GAME 9: ST. JAMES
38, Handley 14
HAN
0
0 8
6 14
STJ
6 26
0
6 38
SCORING SUMMARY:
STJ (1) 3:13 Roberts 50 pass from Gantt
(kick failed)
6 - 0
STJ (2) 7:15 Ward 2 run
(run failed) 12
-
0
STJ (2) 4:42 Ward 75 pass from Gantt
(Nelson kick)
19 - 0
STJ (2) 3:19 Roberts 18 pass from Gantt
(kick failed)
25 - 0
STJ (2) 1:13 Thrasher 18 blocked punt return
(Nelson kick) 32 - 0
HAN (3) 3:18 Shelnutt 18 pass from Hammond
(Tucker pass from Keith) 32 -
8
STJ (4) 5:54 Thrasher 2 run
(kick failed) 38
- 8
HAN (4) 2:31 Lewis 4 run
(pass failed)
38 - 14
October 24, 2003
Carlisle Field, Montgomery Game conditions: Partly
cloudy Game temperature: 78 Wind SE 5-10
St. James broke open a close game with four touchdowns
in a period of just over six minutes in the second quarter, three of
those Brett Gantt touchdown passes, en route to a 32-0 halftime lead
and a playoff berth-clinching win over the visiting Handley Tigers in
the 38-14 regular season home finale.
The game did not start auspiciously for the Trojans as they were
charged with a 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty before the
opening kickoff, because the captains were not on the field for the
coin toss promptly enough
after the conclusion of Senior Night festivities. However, after
the
Tigers ran the opening kickoff back to just short of midfield, they
fumbled
the ball away four plays later. St. James moved the ball
downfield
but were stopped on third and fourth down with a yard to go at the
Tigers
8. Again, the Tigers were forced to punt. After a penalty
and
a short loss, Gantt connected with his first touchdown pass, a deep
throw
down the near sidelines where Chris Roberts outraced his sole defender
and
gained control after the ball was tipped for a 50 yard catch and run
touchdown.
The extra point was wide, but the Trojans had a first quarter 6-0
lead.
Handley moved the ball nearly 50 yards on its ensuing drive, but a 35
yard field goal attempt was a line drive which veered wide left.
For the next six minutes, the Trojans played perhaps their most
inspired segment of
football all season. From the 20, it took the Trojans only six
plays to traverse 80 yards. A key 24 yard pass on third down from
Gantt to Tyler Murphy was immediately followed by a 46 yard breakaway
run by Ted Brewer, who was pushed out of bounds just four yards short
of the endzone. Two plays later, Matt Ward took the handoff off
left end for a two yard touchdown. Gantt attempted to take the
ball in on a two point conversion run, but
came up just short of the goal line. However, the lead had
doubled in
size to 12-0.
The Tigers failed to make a first down on their next possession, and
then it took St. James only three plays to travel 76 more yards.
On third and nine from the Trojan 25, Matt Ward caught a nicely
floated Gantt flair pass, avoided the front line tacklers on the near
sidelines, and then made a "Playmaker" type move about 20 yards
downfield to deke three defenders and
most every St. James spectator, as he deftly cut back toward the middle
of
the field instead of taking the safe route out of bounds. From
there, Ward outraced the surprised Tigers to the endzone for a
thrilling 75 yard touchdown catch and run. Taylor Nelson was
called in for the first time
this season to try an extra point, which he converted, and the lead was
quickly
19-0.
Perhaps still in shock, Handley fumbled the ball away on a deflected
pitch on the next scrimmage play. Three plays later, on third and
15, Gantt hooked up for his third touchdown pass of the night, again to
Chris Roberts, this time for 18 yards. This time the extrta point
failed, but with still three minutes remaining in the half, the Trojans
had a four possession lead of 25-0.
Handley, desperate to score before the half was over, did manage
several first downs on rushing plays. However, a quarterback sack
and a costly holding penalty eventually forced the Tigers to punt again
from their own 40. The snap to the punter was low, and the
Trojan punt block team members, after weeks of trying with only a few
deflections to show for their efforts, finally were rewarded as Peter
Krothapalli stuffed the punt backwards. Will Thrasher picked up
the ball just inside the 20 yard line and cruised into the endzone with
the fourth St. James touchdown in just over six minutes of playing
time. Nelson's extra point pushed the lead to 32-0. Murphy
intercepted a desperationTiger pass on the last play of the first half
to thwart any potential Handley scoring threat.
On the first drive of the second half, Gantt completed several long
passes and moved as close as the Handley 10, but turned the ball over
on downs. Handley
avoided immediate disaster by recovering their own fumble on the next
play,
but had to punt again without making a first down. Ward returned
the
short punt to the Tiger 29, and Brewer ran for two first downs, but on
fourth
down from the two yard line, a 20 yard field goal attempt was wide
right.
Handley's Fred Dozier finally broke away on the next play for a
51
yard dash, and the Tigers finally lit up the scoreboard three plays
later
with an 18 yard touchdown pass from Tim Hammond to Wade Shelnutt off of
a
deflection. A halfback option pass on the two point conversion,
similar
to a touchdown pass Trinity had executed the week before, was
successful and
the Trojan lead was shaved to 24 points late in the third quarter.
St. James punted for the first time in the game three plays later, but
on the fourth play of the fourth quarter, after an illegal block
penalty had thwarted a long Handley run, a fumble on a quarterback sack
turned the ball back over to the Trojans. A third and long
completion from Gantt to Thrasher was assisted by a personal foul
penalty, and three plays later Thrasher was rewarded for his reception
effort with a two yard touchdown run. The extra point was
deflected, but the lead had bloomed back to 30, at 38-8, closing
out the Trojan scoring for the evening. The Tigers moved the
ball
against the Trojan reserves on their next drive, as Derrick Lewis
bolted in
from four yards out on the eighth play of a 74 yard drive. The
two point
pass was incomplete, and the final margin of victory would be 24
points, at
38-14.
GAME NINE SIDELINE STATISTICS:
ST. JAMES
RUSHING 27 attempts 110 yards (4.07 yards
per carry) 2 TDs
42 Brewer 13 / 101
10 Gantt 6 / 17
9 Murphy 1 /
1
30 Ward 3
/ 2
(1 TD) 44 Krothapalli 1 / - 2
34 Thrasher 2 / - 3
(1 TD)
55 Cumbie 1 / - 6
PASSING 16 completions 25 attempts
0 INTs 285 yards 3 TDs (no sacks of)
10 Gantt 16 - 25 - 0
285 yards 3 TDs
RECEIVING
30 Ward
3 /
84 (1 TD) 6 Roberts 4 /
77
(2 TDs) 3 Nelson 5 / 73
9 Murphy 2 / 30
23 Aitken
1 / 11 34
Thrasher 1 / 10
TOTAL YARDS: 395
KICKS: XP 2 /
5
FG 0 / 0
2 POINT CONVERSIONS: 0 / 1
KICKOFFS: 7
(61,49,OB,49,45EZ,48,40) PUNTS: 1
(35)
KO RETURNS: 2 (34,12)
PUNT
RETURNS: 1 (9)
BLOCKED KICK RETURN: 1 (18TD)
INTERCEPTION RETURN: 1 (0)
FIRST DOWNS: 15 (6 rushing, 9 passing)
FUMBLES: 1, lost 1
TURNOVER MARGIN: + 3
PENALTIES: 4 / 40 yards
TIME OF POSSESSION: 20:49
HANDLEY
RUSHING 43 attempts 205 yards 1 TD (4.77
yards per carry)
PASSING 7 completions 14
attempts 1 INT 92 yards 1 TD (2 sacks of, - 13
yards)
TOTAL YARDS: 297
KICKS: XP 0 /
0
FG 0 / 0
2 POINT CONVERSIONS: 1 / 2
KICKOFFS: 3 (55,56,4)
PUNTS: 4 (30,-22blk,37,32)
KO RETURNS: 5 (35,22,14,26,16)
PUNT RETURNS: 1 (0fc)
FIRST DOWNS: 18 (13 rushing, 4 passing, 1 penalty)
FUMBLES: 4, lost 3
PENALTIES: 9 / 84 yards
TIME OF POSSESSION: 27:11
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