2012 - GAME 8

Tallassee 41, Saint James 21
TAL        14     14       0     13         41
 
STJ         14       0       7       0         21
SCORING SUMMARY:

STJ  (1)  10:40   Duncan 9 run                          (Alter kick)     7 -   0
TAL (1)    9:47   H. McKenzie 66 run            (Mullins kick)     7 -   7
STJ  (1)    5:20   Woodson 2 run                       (Alter kick)    14 -   7
TAL (1)    3:48   Rivers 36 run                      (Mullins kick)    14 - 14
TAL (2)    4:54   Paschal 12 run                    (Mullins kick)    21 - 14
TAL (2)    2:11   Paschal 28 run                    (Mullins kick)    28 - 14
STJ  (3)    2:37   Moody 13 run                         (Alter kick)    28 - 21
TAL (4)  10:09   Paschal 73 run                    (kick blocked)    34 - 21
TAL (4)    2:53   H. McKenzie 92 run            (Mullins kick)    41 - 21

October 19, 2012   Carlisle Field.   8:25 PM  (see below)   Game Conditions:  Clear, cool   Game Temperature:  64  Wind:  W 10, diminishing

After an 85 minute delay because officials had not yet arrived at Carlisle Field, a crazy offensive first quarter turned into a more one sided, or more accurately '2' sided, contest as Tallassee's # 2, sophomore Herman McKenzie, rushed for 319 yards and two long touchdowns to help lead the Tigers to a 41 - 21 victory over Saint James on Senior Night 2012.  DiJon Paschal added three touchdowns and rushed for 139 yards as well.

The 85 minute delay was caused by a mysteriously non-arriving crew of officials.  After some frenetic phone calls, a four official crew which had worked a game the previous night and was originally scheduled to work a game this night before it was postponed was hurriedly organized and rushed in from Chilton County.  While waiting the Tallassee band performed its halftime show pre-game, and Saint James, which was scheduled to perform its full show after the game did so during the belated halftime.  Fortunately, a head referee arrived early and took sole responsibility of meeting with the coaches and athletic directors, checking the field, footballs, sideline chains and such, and performing the game coin toss well before the other officials arrived.  The teams, which had been in their respective locker rooms for nearly 90 minutes were given ample time to warm up once more on a brisk evening, and the game finally started at 8:25 PM.

This was not the first time an absent officials issue had occurred in a Saint James varsity football game.  In 1984, in the meeting against Trinity, no extra officiating crew was immediately available after (it was discovered) a clerical error had led to the absence of officials.  A separate crew working across town at a Catholic / Alabama Christian game had to be police escorted into Trinity's stadium after the conclusion of their contest to call a full second game which did not start until well after 10 PM.  Fortunately, the delay was not nearly as long for Saint James and Tallassee on this evening.

Saint James won the solo-official led toss and chose to receive, and for the first game in weeks lit up the scoreboard almost immediately, merely 80 seconds into the ballgame.  A short kickoff was returned by Hunter Smith to the Trojan 40.  On first down after a penalty, C.J. Duncan lofted a pass to fellow senior Walker Woodson who had escaped down the sidelines and the gain of 49 yards advanced the ball quickly to the Tiger 16.  Frank Moody ran for 9 yards on first down, and on the next play helped execute a perfect fake handoff which Duncan kept and strolled 9 yards untouched into the endzone for a Trojan touchdown and their first lead in 9 quarters.  Matthew Alter's extra point was good and the Trojans were off to a quick start with a 7 - 0 lead.

Not for too long, however.  Tallassee returned the Trojan kickoff to their own 30.  McKenzie began his record-setting night by carrying for 4 yards on first down, and the remaining 66 on the next play, easily outracing and outdistancing himself from pursuers for the Tigers' first score.  Nic Mullins' extra point tied the game at 7 with barely over two minutes completed.  The Tigers ran roughshod over the Trojans the entire game with 16 rushes for double digit yardage (half of those for 20 yards or more), while Saint James rushed for no more than 14 yards on a single play.

The Trojans drove for yet another touchdown on a 74 yard drive, but did so while keeping possession noticeably longer.  The key play on the drive occurred at midfield on a third down and 13 where Duncan hooked up again with Woodson for a 32 yard gain down to the Tiger 18.  Woodson converted on third down to the Tallassee 7, and two plays later he was rewarded with a 2 yard touchdown run.  Alter's extra point quickly gave Saint James its second, and final, seven point lead of the game.

Tallassee only took four plays to answer as it appeared neither defense had fully awakened from the long delay.  McKenzie carried for 23 of his 319 yards on first down, and after runs of 9 and 8 yards, D.J. Rivers broke loose on a 36 yard touchdown run.  Mullins' kick tied the game at 14 with still ample first quarter clock remaining.

Despite a fantastic kickoff return by Moody to the Tiger 41, with kicker Mullins saving a touchdown with a last line of defense tackle, Saint James could not capitalize by earning a first down.  From its own 13, Tallassee moved into Trojan territory but was stopped for the first time in the game as McKenzie failed to convert a fourth down at the Saint James 38.  One Trojan first down was not enough, and another punt gave Tallassee the ball at their own 21.  This time they drove the 79 yards necessary for the go-ahead score.  Brandon Baynes, yet another set of legs for the Tigers to exploit, picked up 28 yards on a carry and McKenzie added 20 on the next.  Even though the Trojans called a timeout to slow momentum, Paschal picked up his first score of the evening on a 12 yard rush on the next play and Tallassee had its first lead, one which it would not relinquish, at 21 - 14.

Perhaps the key play of the game was the ensuing kickoff.  On each kickoff, the Tallassee kicker Mullins began with the ball laying flat next to the kicking tee and the entire team crouched close together simulating a possible onside kickoff.  The team would all rush forward and Mullins would bend down, pick up the ball, and set it properly before executing a normal kickoff.  This time, however, the kick was a low line drive which hit a Trojan upman who had his face turned away from the ball squarely in the back and bounced in reverse where a Tiger fell on the ball and Tallassee maintained possession.  They would capitalize six plays later despite a holding penalty which forced them back temporarily.  From the 40, McKenzie's 12 yard sweep was followed by Paschal's second touchdown from 28 yards away and Tallassee had doubled the lead on the Trojans to 28 - 14.

The Trojans picked up one first down while trying to score before halftime, but were forced to punt and the kick was returned to the Tallassee 40.  With just 12 seconds remaining, Jed Carter lined up under the quarterback for the first time all evening and threw a wayward pass which was intercepted by Kane Davenport and returned all the way to the Tiger 21 with just over a second remaining until halftime.  After a Trojan timeout, Alter was called on to attempt a 38 yard field goal.  The kick appeared to be long enough, but it drifted wide right and the half ended with Tallassee up by a pair of touchdowns and a kickoff waiting for them to start the third quarter.

Tallassee drove most of the length of the field on its initial second half possession, including its only pass completion of the evening, a 22 yarder from Jeb Carter to Baynes.  After a defensive offside penalty, Baynes had appeared to have scored a touchdown on the next play on a 24 yard blast through the middle, but the hole he scooted through was caused by an offensive hold.  The penalty eventually led to the only Tiger punt of the evening which pinned Saint James at its own 12.  The Trojans' own holding penalty stalled a potential drive, and Tallassee took over on the Saint James 38.  However, on the second play, McKenzie fumbled a snap which was recovered by Saint James' Zac Taylor.  After Duncan picked up 10 yards on first down, the drive stalled.  However, Duncan executed his best punt of the season thus far, and Paschal muffed the catch as he tried to pull the punt in over his shoulder, leaving the Trojans suddenly threatening at the Tiger 13.  After no gain on first down, Frank Moody took the handoff off left end and avoided two late tacklers to squeeze into the endzone for a touchdown.  Alter's extra point pulled Saint James to within 7, at 28 - 21, late in the third quarter.

Tallassee drove into Trojan territory again, but McKenzie bobbled yet another pitch on the first play of the fourth quarter and Saint James took over on its own 32.  Three plays gained only six yards, and Tallassee took over after a punt on its own 27.  On the first play, Paschal took the handoff around the corner and pulled away from the tiring Trojan defense for a momentum-wrecking 73 yard touchdown.  Duncan blocked the extra point attempt, but Tallassee was up by 13 with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game.

A squib kickoff was recovered by Chase Ritter at the Trojan 23, and Saint James drove down the field on a 13 play drive.  On first down from the Tiger four, Walker Woodson was given the handoff up the middle on a play which had worked earlier in a goal line situation four consecutive times.  The first run netted a yard and a half; the second a half yard; but on third and fourth down the Tiger defense was strong and bottled up Woodson for no gain on either carry.  After Baynes picked up 6 yards on first down, McKenzie, who had rarely played in the fourth quarter all season until this game, wrapped up his night with a blistering 92 yard touchdown run, the third longest ever against a Saint James team.  Mullins' extra point was the final point scored in the game as Tallassee took a 41 - 21 lead.

With time running low, the Trojans picked up two first downs on their final drive, but were forced to punt from the Tiger 43, and two kneeldowns by Carter were enough to propel the Tigers into a game the following Thursday for the Region Championship.  In as brutal a four game stretch any Trojan team has ever played, their hopes for a second consecutive playoff berth were still alive if they could defeat Alabama Christian at Homecoming the following week.

SIDELINE STATISTICS - GAME EIGHT

SAINT JAMES   RUSHING    43 attempts  173 yards  3 TDs   (4.02 yards per carry)

                            5   Duncan       12 / 85  (1 TD)    20   Moody        17 / 69  (1 TD)      4   Woodson        11 / 19  (1 TD)
                          44   Smith            2 /   1                  7   Olsey            1 / - 1

                          PASSING       5 completions  19 attempts  0 INTs  109 yards  0 TDs

                            5   Duncan      5 - 19 - 0     109 yards   0 TDs

                          RECEIVING

                            4   Woodson       2 / 81                  7   Olsey            2 / 16                 2   Adams              1 / 12

                          TOTAL YARDS:   282

                          KICKS:  XP  3 / 3                FG  0 / 1  (38 missed)
                          2 POINT CONVERSIONS:  0 / 0
                          KICKOFFS:   4 (52,45,51,49)                                 PUNTS:  7  (29,33,35,26,44,35,28)
                          KO RETURNS:   7  (13,24,53,0f,0,0,10)                 PUNT RETURNS:  0
                          FIRST DOWNS:   14  (10 rushing, 4 passing)
                          FUMBLES:  1, lost 1
                          INTERCEPTION RETURNS:  1  (34)
                          TURNOVER MARGIN:  + 3
                          POINTS OFF TURNOVERS:  7
                          PENALTIES:  4 / 23 yards
                          TIME OF POSSESSION:  25:49

TALLASSEE      RUSHING    48 attempts  501 yards  (opponent all-time record)  6 TDs  (10.44 yards per carry)  2  McKenzie  26 / 319
                          PASSING     1 completion  4 attempts  1 INT  22 yards  0 TDs
                          TOTAL YARDS:   523

                           KICKS:  XP  5 / 6                FG  0 / 0
                          2 POINT CONVERSIONS:  0 / 0
                          KICKOFFS:  7  (33,48,54,13,34,37,29)                   PUNTS:  1  (22)
                          KO RETURNS:   4 (22,9,25,20)                             PUNT RETURNS:  2  (12,0f)
                          FIRST DOWNS:   17  (11 rushing, 1 passing)
                          FUMBLES:  3, lost 3
                          POINTS OFF TURNOVERS:  7
                          PENALTIES:  3 / 25 yards
                          TIME OF POSSESSION:  22:11

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