MAGNOLIA- When it rains, it pours, and the South Pike Eagles’ offense poured it on in a big way Friday night with a 52-20 win over the Sumner (La.) Cowboys.
South Pike (4-2) made the most of big plays throughout the game while the Cowboys (2-2), struggled offensively from start to finish.
South Pike head coach Brinson Wall said the Eagles worked throughout the week to improve the passing game, and it paid off Friday night.
“(Passing)’s something we have not done a whole lot coming into tonight,” he said. “We’ve been working on running the football, but we felt like we’d kind of got a little stagnant throwing the ball.”
Eagles quarterback Dontavious Turner kept the Cowboys’ defense guessing between quick runs out of the backfield and airing it out to his receivers from the pocket.
Turner finished the night with 184 yards passing and three touchdowns through the air. He connected with wide receiver Alex Adams three times for 105 yards and two touchdowns.
Wall said he was thrilled with his quarterback’s performance.
“I really think tonight is going to help his confidence,” Wall said. “It’s one of those things where the games have kind of gotten out of hand early and we didn’t do it like we should, but tonight we were able to sit in the pocket and throw the football around.”
The rain had only stopped for half an hour before kickoff, and South Pike running back Deldrionn Amos churned up mud on the way to an 83-yard touchdown return on the opening kickoff.
Sumner quickly answered when wide receiver Maleke Evans took an end-around run to the house for a 66-yard touchdown run with the Cowboys’ first play on offense.
On defense, the Eagles bent but did not break for the first quarter. In the second quarter, Wall said playmakers settled down and pinned their ears back, regularly catching Sumner’s ball carriers well behind the line of scrimmage.
“I thought our coaches did a good plan game planning what we wanted to do,” he said. “I thought we were a little unsure in the first quarter, but I thought as the game went along, everybody settled down and knew their responsibility. We did a good job of being where we needed to be tonight.”
Stout play by defensive back Bryson Wells, defensive tackle Jermaiah Smith and linebacker Marquell Brumfield made it a long night for Sumner. Defensive back Willie Taylor also had an interception in the second half to silence a threatening Sumner drive.
Although the Eagles showcased a smart passing game, the running back Kadarius Jackson led South Pike’s rushing attack, accounting for two touchdowns and 73 of the team’s 285 yards on the ground.
The Eagles begin district play next week with a highly anticipated home matchup against the McComb Tigers.
