2018 -
GAME 11
SAINT JAMES 38, T.R. Miller 7 
STJ
7
10 14 7
38
SCORING SUMMARY
STJ (1) 3:05 Duncan 17
run
(Wachowitz kick) 7 - 0
STJ (2) 5:25
Duncan 22
run
(Wachowitz kick) 14 - 0
STJ (2) 0:50 Wachowitz
27 FG
17 - 0
STJ (3) 10:48 Whisenhunt 22
pass from
Duncan
(Wachowitz kick) 24 - 0
TRM (3) 5:58 Campbell 6
run
(Morgan
kick) 24 - 7
STJ (3) 1:58
Duncan 2
run
(Wachowitz kick) 31 - 7
STJ (4) 7:51
Amerson 25
run
(Wachowitz kick) 38 - 7
November 9,
2018 Carlisle Field Game
Conditions: Cloudy, occasional drizzle, windy,
cool Game
Temperature: 54 Wind: WNW
12-17
The three headed Saint James monster of Tony Amerson, Austin Gavin
and Colin Duncan combined were responsible for five touchdowns and
the Trojan defense forced three turnovers as the Trojans wiped
away the memories of a playoff loss exactly 17 years to the day
prior by defeating the T.R. Miller Tigers in the first round of
the 2018 3A state playoffs by a convincing 38 - 7 tally.
A very strong wind favored the team headed toward the south
endzone for most of the evening as drizzle occasionally fell, but
not as fast as the temperature. Saint James won the toss and
took first possession with the wind at their backs. The
Trojans could not convert a first down, and nearly recovered a
muff on the ensuing punt which pinned the Tigers inside their own
20. T.R. Miller converted one first down, but had to punt
into the wind and the punt only traveled 14 yards before going out
of bounds. Saint James marched 47 yards for their first
touchdown on nine plays, eight runs and an incomplete pass.
Quarterback Colin Duncan called his own number on second down from
the Tiger 17 and darted through a hole created by his line despite
being out-bigged by the defensive line of the Tigers (including
three 300 pounders) for the first score of the game. Jan
Wachowitz converted his first of five extra points, and Saint
James was up 7 - 0 late in the first quarter.
The Tigers could not earn a first down, and Saint James smartly
called a time out after the non-converted third down to force
another first quarter punt. This punt traveled 33 yards
however. As the direction changed, the Trojans were into the
wind for the second quarter, and managed to run off almost half of
the second quarter before an into the wind punt only netted 14
yards of their own. However, on the first play, the ball was
wrestled loose from the Miller ball carrier and Alex Whisenhunt
fell upon the football as the Tiger 42. On first down,
several handoffs led to Brock Woodham throwing his first pass
attempt of the season which was completed to Amerson for a quick
20 yard gain. After a no gain run, Duncan called his own
number again and swept around the left end untouched for a 22 yard
touchdown. The extra point doubled the lead to 14 - 0 in the
second quarter.
A very short kickoff was fielded by Miller, and despite a holding
penalty negating a good run, Darius Webb made up for the loss by
gaining 17 on the next play. The Tigers got as close as the
Trojan 45, but an 8 yard sack stalled the drive and forced a punt
which pinned the Trojans at their own 8 yard line late in the
half. On first down, Gavin was called upon to recreate the
play which had resulted in two long touchdowns in the previous
game against Trinity, and he delivered. However, this time
he was finally dragged down after a 76 yard gain quickly changed
the field from the 8 to the Tiger 16. The drive stalled, but
Wachowitz was called on later to attempt a 27 yard field goal,
which he drilled, and the Trojans were up 17 - 0 late in the
half. The Tigers could not convert a first down, but a 61
yard punt with the wind and little time remaining convinced the
Trojans a 17 point lead would work going into the halftime break.
This was the second meeting all time between the two teams, both
in the first round of the playoffs, and both, coincidentally, on
November 9th. The previous game was in Brewton in
2001. The plays most remembered on the Saint James side that
game were a recovered onside kick line-drive style off an upman to
start the second half, and later a deep kick which rolled to the 1
yard line without amazingly going either out of bounds or into the
endzone. The Trojans fell upon that ball and scored on the
next play. The second half of the 2018 meeting started
similarly. Saint James, again with the wind advantage,
lofted a high kick which was mishandled by the receiver and
immediately fallen upon by Gavin at the Tiger 21 giving Saint
James excellent field position when the defense was expecting to
start the half on the field. After a short run and a false
start penalty, Duncan lofted a pass down the middle which was
caught by Alex Whisenhunt in the endzone among as many as three
defenders playing "you got it - you take it" for a 22 yard
touchdown. The Wachowitz extra point pushed the Trojan lead
to 24 and the west sidelines began to breathe a little easier.
The teams traded punts, and Saint James earned the field position
advantage pinning the Tigers at their own 12 yard line.
Seemingly. On the next drive, Tiger quarterback Joseph
Jernigan lofted a high pass into the wind which came down like a
duck, but was gathered by receiver Jordan Hails and he ran past a
slipped defender breaking for a 62 yard gain into Trojan
territory. Two plays later Jernigan on a keeper drove the
ball just short of the goal line. A false start moved the
ball back out to the 6, but on the next play Narkavis Campbell
used a good block off left end to run untouched 6 yards for the
first T.R. Miller score. Matthew Morgan added the extra
point to cut the lead to 24 - 7 to send just a bit of uneasiness
through the Trojan crowd. The tension increased as the
Tigers executed a near perfect onside kick, recovering just past
the 10 minimum yards necessary for the ball to travel to become a
legal kick. An 11 yard pass completion on first down,
however, was followed by four consecutive incomplete passes and
the Trojans held on downs.
Duncan, who scored three touchdowns on the night (and threw for
another, the pass to Whisenhunt), called his own number from the
shotgun formation and raced 49 yards before just being knocked out
of bounds at the Tiger 2. However, his sneak on the very
next play gave Saint James a score just four minutes after they
had given up a touchdown, and an onside kick to boot.
Wachowitz's extra point hoisted the lead back to 24, at 31 - 7, as
time was winding down in the third quarter. The Tigers moved
the ball on short passes as deep as the Trojan 21, but for the
second time in the game four consecutive incomplete passes turned
the ball back over to Saint James and another threat was wiped
out. By now, the Tigers defense was wearying. Amerson
and Gavin picked up double digit runs before Amerson finally
earned his first touchdown of the night, a 25 yard scamper for the
final score of the game (with the extra point included) with 7:51
remaining.
Defensive lineman Bradley Woodham picked off a pass as Jernigan
was subject to heavy pressure later in the quarter, the third
Tiger turnover of the evening. Substitutes on both sides of
the ball for both teams dominated the remainder of the game, and
neither team picked up a first down until the Tigers converted a
meaningless fourth down on the final play. The Trojans won a
playoff game at home in the first playoff round for the third
consecutive season, and earned the right to host another first
time football contender - the Providence Christian Eagles - a team
which has very recently engaged an intense rivalry with the ladies
during fall seasons on the volleyball court, the following Friday
night at Carlisle Field in round two of the playoffs.
SIDELINE
STATISTICS - GAME ELEVEN
SAINT
JAMES RUSHING 48
attempts 336 yards
4 TDs (7.00 yards per
carry)
2
Amerson 25 / 145
(1 TD) 3
Gavin
7 / 107
5
Duncan 7
/ 93 (3 TDs)
23
Craft
2 / -
1
4 Whisenhunt 2 / -
2 14
Harris
1 / - 6
PASSING
2
completions 4 attempts 42 yards 0
INTs 1 TD
5
Duncan
1 - 3 - 0 22 yards (1 TD)
12
Woodham
1 - 1 - 0 20 yards
RECEIVING
4
Whisenhunt 1 /
22 (1 TD) 2
Amerson 1
/ 20
TOTAL
YARDS: 378
KICKS: XP 5 / 5
FG 1 / 1 (27 made)
2
POINT CONVERSIONS: 0 / 0
KICKOFFS: 7
(49,14,39,41,48,53,25)
PUNTS: 5 (42,14,41,14,26)
KO RETURNS: 1 (23)
PUNT RETURNS: 0
FIRST
DOWNS: 15 (13 rushing, 2 passing)
THIRD DOWN CONVERSIONS: 4 / 11
FOURTH DOWN CONVERSIONS: 1 / 1
FUMBLES: 1, lost 0
TURNOVER
MARGIN: + 3
FUMBLE RETURNS: 2 (0,0)
INTERCEPTION RETURNS: 1
(4)
POINTS OFF TURNOVERS: 14
ACCEPTED PENALTIES: 6 / 50 yards
TIME
OF POSSESSION: 27:55
T.R.
MILLER RUSHING
28 attempts 130 yards 1 TD (4.64 yards per
carry)
PASSING
9 completions 29 attempts 1 INT 124
yards 0 TDs
TOTAL
YARDS: 254
KICKS: XP 1 / 1
FG 0 / 0
2 POINT
CONVERSIONS: 0 / 0
KICKOFFS: 2
(51,11)
PUNTS: 5 (14,33,44,61,14)
KO
RETURNS: 7 (16,0,0,0f,19,32,9)
PUNT RETURNS: 1 (0)
FIRST
DOWNS: 11 (8 rushing, 3 passing)
THIRD DOWN CONVERSIONS: 3 / 12
FOURTH DOWN CONVERSIONS: 1 / 4
POINTS OFF TURNOVERS: 0
FUMBLES:
4, lost 2
ACCEPTED
PENALTIES: 4 / 35 yards
TIME OF
POSSESSION: 20:05
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