2018 - GAME 7

Saint James overcame a flag-filled first half where they committed 11 penalties, 7 of which were accepted for 80 actual penalty yards and a loss of 164 yards gained because of the penalties.  Tony Amerson ran back a kickoff for a touchdown for a second straight week, and Alex Whisenhunt had a career night as he scored twice on identically-called and executed counter plays while adding three explosive pass receptions as well, as Saint James made its first football visit to Beulah a memorable one - wrapping up a playoff berth and establishing themselves well in the driver's seat for the 3A Region 3 championship as the Trojans wore down the Bulldogs 49 - 20.

Austin Gavin ran the opening kickoff for the Trojans back to the 27 yard line.  Consecutive runs by Tony Amerson earned a first down, and then Colin Duncan heaved a perfect pass to Gavin who had eluded his defender on what should have been a 62 yard touchdown pass.  However, a holding penalty, the first of the 11 called against the Trojans in the first half, negated the score.  Nevertheless, Duncan completed his next pass to Whisenhunt for 22 yards which offset the penalty yardage and then some.  Later, two consecutive Gavin runs of 17 and 21 yards pushed the ball to the Bobcat 13.  After a no gain run, Duncan tossed his first touchdown pass of the year to Michael Shalayda, his first touchdown catch of the year, for 13 yards.  Jan Wachowitz converted his first of seven consecutive extra points and Saint James was up early 7 - 0.

Beulah was lucky to recover a wayward snap on first down of their opening possession, but the yardage lost led to a quick punt.  A 30 yard run by Amerson on first down was, again, negated by a holding penalty, which eventually led to a Trojan punt.  However, Duncan's punt pinned the Bobcats inside their own 10 yard line.  It appeared Beulah would be stopped on a three and out again, but the penalty bug hit Saint James in a strange way.  Trojans rushed the punter and forced him to run 10 yards toward the side of the field before he got his kick away.  However, despite the fact he became technically a runner, a roughing the kicker penalty was called, giving Beulah a free first down.  A 16 yard run by Chris Person on the next play gave Beulah some temporarly momentum, but on the following play a fumble was recovered by Saint James at the Bobcat 39.  Six consecutive running plays later had the Trojans in the endzone - the final 10 yards courtesy of a quarterback sweep by Duncan.  The extra point gave Saint James a 14 - 0 lead late in the first quarter.

A 44 yard keeper by Beulah quarterback Lonzie Portis on the first play placed the Bobcats just short of the Trojan red zone.  Three plays later, Caden Dowdell scored the first of his three touchdowns from 9 yards out.  The Austin Billingsley extra point cut the lead in half early in the second quarter.  But not for long.  On the ensuing kickoff, Amerson took a bouncing kick just inside his own 5 yard line and managed to break through traffic and potential tacklers at the 25 yard line as he darted toward the far sidelines and outraced chasers for a 96 yard kickoff return touchdown, the longest in Saint James varsity history.  Wachowitz had the Trojans back up by 14 with still over 10 minutes remaining until halftime.

However, only 7 plays later, Dowdell broke loose on a 38 yard touchdown run of his own and it appeared the scoreboard would be changing frantically.  The extra point again cut the lead to 21 - 14 with 8 minutes remaining until halftime.  Each team possessed the ball two more times in the first half, but penalties were being called continuously, especially on the Trojans, and no offense had a chance to make any significant headway.  Beulah had advanced as far as the Saint James 42 before halftime arrived.

After a delay of game penalty to start the third quarter because of extended band performances, Saint James was flagged for a personal foul after the kickoff return and it appeared the flag fest would continue.  It did, but the numbers more favored the Bobcats in the second half, starting with a holding penalty on the first offensive play.   Neither team could convert a first down on their respective opening possessions.  However, Saint James recovered another wayward snap fumble on the next drive and began possession on the Beulah 46.  16 yards rushing and an offside penalty gave Saint James first down on the Bobcat 25.  A counter play was called for Alex Whisenhunt who found a hole and nothing but green Lee County grass ahead of him as he raced 25 yards for a touchdown.  The extra point doubled the lead, again, to 28 - 14.

An offensive holding penalty by Beulah led to yet another punt, but Saint James was penalized by holding on the return.  From the 17 yard line, Saint James embarked on a time-consuming 83 yard touchdown drive.  A personal foul penalty against the Bobcats before a third down play was augmented by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the sidelines.  Whisenhunt, who had a long pass reception negated by a block in the back penalty in the first half picked up 22 on the same called play with no penalty offset, and several plays later on the second play of the final quarter, Duncan snuck in from the 1 for a touchdown and finally Trojan fans could breathe as they led by 21 early in the fourth quarter.

Two Bobcat penalties stalled their next drive, despite good field position after the kickoff, and the Trojans took over after another punt on their own 35 yard line.  Amerson picked up 19 yards on the first play.  A 5 yard face mask penalty was called, and then another flag for unsportsmanlike conduct was called after someone on the Beulah sidelines went out and kicked the freshly thrown flag.  Saint James was called for holding themselves several plays later, but then the Whisenhunt counter was called upon again with the same results - an untouched 35 yard sprint to the endzone.  The extra point gave Saint James a 42 - 14 lead midway through the final stanza.

Beulah would add a touchdown after a 28 yard pass reception by Blumer Blanton, am 18 yard run on the fresh legs of Donquavius Moreland, and after a roughing the passer penalty and a pass interference penalty in the endzone, Darnell picked up his third touchdown of the night from 3 yards out.  The first attempt at an extra point was good, but it was blown dead on a Trojan offside penalty.  The second attempt however was blocked, and Saint James maintained a 42 - 20 lead with still over five minutes remaining in the game.

A line drive kickoff was fielded at the 41 yard line by Gavin, and despite calling simple plays designed to run out the clock, Amerson found the endzone for his first game rushing touchdown five minutes later from 6 yards out.  Wachowitz' final extra point wrapped up the scoring at 49 - 20.  Beulah had one more possession but was just as happy as Saint James to let the clock expire and for the Trojans to celebrate yet another playoff berth as they looked forward to yet another first time football opponent - the Prattville Christian Panthers, on the following Friday.

---

SIDELINE STATISTICS - GAME SEVEN

SAINT JAMES    RUSHING   39 attempts   262 yards   5 TDs   (6.72 yards per carry)

                                2   Amerson            21 / 122   (1 TD)       3   Gavin                   8 / 70      4   Whisenhunt                   3 / 62   (2 TDs)
                                5   Duncan                6 /     4   (2 TDs)    12   Woodham            1 /   4

                              PASSING      5 completions  9 attempts  73 yards   0 INTs   1 TD

                                5   Duncan                 5 - 9 - 0          73 yards    1 TD

                              RECEIVING

                                4   Whisenhunt         3 / 64        87  Shalayda               1 / 13  (TD)     12   Woodham         1 / - 4

                              TOTAL YARDS:  335

                              KICKS:      XP  7/ 7      FG   0 / 0
                              2 POINT CONVERSIONS:  0 / 0
                              KICKOFFS:  8  (35,32,31,39,36,36,44.35)     PUNTS:  4  (52,25,35,29)
                              KO RETURNS:  4  (19,96TD,5,0)                  PUNT RETURNS:   0
                              FIRST DOWNS:   16  (14 rushing, 2 passing)
                              THIRD DOWN CONVERSIONS:   4 / 8
                              FOURTH DOWN CONVERSIONS:  0 / 0
                              FUMBLES:  0
                              FUMBLE RETURNS:  2  (0,0)
                              TURNOVER MARGIN:  + 2
                              POINTS OFF TURNOVERS:  14
                              ACCEPTED PENALTIES:   12 / 128 yards
                              TIME OF POSSESSION:  24:22

BEULAH              RUSHING    37 attempts  216 yards  3 TDs  (5.84 yards per carry)
                              PASSING        9 completions  12 attempts  0 INTs   68 yards  0 TDs
                              TOTAL YARDS:  284

                              KICKS:      XP  2 / 3      FG   0 / 0
                              2 POINT CONVERSIONS:  0 / 0
                              KICKOFFS:  4  (32,56,32,19)                        PUNTS:  4  (34,8,43,34)
                              KO RETURNS:  8  (9,7,9,9,13,4,17,13)        PUNT RETURNS:  1  (3)
                              FIRST DOWNS:  15  (9 rushing, 3 passing, 3 penalty)
                              THIRD DOWN CONVERSIONS:   5 / 12  (2 penalty)
                              FOURTH DOWN CONVERSIONS:  1 / 1 (penalty)
                              POINTS OFF TURNOVERS:  0
                              FUMBLES:  2, lost 2
                              ACCEPTED PENALTIES:  11 / 114 yards
                              TIME OF POSSESSION:  23:38