2012 - GAME 9

SAINT JAMES 39, Alabama Christian 10
ACA         3       7       0       0         10
 
  STJ          7     14     18       0         39
SCORING SUMMARY:

STJ   (1)    4:40   Duncan 1 run                                                         (Alter kick)     7 -   0
ACA (1)    1:38   Stroud 27 FG                                                                                7 -   3
STJ   (2)  10:18   Moody 10 run                                                        (Alter kick)    14 -  3
STJ   (2)    3:21   Duncan 2 run                                                         (Alter kick)    21 -  3
ACA (2)    3:02   Norman 88 kickoff return                                    (Stroud kick)   21 - 10
STJ   (3)  10:18   Safety, ball kicked through offensive endzone                             23 - 10
STJ   (3)    8:43   Woodson 9 run                                                       (Alter kick)   30 - 10
STJ   (3)    3:46   Safety, quarterback sacked in endzone                                        32 - 10
STJ   (3)    1:09   Duncan 1 run                                                         (Alter kick)   39 - 10
October 26, 2012   Carlisle Field.   HOMECOMING    Game Conditions:  Partly Cloudy   Game Temperature:  77   Wind:  negligible

The Saint James defense held the Alabama Christian offense at bay, racking up multiple sacks and two safeties in the third quarter, while the Trojans rushed for over 300 yards and 5 touchdowns on their way to celebrating Homecoming 2012 with a playoff berth clinching 39 - 10 victory over the visiting Eagles.

After a modest kickoff return to start the game, which thankfully started on time as opposed to the previous week's contest, Saint James moved the ball steadily down the field.  William Olsey caught an 8 yard pass on the first scrimmage play, and Frank Moody and C.J. Duncan picked up 60 yards rushing on the next five plays.  However, the drive stalled and Matthew Alter was called in to attempt a 30 yard field goal, but it veered wide right and may have been short as well, and the Trojans were turned away on their first possession.  The defense stopped the Eagles to a net of no gain on three plays, and the Trojans appeared to be in great field position after Walker Woodson returned the punt inside the Eagle 40.  However, a block in the back penalty was assessed and immediately afterwards an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty was called as well, pushing Saint James back a quarter of the field to their own 37.  This time, however, the Trojans would gain 63 yards on the drive.  Just like the previous possession, Olsey caught a Duncan pass for 23 yards on first down.  Hunter Smith added six yards on his only rush of the evening.  After an eight yard run by Woodson for a first down, Moody ran twice consecutively for 3 and 22 yards giving Saint James a first down at the Eagle 1.  Moody was stopped on the first attempt, but Duncan snuck in on the second try for his first of three touchdowns and Matthew Alter's extra point gave the Trojans a 7 - 0 lead in the first quarter.

The Eagles responded with probably their best drive of the evening.  A late hit penalty gave ACA a first down at midfield.  After an offensive penalty, Eagle quarterback Chandler Taylor broke loose for one of his few positive plays of the game, a 29 yard run.  A block in the back penalty several plays later slowed the drive, but a Taylor completion to Conner Farricker gave the Eagles a first down at the Trojan 11.  After a no gain run and two more passes intended for Farricker but incomplete, ACA settled for a 27 yard field goal which was converted by Alex Stroud, and the Eagles had cut the lead to four points late in the first quarter.

Chase Ritter returned a pooch kickoff to the Trojan 45.  After a sack of Duncan, he rebounded on the final play of the first quarter with a 17 yard pass to Jalen Harris for a key first down.  Consecutive Duncan runs netted 19 yards,  and three plays later Moody, who came up just short of 200 yards rushing in the game, was rewarded with a 10 yard touchdown.  Alter's extra point gave the Trojans a 14 - 3 lead, and a personal foul on the touchdown play gave Saint James an opportunity to kick off from the Eagle 45.  Alter did so, and the bouncy kick was fielded by an ACA returner with his knee on the ground, leaving the Eagles with poor starting field position.  A fumble ACA was lucky to recover pushed them back to their own five, and a short punt later gave Saint James the ball on the Eagle 31.  Woodson converted a fourth down and two by inches, and Moody's 9 yard run advanced the ball to the 12.  However, holding penalties on consecutive plays pushed the Trojans all the way back to the Eagle 37.  Duncan went for broke trying to find Coleman Adams alone in the endzone, but he was runover by a defender on possibly a touchdown saving play.  However, the defensive pass interference penalty gave Saint James a gift first down to continue the drive.  Robinson, Moody, and Duncan shared rushes the next six plays, but it was Duncan's excellent dive just into the endzone inside the far pylon on a fourth down and two which resulted in the Trojans' third touchdown and Saint James appeared to be cruising into halftime with a comfortable 21 - 3 lead.

Not so fast!  The ensuing kickoff went to Taylor Norman, who bobbled the ball at the 12 yard line before picking it up and trying to make some yardage across the field.  He appeared to have been bottled up by the Trojan defenders at around the 20, but he broke free from the scrum and took off down the far sidelines.  Only the kicker Alter and another pursuer had a chance to catch him by the time he reached the 40 yard line, but he outran them both and for the second consecutive year, the Eagles had successfully returned a kickoff against Saint James.  Stroud's extra point quickly cut the lead to 21 - 10 with still 3 minutes remaining in the first half.

An out-of-bounds kickoff gave the Trojans the ball at their own 35, and a few plays later Moody's 10 yard run, one of his nine double digit carries in the game, gave Saint James possession in Eagle territory.  A 25 yard pass to a wide open Whit Powell moved the ball to the Eagle 23, and later a pass to Jalen Harris gave the Trojans first down at the Eagle 6.  However, a sack several plays later with time running out necessitated another field goal attempt from 36 yards.  The kick was straight, but several yards short, and Saint James had to be content to go to the locker room with an 11 point lead.

Ashley Williamson was crowned Homecoming Queen at halftime as part of the week's "Halloween Town" ceremonies in typically fine Saint James fashion.  And the Saint James defense began crowning Eagles to start the second half.  A kickoff return which was perhaps one tackle away from being a second return for a touchdown was stopped at the 35 yard line.  On first down, Chase Ritter was credited with one of his four quarterback sacks of Taylor, half of the team total of eight, and the ball was pushed back to the 25.  On the next play Taylor kept the ball again but fumbled it backwards.  He picked up the ball inside the 15 yard line but fumbled it again backwards toward the endzone.  Feeling pressure as the ball bounced around the goal line, he kicked the ball backwards through his own endzone for a safety, and the Trojan lead was now 23 - 10.

The free kick was returned to the Eagle 45 by Woodson, and a 20 yard run by Moody with a face mask penalty tacked on advanced the ball to the 12.  On third down, Woodson raced around left end for 9 yards and his first touchdown of the evening, and Saint James had scored 9 points in 95 seconds to take a 30 - 10 lead.  A block in the back penalty on ACA's kick return left them with poor field position again, and the Trojans took over after a punt at their own 37.  After an Olsey pass reception of 8 yards, Duncan broke loose on the near sidelines and was barely forced out of bounds at the Eagle 21 preventing a 55 yard touchdown sprint.  However, two plays later, the ball was knocked loose from Moody and the Eagles recovered the fumble, the only Trojan turnover, at their own six.  However, on the next play, Kane Davenport blitzed the quarterback and tackled him just inside the endzone for a second safety of the quarter.  This was only the second time the Trojans had earned two safeties in one game; the other being in the 1993 contest against Thorsby, and the score was now 32 - 10.

Woodson again brought the free kick into Eagle territory, and the Trojans would drive for its final touchdown.  Duncan scored, again from one yard out, on the seventh play of the drive and Alter's extra point ended the scoring for the night at 39 - 10 with just over a minute remaining in the third quarter.  The first string defense had only allowed the Eagles a net of 38 yards up to this point, and they for the most part were rewarded with an early departure after their struggles in the most recent games.  The Trojans would likely have scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter, but a timeout was called to allow complete substitution inside the Eagle 20 midway through a drive which ate up more than half of the fourth quarter clock.  Backup Eagle running back Nick Wysmulek picked up over 50 yards rushing against second and third string Trojan defenders, 43 on one run, but time expired as the Eagles were stopped at the Trojan 3 on the last play of the game.  Saint James pushed its record back above .500 and guaranteed itself an eleventh game, albeit a trip to Mobile against a foe who Coach Perry was most familiar with, the UMS-Wright Bulldogs, in two weeks.

SIDELINE STATISTICS - GAME NINE

SAINT JAMES   RUSHING   65 attempts  350 yards  5 TDs  (5.38 yards per carry)

                          20   Moody        27 / 199  (1 TD)    5   Duncan           13 / 60  (3 TDs)    3   Robinson        15 / 51
                            4   Woodson       9 /  34               44   Smith                1 /  6

                          PASSING   6 completions  9 attempts  0 INTs  95 yards  0 TDs

                            5   Duncan       6 - 9 - 0    95 yards

                          RECEIVING

                            7   Olsey            3 / 39                 9   Harris                 2 / 31               88   Powell             1 / 25

                          TOTAL YARDS:   445

                          KICKS:  XP  5 / 5                FG  0 / 2    (30, 36 missed)
                          2 POINT CONVERSIONS:  0 / 0
                          KICKOFFS:  6  (40,39,48,53,53,48)               PUNTS:  0
                          KO RETURNS:  4  (12,14,22,16)                   PUNT RETURNS:   1  (21)
                          FIRST DOWNS:   26   (21 rushing, 4 passing, 1 penalty)
                          FUMBLES:  1, lost 1
                          TURNOVER MARGIN:   + 1  (including two safeties)
                          POINTS OFF TURNOVERS:  4  (two safeties)
                          PENALTIES:  5 / 60 yards
                          TIME OF POSSESSION:  29:46

A C A                 RUSHING    31 attempts  103 yards  0 TDs  (3.22 yards per carry)
                          PASSING      2 completions  5 attempts  0 INTs  17 yards  0 TDs
                          TOTAL YARDS:  110

                          KICKS:  XP  1 / 1                FG  1 / 1    (27 made)
                          2 POINT CONVERSIONS:  0 / 0
                          KICKOFFS:  5  (50,29,OB,FK47,FK44)          PUNTS:  4  (36,24,42,36)
                          KO RETURNS:  6  (13,0,88TD,28,5,6)           PUNT RETURNS:  0
                          FIRST DOWNS:  7  (5 rushing, 1 passing, 1 penalty)
                          FUMBLES:  3, lost 0
                          POINTS OFF TURNOVERS:  0
                          PENALTIES:  6 / 64 yards
                          TIME OF POSSESSION:  17:14

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