Chris Chestnut
By Lonnie Turner
It took less than twenty minutes to play the second half of the game. With the Wildcats leading 32-0 at the half, the officials and the Aynor coach agreed to play for eight minutes per quarter instead of the regular 12 and, in addition, they instructed the electric clock operator to run the clock continuously. Each team ran 11 plays in the entire half and the game was over just a few minutes after 9 o’clock. Dillon had 41 net yards and a touchdown and the Blue Jackets netted six total yards, all on the ground, during the second half.
With starting quarterback Avery McCall still sidelined from the injury sustained in the season opener and Malique Gregory recovering from a slight injury, the Dillon coaching staff opted to play sophomore Austin Moody, at 6’1, 170 lbs., in his first start as a varsity signal caller, to start the game. He threw 12 times and completed half for 113 yards and a touchdown and didn’t throw an interception.
When asked who the punter was while obtaining the starting line-up, the Aynor head coach said the he would not do much kicking…and he didn’t shy away from that intent at all. Right out of the gate, on a 4th and 1 at his own 21, the Wildcats defense, led by Damu Ford, stopped the Jackets for no gain and the Wildcats scored on a two-yard run by Anthony Blue three minutes later. Four other times in the half the Blue Jackets went for first downs deep in their own territory and three times the Cats put points on the scoreboard.
It was an Anthony Blue running show in the first half. The 5’10, 165-pound tailback rushed 22 times for 118 yards and two touchdowns and caught a 21-yard scoring pass from Moody. In the third quarter, he ran two plays in the opening series for 33 yards, including his fourth touchdown of the game on a 21-yard run. Blue finished the game with 150 yards on 22 carries to run his six-game rushing total to 534 yards and nine touchdowns.
Eri’Reon Hayes continues to be the go-to receiver of the receiving crew, catching four passes for 75 yards to up his season total to 24 catches for 336 yards and six touchdowns.
Drew Covington kicked his third field goal in as many tries this season to put Dillon up by a 10-0 score with a 29-yarder on the second Dillon possession and he tacked on an extra point following Blue’s third quarter touchdown.
In the second quarter, the Cats scored three straight times on four possessions to score 22 points and take the 32-point lead into the intermission.
Blue ran 24-yards for his second touchdown to cap a 55-yard drive in seven plays to start the second quarter and Tara Grimsley was perfect with her second PAT of the game.
Moody hit Eri’Reon Hayes, who made a one-handed leaping catch at the two-yard line, to set up Joe Blue’s second touchdown of the season running out of the “wildcat” formation and Anthony Blue ran in the two-point conversion for a 25-0 lead.
Following a 4th and 8 attempt by the Blue Jackets that was stopped at the Aynor 32, Blue broke in the clear for a long gain, but a holding penalty put the Cats at the 21-yard line. On 1st and 20, Moody threw to a wide open Anthony Blue for the final score of the first half.
Dillon finished with 354 yards in total offense with 241 yards on the ground and 113 through the air and the defense, led by Damu Ford’s season high 13 tackles, held Aynor to 32 yards on the ground and 13 on two pass completions for a net total of 45 yards. Ja’Monte McGill added seven take downs and recording six tackles each were Joe Blue and Sha’Keem Blue. Que Bethea picked off his second interception of the season which led to the Covington field goal.
The Wildcats will travel for just the second time in 2013 as they take on the Mullins Auctioneers in Mullins at 7:30 p.m. this Friday evening. It will be the 21st meeting of the two teams since Paul Chapman’s first year as the coaching leader of the Cats in 1961. Coach Jackie Hayes has coached the team to eleven straight wins, giving Dillon an 18-1-1 series record. Mullins tied Dillon, 6-6 in 1970.
Photos by Craig Brown. Click the images below to view at full size!
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