NEW MARKET – In the end it was a pair of lost fumbles that did Southmont in as they lost 21-7 to Tri-West on Senior Night.
In the big picture, however, the Mounties, who finish the regular season 4-5 and 2-5 in the conference, come out ready for the 2A playoffs next week after taking the Sagamore Conference champion Bruins, ranked #5 in 3A, to the absolute limit.
“I am so proud of their effort tonight,” South coach Desson Hannum said after his Mounties played the Bruins to 7-7 in the first half. “They worked extremely hard. We knew that the only way to beat a team as good as Tri-West, and they are a very good team, was to try and match them physically. We needed it to be low scoring, which it was, and physical, which is certainly was. We gave Tri-West everything they wanted and competed with them from start to finish. I found out a lot about this team tonight. We had no school today; we were banged up and we had kids sick all week. We held our own, our defense played really well, and the conditions just made it tougher as the rain fell. Again, I’m really proud of these guys, and their effort, and I know we will be ready for the playoffs next week.”
The Bruins, who move to 8-1 and win the Sagamore with a 7-0 record, took their first possession and marched down the field, scoring after seven plays, and making it look pretty easy.
It was the last easy moment for the Bruins.
South took the ball right after that TD and matched the score on the board, as on third and 20 from the TW 24, Mounties quarterback Nolan Boyer found Kyler McCandless, two of the 12 seniors honored before the game. McCandless worked his way into the end zone for his sixth TD of the season, and after a Tyler Petroski extra point, it was even at seven.
And that is where it stayed for the rest of the half. Another senior, Marlin Williams, picked off a pass to end a TW threat.
The rain increased in intensity and the offenses suffered for it in the second half, as both teams could manage only a few yards before punting the ball away.
The game changed early in the fourth quarter when the Mounties fumbled back-to-back possessions.
The defense had taken a fumble away from the Bruins, but the offense fumbled it back on the next play, and the visitors rode the legs of quarterback Malachi Walden in for a score.
Walden, the junior all-purpose QB, ran for 14 of the 19 yards they needed to find the end zone.
Walden ran for all three Bruins TDs on the night, giving him 13 for the season. He ran for 201 and passed for 60, moving past the 1,000-yard mark in both categories.
Following that second TD, South fumbled the kickoff and the momentum stayed with the Bruins. They would score a third time two possessions later, and picked off Boyer on South’s final offensive play, to seal the win.
The loss in the rain dampened Senior Night for the dozen guys honored before the game and by the coach after.
“These seniors mean so much to me, and to our program,” Hannum said of the 12. “They have almost all been here for four years, and when they arrived, we weren’t very good, and they have been part of a big improvement in the program. They have worked hard every day, during the season and the offseason. They have contributed so much and been such a big part of our success. We still plan to have them play a few more games, but we also honor them tonight and wish them nothing but the best in their futures.”
Boyer was 4-of-11 passing for 44 yards and the TD. He was also the leading rusher, going 52 yards on 11 attempts.
Senior back Wyatt Woodall ran for 42 yards on 20 tough carries, and caught one pass for 12 yards.
Before the game, Southmont honored Woodall with a game ball for going past 3,000 career rushing yards last week, becoming the second Southmont player ever to eclipse that mark and is only the fifth in Montgomery County football history. The game ball was given to him by senior members of the offensive line that opened up the holes for him to run in. “They have been with him for all 3,000 yards,” Hannum noted.
Woodall was involved in one more record, as according to press box stats, he recorded nine tackles. Those nine give him 380 for his career, setting a Southmont record.
Both teams have their hands full next week in first-round sectional action.
The Bruins are home to Danville, an always spirited affair between Sagamore friends. The Bruins won 21-0 earlier this season.
Southmont is also at home in 2A action, as they play host to Sullivan, It will be the first meeting ever for the two teams. Sullivan is 5-4 after a 48-0 win over West Vigo Friday.
