By Lonnie Turner

The offense and defense hit on all cylinders in Dillon’s 52-0 rout over the Mullins Auctioneers on Friday evening as the showdown for Region 8AA with the Loris Lions quickly approaches. Dillon will travel to Loris on October 24 and both teams could enter the game unbeaten. The Wildcats will play host to the Marion Swamp Foxes this week and the Lions will take on Mullins.

In the win over Mullins, the Wildcats were led on offense by junior quarterback Avery McCall, who completed 11 of his 15 pass attempts for 230 yards, including four touchdown passes, and earned the WPDE End Zone game ball. It was reported in one media source that he threw for five scores and in another, three, but he completed two to Eri’Reon Hayes, one to Jamison Chapman, and a fourth to Randal Davis. According to high school and college rules, Chrishon Jordan was credited with a 9-yard reception, but Chapman recorded the touchdown by taking a lateral 40 yards into the end zone just before the ending of the first half.

Running back Johnny Allen also got on the scoreboard with a 4-yard rushing touchdown to start the third quarter. The 5’6, 158-pound sophomore ran the football 10 times to net 116 of the 254 rushing yards in the game. Chapman, who alternates with Allen at tailback, netted 94 yards and scored two rushing touchdowns in just a little over two quarters.

Defensively, the Wildcats had numerous players who don’t regularly record tackles wind up on the tackle sheet, since the starters sat out most of the second half when the officials allowed the game clock to run continuously after the final touchdown recorded by Allen. Jermaine McDaniel led the team with seven put downs as the Auctioneers mustered only 11 yards rushing and 69 passing for the entire game.

Dillon scored on all seven possessions in the first half and the first in the second, while the defense allowed Mullins across the 50-yard line only twice in the first half and once in the second.

Chapman scored the first touchdown on a three-yard run to cap a 58-yard drive on five plays and Drew Covington was good on his first of seven extra point attempts of the evening. The sophomore place kicker has hit on 40 of 45 PAT tries this season and booted his third field goal, giving the Cats a 10-0 lead after eight minutes into the game.

Eri’Reon Hayes was on the receiving end of a 9-yard scoring pass to put the Cats up 17-0 at the end of the first quarter and started the 28-point second with a scoring reception of 49 yards. Chapman took a handoff at the Wildcat 49-yard line and went untouched for a 51-yard score, and McCall hit Randal Davis for a 16-yard score to set the stage for the final scoring play of the first half involving McCall, Jordan and Chapman.

The Wildcats are 7-0 heading into this Friday’s game against Marion. Dillon will host the Swamp Foxes at 7:30 p.m., so make plans to attend to support our ‘Cats!

Photos by Johnnie Daniels/THE DILLON HERALD. Click the images below to view at full size!