Punters, stay home. For almost the entire game, your services were not required.
That wasn’t a problem for Evangel Thursday night at Independence Stadium.
For Huntington? Not so much.
The Evangel side of the field was pretty much sacred ground during the first half of a 62-14 win for the Eagles in a District 1-5A game.
Evangel ran the first play of the game in their own territory and that was it for a while. The next 34 plays were all on Huntington’s side of the field. Let’s hope there’s some kind of warranty on that part of the turf because it was getting worn out.
Another part of fake sod that was getting plenty of activity was the Raiders end zone as Evangel got there on every possession except one.
The Eagles might have thought about punting on the other possession – after all, it was fourth and 16 from the Huntington 36 – but went ahead and gave it a shot anyway. That’s about the only thing that didn’t work all night.
“We played a good, fundamentally sound football game tonight,” Evangel head coach Denny Duron said. “The best one we have played so far. It was one of those. Nights where everything came together. It was just our night.”
How about this: On Evangel’s six scoring drives in the first half, the Eagles didn’t even have a third down, much less a fourth down.
Might want to put out an Amber Alert for the Eagles punting team.
Huntington, on the other hand, didn’t think much about punting either, but the Raiders had little choice. They got a first down on the opening play and didn’t get another one until the second quarter when they were already down 21-0.
But it’s not like nobody saw this coming.
“I wouldn’t say we were intimidated, but I would say we were pressing,” Huntington coach John Simon said. “Everybody knows we are a young team and I think the moment was big for our young kids. Everybody was pressing to make plays.
“We lost 36 seniors from last year,” he added. “We have no seniors on defense. But we are building.”
The Eagles were so prolific that they even scored when they screwed up. Damari Drake was headed for the end zone on the first play of the second quarter but fumbled just before the goal line.
Oops.
But Evangel receiver Demarkus Evans reached down and picked up the ball in the end zone like he had just dropped his backpack on the way to Algebra class. As easy of a touchdown as you’ll ever want to get credit for. Nice work if you can get it.
If you had “9:20 to go in the third quarter” in the office pool as to when the game would begin using a running clock – ding, ding – you’re a winner!
Huntington’s most successful play was a quick slant from quarterback Justin Whitaker to receiver Caiden Starks that resulted in both touchdowns.
Evangel’s most successful play was quarterback Peyton Houston throwing to just about anybody. The junior threw for 419 yards and six touchdowns, but it was the last 61 of those yards that raised a few eyebrows.
After Huntington scored with 1:30 to go to make it 56-14, Houston finished off the game by throwing his longest in-the-air pass of the game that resulted in a 61-yard catch by Tikelon High.
Yes, people noticed … and not just Tikelon’s family.
Especially some of the assistant coaches from the two teams, who had a short “debate” about the play after the game.
But Simon looked at it in a different way.
“That’s what you are supposed to do,” he said. “There’s time on the clock. You’re supposed to take advantage of it. There’s other kids on the team that want to have the opportunity to score. I have no problem with that. That’s football.”
But he did add with a bit of a wry smile “It’s a good butt-whipping for our young kids. But we will remember it and be ready to go next year.”
Contact JJ at johnjamesmarshall@yahoo.com