GAME 1:  @ Thorsby 16, Saint James 0

September 6, 1991   Thorsby Field.  Game Conditions:  Cloudy, very humid, no wind   Game Temperature:  n/y/a

---

In a game where any positive yardage was a premium, the Saint James offense was at least if not more sloppy as the rain-drenched field, losing more than 40 net yards on the evening, while the Thorsby Rebels took advantage of several safeties and resulting field position to capture a season opening victory over the Trojans, 16 - 0.

Andy Roberson returned the opening kickoff for the Trojans to their own 38, which may have been the most positive Trojan yardage movement of the night.  Saint James picked up two first downs on the drive, one thanks in large part to a defensive offsides, but a sack just over midfield forced a punt.  The Rebels tried to grind out the ball on the muddy field and picked up two first downs as well, but gave up the ball on downs on a quarterback sack at the Trojan 44.

Saint James lost whatever field position advantage it had as a bobbled snap back to the punter was recovered by the Rebels at the Saint James 29.  After a sack on first down, a 35 yard touchdown run was negated by a clipping penalty.  Another quarterback sack two plays later forced yet another deep punt into Trojan territory on the first play of the second quarter.  Two penalties and two incomplete passes led to still another punt, and Thorsby took over on their own 47.  On a grueling drive which ate up a majority of the second quarter, the Rebels kept the ball mostly on the ground for fourteen plays.  Another potential touchdown run of 16 yards was thwarted by a penalty.  After a separate clipping penalty, a 19 yard Thorsby pass completion gave the Rebels fourth down and 9 from the Trojan 15.  A 32 yard field goal attempt, however, was well short and the Trojans had somehow again held.

Unfortunately, on the first play from the 20, a forced fumble on a sack was recovered by Thorsby and they scored on the next play from 15 yards out, this time with no penalties.  The extra point was blocked, but Thorsby was finally on the scoreboard, up 6 - 0, with just over three minutes remaining in the first half.

A kickoff out of bounds gave the Trojans the ball at their own 31 yard line.  However, after a sack, a no gain on a fumble, and an incomplete pass, Saint James tried to punt away to maintain a 6 point lead headed into halftime.  However, the ball was snapped well over the punter's head and Walter Moss was fortunate to fall on the ball in the endzone for a safety, giving Thorsby an 8 - 0 lead with 89 seconds remaining in the half.  After the Saint James free kick from the twenty, a holding penalty stopped any chance of the Rebels scoring again in the messy second quarter.

Thorsby, which had won the opening game toss and elected to defer, actually decided to kick off to start the second half probably due to the rapidly deteriorating field conditions.  However, a medium distance kickoff was returned nicely to the Saint James 42 by Rhett Hooper.  The next four plays, one a penalty, netted only 2 yards and on fourth down the Trojans tried a fake punt pass which was intercepted and returned to the Rebel 47.  The Saint James defense, which was only on the field for four plays in the third quarter, held Thorsby to six yards, forcing a punt.  The punt was muffed, and Thorsby recovered at the Trojan 27.  However, on the very next play, Saint James recovered a fumbled pitch at their own 33 regaining possession.

The Thorsby crowd joined in, helping force three illegal procedure penalties while the defense was stopping Trojans behind the line of scrimmage twice.  On the last play of the third quarter, a Trojan punt was returned to the Rebel 27.  Thorsby picked up two first downs on costly major Trojan penalties, pass interference and roughing the passer, and had a first down at the Trojan 12.  However, after an illegal motion penalty and a quarterback sack, a nine yard pass completion could only advance the ball as close as the Trojan 14.  A second field goal was to be attempted, but was aborted after a bad snap, and Saint James was still amazingly within one possession with only seven minutes remaining in the game needing 85 yards to reach the endzone.

An incomplete pass, a bobbled but recovered snap, and another incomplete pass led to still one more punt attempt.  However, this time the ball went through the punter's hands into the endzone for a second safety when recovered by Saint James, and the Thorsby lead was up to 10 - 0.  A pooch free kick was returned to the Trojan 34 yard line, and it took the Rebels only one play to clinch the game with a 34 yard touchdown.  A conversion run failed, but the Thorsby lead was certainly by now a safe 16 - 0 midway through the fourth quarter.

Saint James had two more possessions, but could only complete one pass out of seven attempts, and Thorsby merely ran out the clock as the thickening fog rolled in to complete the scene for the scoreless Trojans and cement the victory for the home Rebels.

---