Tigers get big start to win at home against Northside Methodist, 56-21

Straughn was on top of his game and scored on seven of the first-half games to record 56-21 victory against Northside Methodist on homecoming Friday evening.

Senior High School Head Coach Ashley Kilcrease felt his team was successful despite the distractions from homecoming.

“Our special teams were really important for us tonight. We had a lot of discussion about scoring with punt returns and kickoffs and we worked very hard to achieve two points there. Our offensive line played well and did a great job, with a few adjustments. When the defense conceded the score and then made a change and put Northside down. I felt that we showed up and did our job. Opp will be a huge game, and we’re content to be home after two years in Opp. They’re trying to keep their hopes of qualifying for the playoffs alive and are prepared to play. They’re extremely skilled and well-trained. They have made progress throughout the year, so we can expect them to perform their best. We’ll have to be at the ready for play,” Kilcrease said.

Mack McIntyre returned the opening kickoff to the 48-yard line. After three runs from Grant Barnes and Layne Grantham, Grantham converted a fourth-and-1 by running 2 yards. Parker Black then moved the chains with a 12-yard run before Grantham struck McIntyre with a pass of 24 yards at the one-yard mark. Grantham ended the seven-play run with a one-yard touchdown run. Brenden Bartholomew kicked in the PAT giving the Tigers (7-1, 6-1 3A 2 Region) the lead 7-0 with just 9 minutes left in the first half. Following a touchback the Knights (2-6 1-5) took advantage of only two plays when Harrison Hicks threw an 83-yard touchdown pass to Jadyn Watkins. The punt was good and brought the score to 7-7 at 8:00.

Another successful kickoff return set the stage for the next play at the 38-yard line of the home team. Grantham started the drive with a an impressive 27-yard sprint to the 35-yard line of the opponent. Two plays after, Barnes took the handoff and ran 35 yards towards the end zone. Bartholomew broke the uprights and gave Straughn an advantage of 14-7. From the 32-yard line Braylen Clements scored a first down by executing an 8-yard slam on second-and-8. A penalty for offsides brought the chains down and set the stage for an 11-yard passing play by Hicks for Caleb Watkins. Northside was faced with a fourth-and-3, but was unable to convert after Drew Ferguson broke up a pass.

Grantham scored a massive 36-yard romp on second-and-6. Barnes discovered an opening, and scored a 12-yard touchdown along with Bartholomew right in the punt to take a 21-7 lead at the close 1st quarter. Ferguson along with Dylon Smith had a go at it with a massive sack, as players from the Knights had to kick. The Tigers started at the opposing team’s 45-yard line. They then received two first-down runs from Grantham along with Barnes. Black completed the six-play 2:25-long drive with a 14-yard touchdown run. Bartholomew continued to do his great work, and increased his lead up to a whopping 28-7 at 8:40 until halftime.

The following drive continued with the team struggling. Eli Guilford made a big tackle for loss on the 2nd down as well as Cade Pittman intercepted a pass from Hicks. Beginning at the 40-yard line, Grantham connected with McIntyre with a 28-yard pass. Black was then called on second-and-12, and crossed the goal line for the score of 34 yards. Bartholomew did not lie and increased the score to 35-7 by the 5:10 mark of the second.

The turnover bug was a problem for Northside once more when Saxby Radford reclaimed an errant ball that was thrown. Grantham made a 16-yard pass towards Cameron Adams for a first down at the 21-yard mark, but the drive was halted when it reached the 12. Smith was sacked by a hefty amount to lose 6 yards, when Straughn forced a second punt. Barnes returned the punt 45 yards to the house, giving a 42-7 lead at the halftime.

The Knights were close to going three-and-out during their first play of the second period. Ferguson made an interception of 19 yards that was returned to the opposing 20. Chris White moved the chains by running 9 yards on the second-and-5. Three minutes after, Radford threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Clark Jordan, and Bartholomew’s PAT increased the Tigers ahead to 49-7 with 7:40 left to end the third.

Northside came back with a seven-play, 76 yard drive. Clements scored a three-yard touchdown run, which cut the gap to 49-14 at 3:05 at the 3:05 mark. Straughn had just 20 seconds to score its final score when Adams was the catalyst for special teams, by returning a kickoff 85 yards to score the touchdown. Bartholomew’s eighth score after the game increased the lead to 56-14. As the hosts were locked in the middle, M.J. Dauphin sacked Hughes at the 7-yard line. Clements ran 14 yards in the last game of the third quarter. Ryan Cobb and Smith also had sacks before an off during downs.

The Tigers suffered a poor snap during their next drive, and watched the Knights advance to 1 yard. Hicks scored a two-yard touchdown rushing run on third-and-goal and the kick was successful to make the final score 56-21 with just 7:05 left to play. After Straughn made a three-and-out play, Northside reached the red zone however, Guilford was able to make another huge defensive tackle and the game was over.

Straughn will remain in the area for a region game against Opp (3-5 3-3) on Oct. 27, Friday. 27.

The article Tigers make big plays in the first half to win homecoming against Northside Methodist, 56-21 was first published at The Andalusia Star-News.