GAME 5:  ST. JAMES 19, @ Montgomery Academy 10

 STJ             0      12      7       0               19

M  A            0      10      0       0               10

September 23, 2005.  7:00 PM  McLemore Field, Montgomery   Game Conditions:  Cloudy, humid   Game temperature:  80  Wind  ESE  5-15

SCORING SUMMARY:

STJ   (2)  11:35   Alter 72 punt return                           (kick failed)    6 -   0
STJ   (2)  10:13   Stabler 5 run                                       (run failed)   12 -  0
M A  (2)    4:07   Brown 34 FG                                                           12 -  3
M A  (2)      :21   Brown 12 pass from Swann              (Brown kick)   12 - 10
STJ   (3)    1:05   Crider 6 run                                      (Sutter kick)   19 - 10

Michael Stabler scored a touchdown run, blocked a fourth quarter field goal attempt, and helped thwart another drive by assisting in a forced fumble after a pass reception, as the St. James Trojans won their fifth consecutive game at McLemore Field with a 19-10 victory over the homestanding Montgomery Academy Eagles.

On the first drive of the game, one play after the Trojans converted a risky fourth down in their own territory, a Taylor Thompson screen pass catch and run from Will Martin went 56 yards for an apparent touchdown, but was called back for a holding penalty.  Four plays later, an interception, the only Trojan turnover of the night, gave the Eagles the ball at their own 41.  Three first downs later, the ball was on the Trojan 19, when the Trojan defense sacked Eagle quarterback Tripp Swann for the first of four times, and three plays later MA could not convert on fourth down and long.  The teams traded punts on their next drives, which exhausted the first quarter.

Swann's punt travelled 50 yards, but was fielded by Bruce Alter on the run.  He scooted past the first four defenders, crossed the field to the Trojans side outrunning several Eagles, and outdueled Swann at the Eagle 20 yard line on the way to a 72 yard punt return touchdown.  The extra point attempt was wide, but the Trojans had a 6 point lead early in the second quarter.  Graham Sutter's kickoff was muffed, and only returned to the 17 yard line.  An illegal block penalty backed the ball up to the 9.  On first down, the snap was fumbled and recovered by Trojan Brian Wright at the Eagle 9 yard line.  From there, the Trojans took 3 plays to score, the third being a nifty 5 yard touchdown run by Michael Stabler.  A reverse run for a two point conversion was stopped short of the line of scrimmage, but St. James had scored 2 touchdowns in less than 90 seconds en route to a 12-0 lead.

Harris Brown ran the ensuing kickoff back to his own 39 yard line, and MA advanced as far as the Trojan 17 on several Swann scrambles and short passes.  On fourth and 2, Brown attempted and drilled a 34 yard field goal as the Eagles cut the lead to 12-3.  The Trojans were stopped on three plays on the following drive, but a Sutter punt was muffed and fallen on by St. James at the Eagle 44.  However, the Trojans again could not convert a first down, and an endzone punt left MA with 80 yards to travel in 93 seconds.

Passes to Brown of 18 yards, Josh Hunter of 16 yards, and a defensive pass interference penalty quickly advanced the ball to the Trojan 31.  However, Zach Sealy sacked Swann for a 15 yard loss and an intentional grounding penalty seemed to be enough to negate the drive.  However, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty several plays later led to a more-manageable 3rd down and 15, which Anthony McCall converted on a 24 yard reception with 28 seconds remaining.  On the next play, Swann found Harris Brown open on the left sideline and he dove just into the endzone for a 12 yard touchdown.   Brown then kicked his extra point, and MA had the halftime momentum with 10 consecutive points in a busy second quarter, cutting the Trojan lead to 2.

St. James, on its second drive of the third quarter, moved the ball smartly down the field.  A nine play drive with no third downs featured 3 first down runs by Jeremy Crider and a 14 yard pass completion to Nathan Newton for another first down.  From the Eagle 6, Crider was rewarded for his admirable drive work with a carry for a 6 yard touchdown.  This time Sutter's extra point was true, and the score was 19-10 late in the third quarter.

MA overcame 3 offensive penalties on their next drive, with a defensive personal foul benefitting, and had a first down at the Trojan 13.  A Josh Hunter carry on second down had the Eagles as close as the Trojan 5, but a no gain on third down forced a field goal opportunity.  After a delay of game penalty, a 31 yard field goal attempt was blocked by Michael Stabler and recovered by St. James at their own 16.  The Trojans ate up 3 minutes of valuable fourth quarter clock before punting, and the Eagles, down by 9, took over on their own 26 with less than 4 minutes remaining.  Hanley Funderburk sacked Swann on first down, but Swann, who passed for over 200 yards during the game, completed three passes in a row, and the ball was back in Trojan territory.  Two plays later, another pass was completed, but the receiver was sandwiched and lost the ball.  It was fallen on by St. James' Blaine Joyner at the 27 yard line, and Martin ate up all but the final second of the clock to seal the 9 point victory for St. James over its city rival.

SIDELINE STATISTICS:  GAME FIVE

ST. JAMES      RUSHING   35 attempts  127 yards  2 TDs  (3.63 yards per carry)

                        10   Crider          9 / 59  (1 TD)       20   Stabler        10 / 52  (1 TD)
                          3   Martin       15 / 15                    22   Alter            1 /   1

                        PASSING    6 completions  12 attempts  1 INT  30 yards  0 TDs  (no sacks of)

                          3   Martin         6 - 12 - 1    30 yards   0 TDs

                        RECEIVING

                        19   Newton       1 / 14      2   Thompson     2 /  8     5   Cowden    1 / 8
                        32   Christian      1 /  2     22   Alter            1 / - 2

                        TOTAL YARDS:   157

                        KICKS:  XP  1 / 2                FG  0 / 0
                        2 POINT CONVERSIONS:  0 / 1
                        KICKOFFS:  4  (56,52,57,47)                      PUNTS:  4  (36,31,30,31)
                        KO RETURNS:  3  (18,23,16)                     PUNT RETURNS:   2  (79TD,3)
                        FIRST DOWNS:   11   (9 rushing, 1 passing, 1 penalty)
                        FUMBLES:  1, lost 0
                        TURNOVER MARGIN:   + 2
                        PENALTIES:  10 / 83 yards
                        TIME OF POSSESSION:  20:58

M A                 RUSHING   32 attempts  85 yards   0 TDs  (2.66 yards per carry)
                        PASSING    16 completions  27 attempts  0 INTs  201 yards  1 TD  (4 sacks of, - 43 yards)
                        TOTAL YARDS:  286

                        KICKS:  XP  1 / 1                FG  1 / 1  (34 made)
                        2 POINT CONVERSIONS:  0 / 0
                        KICKOFFS:  3 (49,53,51)                            PUNTS:  3  (50,35,33)
                        KO RETURNS:  4  (13,26,7,13)                   PUNT RETURNS:  2  (0f,10)
                        FIRST DOWNS:   20  (6 rushing, 11 passing, 3 penalty)
                         FUMBLES:  3, lost 3
                        PENALTIES:  10 / 64 yards
                        TIME OF POSSESSION:  27:02

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