HMS Mustangs finish season 6-1 with 24-12 win over Decatur County

CLEARING THE WAY – Kenton Smith runs through gap made by his blockers in win over Decatur County.

By russellBUSH

The Huntingdon Middle School Mustangs finished the season with a 6-1 record after defeating Decatur County 24-12 at Paul Ward Stadium Thursday. It was a strong second half for the Mustangs who trailed 12-6 after the Panthers scored on a trick play with two seconds left in the first half. The Mustangs facing a six-point deficit got the ball to start the second half and reeled off one of their traditional grinding drives that started at their own 47 and the Mustangs used just over seven minutes off the clock to score. The drive lasted 16 plays over the 53 yards and the Mustangs biggest gain was six yards on any play. Kenton Smith scored from a yard out with 51 seconds left in the third to tie the game at 12-12.

Decatur County who only had nine offensive plays in the second half, fumbled on its second play after the Mustangs tied the game and the Mustangs took over at their own 49. The Mustangs again kept the ball on the ground and ran 14 plays before Smith scored on a 13-yard run with 2:02 left in the game to give the Mustangs an 18-12 lead.

Mustang safety Lucas Smith then sealed the game for the Mustangs as he stepped in front of a Jack Cupples pass attempt at midfield and raced down the sideline and broke a couple of tackles around the ten-yard line and made his way to the end zone for a Mustang touchdown with 1:41 left in the game. The two-point conversion failed but the Mustangs would hold off the Panthers for a 24-12 win.

Decatur County scored first in the game on their opening drive as they took the opening kickoff from their 47 and scored in eight plays on an 11-yard run by Jobi Lopez with 4:27 left in the first quarter. The conversion failed but the Panthers led 6-0.

The Mustangs answered back with a 12-yard pass from Smith to Zayden Connelly to tie the game at 6-6. The Panthers then took the halftime lead as Cupples scored on a flea flicker. Cupples handed the ball to his running back who then threw back across the field to Cupples who sprinted 69-yards to the end zone to give the Panthers a 12-6 lead.

For the game the Mustangs rushed for 165 yards on 46 rushing attempts and completed 2 of 3 passes for 17 yards. Smith led the Mustangs with 143 yards on 40 attempts and two touchdowns. Decatur County rushed 22 times for 73 yards and completed 2 of 6 passes for 77.

Related Posts

The Carroll County News-Leader is a full-service, premium newspaper and news website serving Carroll County, Tennessee. We take advantage of today’s digital technology to deliver you the news that matters to you in ways that are only possible in this platform and in print.
Contact us: [email protected]

© Copyright 2024 

newsleaderonline.com, 84 Elks Lodge Rd. Huntingdon, TN