2014 - GAME 11

SCORING SUMMARY:

MUN  (1)   5:20   Ch. Smith 7 run                                               (E. Thomas kick)     0 -   7
 STJ   (2)   5:36   Harris 14 pass from Collier                                    (Taylor kick)     7 -   7
MUN  (2)   1:52   Jenkins 47 pass from Haynie                          (E. Thomas kick)     7 - 14
 STJ   (3)   7:32   Collier 5 run                                                             (Taylor kick)   14 - 14
MUN  (3)   5:08   Chapman 97 pass from Haynie                      (E. Thomas kick)   14 - 21
MUN  (3)   0:34   Ca. Smith 3 run                                                        (pass failed)    14 - 27
 STJ   (4)  10:02   Collier 1 run                                                            (Taylor kick)   21 - 27
MUN  (4)   6:07   Ca. Smith 32 pass from Haynie     (Haynes pass from Haynie)    21 - 35
MUN  (4)   1:04   Ca. Smith 6 run                                             (D. Campbell kick)   21 - 42

Saint James could not take full advantage of early opportunities, and penalties at crucial times in the second half were costly as the Trojans lost their sixth consecutive playoff game over a span of eleven years, this one a 42 - 21 defeat at the hands of a first time varsity football opponent, the Munford Lions.

Despite a decent kickoff return by Jaylen McCoy to set the Trojans up at their own 35, an immediate substitution penalty forced Saint James to earn 15 yards for their initial first down, which they did not.  Munford took over on its own 35 and began a time consuming 65 yard drive for the first score of the game.  Calvin Smith immediately picked up first downs on runs of 12 and 13 yards, and a holding penalty on the next play prevented what was nearly a third.  Christopher Chapman caught a 14 yard pass from Brett Haynie to convert that first down, and then later Chapman ran for 21 yards giving the Lions a first down on the Trojan 7.  Three plays later, Charles Smith scored from 7 yards out for the first touchdown of the game.  Elijah Thomas' kick gave Munford a seven point lead halfway into the first quarter.

The Trojans again could not convert a first down and only ran six plays from scrimmage in the first quarter.  M.J. Melendez attempted a fake punt run on fourth down and actually earned enough yardage, but a holding penalty negated the first down.  After a shanked punt, the Lions took over at midfield and had advanced to as far as the Trojan 19 on the final play of the opening stanza.  Within the first seven minutes of the second quarter there would be six possession changes.  On the first play of the quarter, Chapman fumbled a handoff which was recovered by Trojan Justin Jackson at the Saint James 25.  However, on the next play a deep pass from Connor Collier intended for Atchison Hubbard was slightly underthrown and intercepted by Austin Campbell at the Lion 39.  Munford fumbled again two plays later, but were quite lucky to recover the ball.  The Trojan defense stopped the Lions for the first time and took over possession after a punt at their own 11.  Once again the Trojans were three and out for the third consecutive drive, and Munford took over after a punt return at the Trojan 46.  However, on the next play, the Lions muffed a handoff and Jalen Harris recovered for Saint James at their own 48.  Finally the Trojan offense made some headway and set out on a 52 yard touchdown drive.  Harris caught a pass from Collier for 22 yards and the initial Trojan first down of the game.  The ball was knocked loose while Harris was dragging tacklers as he was prone to do, but Wes Cherry was on the spot to recover the loose ball and continue the march.  Jonathan Robinson's third down run of five yards gave the Trojans first and goal right on the 10 yard line.  A busted play cost Saint James six yards on first down, and on second down a holding penalty was called as Robinson gained two yards back.  The Lions opted to decline the penalty, and Saint James made them pay.  On third down, Collier found Harris on a high pass near the back of the endzone which he brought down for a 14 yard score.  Coleman Taylor's extra point tied the score at 7, and as badly it had seemed Saint James had been outplayed, the Trojans still were in a tie ballgame.

An out of bounds kickoff gave Munford decent field position, and several first downs had them threatening to score again.  However, a deep pass into the endzone was well over the intended receiver but brought down by Ivan Villageois, his first of two in the game, giving Saint James a touchback with 3½ minutes remaining until halftime.  However, a quarterback sack forced yet another Trojan punt and Munford took over on the Trojan 46.  Chapman picked up 7 yards on a short sideline pass, and on the next play Haynie lifted a high ball toward his tall receiver James Jenkins who was double covered.  However, Jenkins won the fight for the ball and broke away from both defenders, cruising into the endzone for a critical 47 yard catch and run touchdown late in the half.  Thomas' extra point restored the Lions' seven point lead.  Saint James could not manage a first down, but Munford did not have enough time or timeouts to seriously attempt another scoring drive before the second quarter clock expired.

A pooch kick was fair caught by Munford to start the third quarter, and three plays later they were in Trojan territory.  However, once again the defense stiffened as Austin Stephens was stopped in the backfield by the combination of Jalen Harris and Sterling Jones on a fourth and two at the Saint James 34.  Three plays later, Harris made his catch of the season as he jumped high among a pair of Lion defenders and brought down a high pass from Collier at the Munford 32 for a 31 yard gain.  Robinson immediately ran for 14 and 13 on the next two plays, and Collier called his own number from five yards out for a quick Saint James touchdown.  Taylor's extra point retied the score at 14, and the Trojans suddenly had momentum on their side.

The momentum continued as Villageois pulled down his second interception of the night, ripping the ball away from an intended Munford receiver.  Unfortunately, the Trojans could not convert a first down yet again and M.J. Melendez was again called in to punt.  A block in the back penalty on the return gave Munford first down deep in their own territory at the 14 yard line.

A recurring theme for the 2014 Saint James season was a disastrous play immediately upon the heels of a play which should have put the opponent in peril.  The Trojans were both benefactors and victims of this theme, and unfortunately this time they were the victims.  On first down, a snap went by quarterback Haynie as he was changing the play at the line of scrimmage.  He was lucky to fall on the ball back at his own 3 yard line.  The Trojans were unfortunate not to have either recovered the wayward snap or not to have it travel to the endzone with a potential safety resulting.  And on the next play, the diasster struck.  Haynie rared back and found Chapman just passed his defender and found him with a pinpoint pass.  His catch and run of 97 yards, the longest ever by a Trojan opponent, quickly gave the lead back to Munford - a lead they would not relinquish.  Thomas' extra point upped the score to 21 - 14.

Robinson converted one first down for Saint James on the next drive on a 14 yard run, but on a night where the Trojans were 0 of 5 on fourth down conversions, a statistic which had been much more Trojan-friendly during the regular season, the ball was turned over on downs.  The Lions used short passes and a crucial defensive pass interference penalty to move into the Saint James redzone.  Two plays later, Calvin Smith rushed for 3 yards and a touchdown.  Thomas, the Lion kicker, had been injured several plays earlier, forcing Munford to attempt a two point conversion.  It failed, so the lead was 27 - 14 late in the third quarter.

To start the fourth quarter, Collier connected on two long passes - a 21 yarder on a nice comeback to the quarterback catch and run by Atchison Hubbard, and a 40 yarder on the next play to Harris who was wide open over the middle.  From the Lion 9, Collier ran for 2 on first down and completed a pass to Richard Williamson who came up millimeters short of the goal line on second down.  An encroachment penalty against Munford could not even be marked off half the distance as the ball was so close to the goal line.  Collier kept on a sneak for a 1 inch touchdown, and after Taylor's extra point the missed Munford conversion suddenly loomed large as the lead was chopped to six at 27 - 21.

A dead ball unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Munford enabled the Trojans to kick off from the Munford 45.  A pooch onside kick was attempted, but the Lions corralled it at their own 26.  Three plays gained only seven yards, but on fourth down the Trojans committed a fatal penalty.  An encroachment foul and the ensuing five yard penalty gave Munford a free first down.  They took advantage as two plays later Haynie completed a pass to Christopher Haynes for 20 yards.  Three plays later, Haynie found Calvin Smith on a short screen pass.  The Trojans were bunched at the line of scrimmage, and when Smith broke through his potential tacklers, he had a clear shot to the endzone on a 32 yard catch and run for what appeared to be a game clinching touchdown.  The Lions again opted to go for two and this time Haynes was a recipient of a Haynie toss and the lead was suddenly back to 14, at 35 - 21, with still half of the final quarter remaining.

Robinson picked up 11 yards on a screen pass on the next Trojan play to move the ball to the Trojan 46.  Three plays later, it was fourth and 1 from the Lion 45, but another killer penalty, a false start, pushed the ball back to midfield.  Collier was sacked on fourth down and Munford took over possession.  The Lions were conservative and punted on fourth down, pinning the Trojans back at their own 17 as valuable time was escaping the clock.  Three plays netted a loss of two yards, and an incomplete pass on fourth down once again turned the ball over to Munford.  Consecutive runs by Calvin Smith of 9 and 6 yards gave the Lions an insurance touchdown with just over a minute remaining.  Backup kicker Dylan Campbell ably converted the extra point, and the eventual final score of 42 - 21 had been reached.

Once again Saint James turned the ball over on downs, and Munford celebrated their playoff victory by kneeling down on the final play of the Trojan season leaving everyone to reminisce and look forward to the 2015 season of Trojan football.

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SIDELINE STATISTICS - GAME ELEVEN

SAINT JAMES    RUSHING   34  attempts   58 yards   2 TDs   (1.71 yards per carry)

                                1   Robinson         18 / 62             2   Melendez          2  / - 1        12  Collier       14 / - 3  (2 TDs)

                              PASSING     11 completions  26 attempts  1 INT  159 yards

                              12   Collier               10 - 20 - 1    150 yards
                                2   Melendez             1 - 9 - 0         9 yards

                              RECEIVING

                              43   Harris           5 / 116  (1 TD)    1   Robinson         4 / 16
                              15   Hubbard        1 /  21               27   Williamson      1 /  6

                              TOTAL YARDS:  217

                              KICKS:      XP  3 / 3      FG   0 / 0
                              2 POINT CONVERSIONS:  0 / 0
                              KICKOFFS:  4  (OB,28,54,19)                  PUNTS:  6  (39,20,38,42,36,44)
                              KO RETURNS:  7  (21,16,18,29,6,22,7)   PUNT RETURNS:   0
                              FIRST DOWNS:   11   (5 rushing, 6 passing)
                              THIRD DOWN CONVERSIONS:   5 / 16
                              FOURTH DOWN CONVERSIONS:   0 / 5
                              FUMBLES:  2, lost 0
                              INTERCEPTION RETURNS:  2  (0,0)
                              TURNOVER MARGIN:  + 3
                              POINTS OFF TURNOVERS:  7
                              ACCEPTED PENALTIES:   6 / 45 yards
                              TIME OF POSSESSION:  23:58

MUNFORD          RUSHING    44 attempts  164 yards  3 TDs  (3.73 yards per carry)
                              PASSING     16 completions  21 attempts  2 INTs   288 yards  3 TDs
                              TOTAL YARDS:  452

                              KICKS:      XP  4 / 4      FG   0 / 0
                              2 POINT CONVERSIONS:  1 / 2
                              KICKOFFS:  7  (46,45,49,48,41,27,41)    PUNTS:  2  (42,22)
                              KO RETURNS:  3  (0,19,0)                      PUNT RETURNS:  3  (0fc,9,0fc,8)
                              FIRST DOWNS:  21  (10 rushing, 9 passing, 2 penalty)
                              THIRD DOWN CONVERSIONS:  7 / 11
                              FOURTH DOWN CONVERSIONS:  1 / 2
                              FUMBLES:  3, lost 2
                              INTERCEPTION RETURNS:  1  (0)
                              POINTS OFF TURNOVERS:  0
                              ACCEPTED PENALTIES:  7 / 55 yards
                              TIME OF POSSESSION:  24:02