left in the opening quarter.

Central was aided in its pursuit of a second touchdown by a roughing the passer penalty on a third-and-long inside Trojan territory. McNairy capped the drive with an 11-yard touchdown pass then added the extra point to go up 14-7 with 1:53 left in the first quarter.

Dyersburg was able to put together another scoring drive on its second possession of the game, capping the drive with a touchdown pass from Morgan to Ty Seaton covering 11 yards with 9:38 left in the first half. Duggan added the extra point to tie the game at 14-14.

With special teams already aiding the offense, Dyersburg’s kickoff team came up with a big play as the ensuing onside kick was recovered by Dyersburg to give the Trojans excellent field position. The following drive resulted in the black and gold taking the lead for the first time of the night with a six-yard touchdown run by Quincy Terry with 6:56 left in the half. Another Duggan extra point put the Trojans on top 21-14.

“I want to tell you something – special teams played a huge impact on the ballgame, especially the first half,” Stowe said. “We got an onside kick and we got blocked punt and a safety.

Central did not go away though, answering with a long touchdown run to cut the Dyersburg lead to 21-20 before extra point tied the game with 6:40 left in the second quarter.

The back-and-forth scoring continued as Dyersburg answered with a 10-yard touchdown run by Dillard to give the lead back to the Trojans. Duggan’s extra point with 3:51 left in the half put the black and gold on top 28-21.

A Dyersburg defensive stand led to another big special teams’ play as a blocked punt by the Trojan defense resulted in a safety to add two more points to the Trojan side of the board. The safety extended Dyersburg’s lead to 30-21 with 1:57 left in the half.

After getting the ball back following the safety, Dyersburg tacked on another score before the half, getting a one-yard Dillard touchdown run. The extra point gave the Trojans a 37-21 lead at the half.

Dyersburg continued its scoring streak with a 42-yard run early in the second half by Dillard. Duggan’s extra point put the Trojans lead at 44-21 with 10:16 left in the third quarter.

McNairy was able to answer and cut the Trojan lead to two scores by Dyersburg battled right back with another score. This time, Terry scored on a three-yard run to make it a three-score game again. The extra point put the Trojans on top 51-28 heading into the fourth quarter.

Each team scored one last touchdown during the final 12 minutes as a Central score was countered by a Dyersburg touchdown run from Morgan covering six yards. Duggan’s eighth straight extra point gave the Trojans a 58-34 lead on the way to the win.

After having issues with turnovers in the two season-opening losses, Dyersburg has not turned the ball over in the past two games. Both were wins.

“We’ve got to keep holding onto the ball,” the Trojan head coach said. “Hats off to our offensive line. We’re really doing some good stuff.

“We’ve taken a big stance on not turning the ball over. We really killed ourselves during the first two ballgames we played in. The last two weeks, we’ve not turned the ball over. I’m so proud of that and the boys.”

Dillard led the way for the Trojans with 14 carries for 177 yards and three touchdowns. Eric Funderburk also had 14 carries for 117 yards while Terry carried the ball 11 times for 84 yards and two scores.

Morgan was 3-of-4 passing for 54 yards and two touchdowns while carrying the ball four times for 25 yards and another score.

“We’re getting ready to go on the road, travelling to Bolivar,” Stowe said of the upcoming Region 7-3A schedule. “That’ll be a tough game going over there.

“We’ve just got to keep getting better. We’re still battling some injuries here and there. We’ve got to keep bringing young players along.”

Coach Stowe said he knows what it is going to take for the Trojans to continue to be successful.

“For us to win, we’ve got to play all three phases of the game really well,” Stowe added. “And all three phases of the game showed up right here in this game tonight.

“Special teams were huge. Defense had some stops. And offensively, we had some plays too. Yes, we can get better and we will keep getting better. We’ve just got to keep working on it.”

Dyersburg travels to Bolivar on Friday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m. for another Region 7-3A matchup.

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