In a game with enough dramatic turns to make Indiana Jones green with envy, the South Pike Eagles overcame six turnovers Friday night and held on for a 14-12 victory over their crosstown and former division rival McComb Tigers at Colee Field in non-district football action.
It was South Pike’s season opener. McComb fell to 0-2 on the season.
“We made too many mistakes, but that comes with being young and having no experience,” South Pike head coach Randall Huffman said.
“This game is still important,” Huffman said. “It’s not like we’re battling on the last week, someone goes to the playoffs and someone doesn’t. But it’s still a rivalry.”
The Eagles fumbled five times and threw an interception but managed to come up with a stiff defensive fourth-quarter performance after McComb had narrowed the margin to two.
Trailing 14-6, the Tigers took advantage of the Eagles’ sixth turnover of the game when senior defensive back Dominique Williams recovered a South Pike fumble at the Eagles’ 9-yard line.
Three plays later, McComb junior backup quarterback Lamarvin Ashley fumbled a low snap from center, recovered and lunged into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown run to make it 14-12 with 6:56 remaining in the game.
The Tigers went for the game-tying two-point conversion, but South Pike senior defensive back Chadarius Peters leaped in front of the intended receiver to knock away Ashley’s pass at the goal line.
For the second consecutive week, McComb senior starting quarterback Marshall Dexter was forced to leave the game on several occasions after suffering from leg cramps.
Dexter was 5-of-15 passing for 35 yards. He was sacked once and intercepted twice, both times by South Pike junior defensive back Timothy Lewis.
After the McComb defense halted the Eagles on their ensuing drive, the Tigers got one more scoring opportunity.
After moving the ball to the McComb 45, Ashley tried to drive the Tigers downfield. But one pass was dropped by the receiver and the other sailed over the intended receiver’s head on fourth down, giving possession back to South Pike. The Tigers never got possession again.
Despite the loss, McComb first-year head coach Malcolm Jones said he saw some positives.
“We had a better outing tonight. Everything didn’t fall into place, but we did better,” he said. “We moved the football and got a good job from our defense.
“This is a non-district game,” Jones added. “The idea is to get these guys ready for the district schedule. This is a tough loss, but I’m gonna keep coaching, and these kids are gonna keep fighting.”
South Pike took advantage of the game’s first turnover when an Eagles punt hit a McComb player and South Pike junior Devonta McKnight recovered at the McComb 11-yard line.
Four plays later, McKnight — also the Eagles’ starting quarterback — tossed to senior running back John Taylor, who bullied his way off left tackle for a 2-yard scoring run with 4:52 left in the opening period.
McKnight then found senior receiver TraBradley Morgan for the 2-point conversion to give the Eagles an 8-0 lead.
McComb followed with a scoring drive of its own. The Tigers went 62 yards on nine plays, which was capped by Dexter’s 1-yard burst up the middle for the touchdown to cut the margin to 8-6 with 1:30 remaining in the first quarter. The extra-point attempt sailed wide left.
Dexter’s score was set up when senior Tamarion Patterson took the handoff from the slot position and broke around the left end for a 35-yard gain to the South Pike 11.
The Tigers were given another chance to put points on the board when Denzel Jackson scored his first of two fumble recoveries on the night to set up McComb at its 47.
But the Eagles’ defense stiffened and forced Dexter into three incomplete passes and the Tigers into punting.
Three plays later, another South Pike fumble was recovered by McComb senior Chris Rayborn at the Eagles’ 32.
Again, the South Pike defense stood its ground. On second-and-15, McComb senior tailback Tamarion Patterson fumbled, but Dexter fell on the ball for a 10-yard loss. Two plays later, the Tigers were forced to punt.
Later in the second period, the Eagles drove to the McComb 14, only to see Jackson come up with his second fumble recovery of the game to stymie the drive.
McComb’s momentum, however, did not last. One play after being sacked, Dexter had a pass intercepted by Lewis at midfield.
The Eagles then went 50 yards in five plays, capped off by McKnight’s 9-yard scoring toss to Morgan in the back of the end zone as time expired in the first half to extend South Pike’s lead to 14-6. The two-point conversion try failed.
McComb will travel to Franklin County on Friday night, while South Pike will host Hazlehurst. Both games are slated for a 7:30 kickoff.
