2018 - GAME 2

SAINT JAMES 37, Straughn 0
STR         0       0       0       0            0
 
STJ        23       7       7       0          37
SCORING SUMMARY:

STJ   (1)     9:21   Amerson 13 run                                                   (Wachowitz kick)        7 - 0
STJ   (1)     5:55   Amerson 6 run                                                     (Wachowitz kick)      14 - 0
STJ   (1)     4:33   Amerson 6 run                                                     (Wachowitz kick)      21 - 0
STJ   (1)     2:50   Safety, ball snapped thru endzone                                                         23 - 0
STJ   (2)   10:40   Amerson 1 run                                                     (Wachowitz kick)      30 - 0
STJ   (3)     7:49   Gavin 20 run                                                        (Wachowitz kick)      37 - 0

August 31, 2018   Carlisle Field, Montgomery   Game Conditions:  Overcast, moderate rain, breezy.   Game Temperature:  82
 

After a 33 minute lightning delay displaced the start of the matchup, no further delays amazingly were needed as the Trojans built a 23 point first quarter lead and sloshed home with a 37 - 0 victory over the visiting Straughn Tigers to open a four game homestand for Saint James.

Both teams had gotten about 10 minutes of warmups before lightning sent the players of the field for over an hour.  Rain continued, heavy at times, through the game although it was steady but lighter most of the second half.  Saint James won the toss for the second consecutive week and the Trojans scored on their opening drive for the second consecutive week.  This drive took only 5 plays but covered 63 yards for the first Trojan touchdown of the season.  Colin Duncan broke loose on a 35 yard scramble on the third play of the game to take the ball to the Tiger 17.  From there, Amerson runs of 4 and 13 yards put the Trojans into the endzone.  Jan Wachowitz converted his first of five extra points to give Saint James a 7 - 0 lead less than 2½ minutes into the game.

During the entire first quarter distant lightning made it seem apparent a game stoppage was inevitable, but it fortunately never transpirted.  Straughn, which only converted five first downs all evening, could not register one on their opening drive and Saint James was in business after retaining a muffed part at the Tiger 45.  Four consecutive runs by Amerson, of 21, 12, 6, and the final 6 paired with the extra point doubled the lead to 14 - 0 at the halfway point of the first quarter.

For the second week in a row, Colin Duncan intercepted a pass, returning this one 26 yards before he was finally brought down at the Straughn 6.  On the next play, Amerson picked up his third touchdown in less than five minutes and Saint James had cruised to a 21 - 0 lead with still ample time remaining in the first quarter.

After an endzone kickoff, disaster struck the Tigers as a punt snap went well over the head of the intended punter and the ball, fortunately for Straughn, went all the way through the back of the endzone for a safety and Saint James was up 23 - 0 with still nearly three minutes remaining in the opening period.

Bennett Blankenship returned the ensuing free kick punt to the Tigers 34, and Amerson overcame a holding penalty with an 11 yard carry on the final play of the first quarter to give Saint James third down at the Tiger 20.  Duncan completed his only pass of the evening to start the second quarter, a line drive to Brock Woodham at the 9 yard line for a first down.  Amerson picked up 8½ on first down, and he carried the final two feet for his fourth touchdown of the game (corrected from previous).  Wachowitz's extra point boosted the score to 30 - 0 early in the second stanza.

Straughn's best drive by far of the evening followed, with quarterback Chandler Mitchell leading his team down the field for three of their game's five first downs, including a fourth down pass conversion.  A 16 yard run, nearly half of the offensive output for Straughn the entire game, gave them first down and goal at the Trojan 3.  For the second consecutive game, the Trojan defense stood tall inside the ten yard line, stopping Straughn to only 2 net yards on the next 4 plays to stop the scoring threat.  It appeared the Trojans were on their way to scoring once more against the tiring Tiger defense as Amerson ripped off a 17 yard gain.  Austin Gavin followed on the next play with an 11 yard run, and then Amerson broke loose for 38 of his game-high 192 yards to quickly give Saint James first down on the Straughn 30.  Gavin was on his way to another first down on the next play, but the wet ball was wrestled loose in a scrum and returned by an unreadable numbered Tiger, ending the threat.

The Trojans forced a late Straughn punt, and a dead ball foul gave Saint James a late scoring opportunity.  However, a 45 yard field goal attempt by Wachowitz to end the half came up short and the Trojans went to the locker room with a 30 point advantage.

Because of the weather conditions, neither band took the field.  In fact, the Straughn band perhaps wisely returned to Covington County at halftime - due far more so to the weather conditions than the game result.

Straughn could not convert a first down to start the third quarter, and from the Tiger 48, it took only two plays to get the Trojan starters off the field and the running clock to go into effect.  Amerson raced for 28 on first down, his only second half carry, and then Gavin scored his first career touchdown with a 20 yard burst.  Wachowitz's kick ended the scoring at 37 - 0 early in the third quarter.

With Trojan substitutes on offense and defense and the running clock, the second half zoomed by with few significant plays.  Late in the game, another bad punt snap led to a smothered kick by Brunson Bacheler and recovered by the Trojans at the Tiger 15.  Jonathan Harris almost scored, picking up 7 yards on third down moving the ball to the Tiger 1, but with a minute left to play, backup quarterback Drew Fett merely downed the ball twice as the clock expired, and both teams congratulated each other hurriedly to find drier conditions elsewhere as the rain was continuing at the end of the game.

Saint James evened its record at 1 - 1 with its fourth consecutive win over Straughn in an eight season span and looked forward to its first 3A Region game since 1999 with an old 4A foe who also dropped to the 3A classification, the Bullock County Hornets, coming up Alabama 110 for a Carlisle Field visit in one week.

SIDELINE STATISTICS - GAME TWO

SAINT JAMES    RUSHING   35 attempts   304 yards   5 TDs   (8.69 yards per carry)

                                2   Amerson               15 / 192     (4 TD)      3   Gavin               4 / 56   (1 TD)      5   Duncan       4 / 26
                              23   Craft                       4 /   22                    14   Harris               3 / 10                  11   Wales          1 / - 1
                                8   Fett                         4 /   - 1   

                              PASSING   1 completions  2 attempts  0 INTs   11 yards

                                5   Duncan                 1 / 2 / 0             11 yards

                              RECEIVING

                              12   Woodham              1 / 11

                              TOTAL YARDS:  315

                              KICKS:      XP  5 / 5      FG   0 / 1  (45 missed)
                              2 POINT CONVERSIONS:  0 / 0
                              KICKOFFS:   6  (52,48,EZ,48,48,45)        PUNTS:  1  (35)
                              KO RETURNS:  2  (0,19)                          PUNT RETURNS:   2  (3,0)
                              FIRST DOWNS:   15   (14 rushing, 1 passing)
                              THIRD DOWN CONVERSIONS:   2 / 4
                              FOURTH DOWN CONVERSIONS:  0 / 0
                              FUMBLES:  4, lost 1
                              TURNOVER MARGIN:  + 2
                              INTERCEPTION RETURNS:  1  (26)
                              FUMBLE RETURNS:  1  (0)
                              POINTS OFF TURNOVERS:  7
                              ACCEPTED PENALTIES:   2 / 24
                              TIME OF POSSESSION:  23:06   (approximate, second half running clock)

STRAUGHN        RUSHING    31 attempts  33 yards  0 TDs
                              PASSING       1 completion  7 attempts  1 INT   14 yards  0 TDs
                              TOTAL YARDS:  47

                              KICKS:      XP  0 / 0      FG   0 / 0
                              2 POINT CONVERSIONS:  0 / 0
                              KICKOFFS:  1  (23)                                  PUNTS:  5  (24,FK18,19,28,29)
                              KO RETURNS:  5  (15,17,18,12,6)          PUNT RETURNS:  0
                              FIRST DOWNS:  5  (4 rushing, 1 passing)
                              THIRD DOWN CONVERSIONS:  0 / 9
                              FOURTH DOWN CONVERSIONS:  1 / 4
                              FUMBLES:  3, lost 2
                              POINTS OFF TURNOVERS:  0
                              ACCEPTED PENALTIES:  3 / 25 yards
                              TIME OF POSSESSION:  24:54  (approximate)

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