PHOTO GALLERY
Photos by Johnnie Daniels/The Dillon Herald
Click once on a photo to bring it into a single screen, and then again to enlarge.
By Lonnie Turner
For the fifth straight game this season, the Dillon Wildcats have put 40 or more points on the scoreboard, whipping the Aynor Blue Jackets, 48-0, Friday night in still another time-shortened victory.
Three Wildcats scored two touchdowns apiece in the one-sided affair with running backs Nemo Squires and TyQuan King scoring on short runs, while sophomore wide receiver Ahmari Huggins-Bruce was on the receiving end of a 14-yard scoring toss from junior quarterback Jay Lester and a 60-yarder from back-up fellow sophomore signal caller BoBo McKinnon, who took over at quarterback when Lester left the game at the 9 minute mark of the third quarter with an injury. At the time, the Cats had the lead, 35-0, and a first down at the Blue Jacket 10-yard line. Lester had completed six of six pass attempts for 98 yards and two touchdowns, plus four carries for 48 more yards when he left the game.
King started the scoring on Dillon’s first offensive possession that started with a short on-side kick-off by Aynor place kicker, Matt Stanley, that failed to travel the necessary 10 yards to become a free ball. Lester completed a first down a pass to Quashod Singleton to the two and from there King had the Cats on the scoreboard with only 57 seconds gone in the opening quarter. Junior place kicker Malachi Bember was perfect with his first of six straight extra point attempts.
Squires led the second scoring drive with four carries scoring form two yards out for a quick 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Wildcats defense held Aynor to three consecutive three and out series in the second quarter while the offense scored on all three of its possessions.. Lester’s 14-yard scoring pass to Huggins-Bruce came with two minutes gone in the quarter, followed by Lester’s 26-yard scoring toss to McKinnon, who was in the game at wide receiver 6:02 remaining in the half. King’s two-yard run climaxed a 43-yard drive and Bember’s fifth straight boot for the extra point gave the Cats a 35-0 lead at halftime.
Dillon rolled up 191 total yards in the first 24 minutes, while the defense allowed Aynor only 37 and three first downs.
After Dillon took the lead 42-0 on a 3-yard run by Squires, the officials and coaching staffs agreed to run the scoreboard clock continuously.
McKinnon’s 60-yard touchdown bomb to Huggins-Bruce with 11 minutes left in the game was his second TD pass out of four pass attempts this season in a back-up position, but Bember’s seventh PAT kick attempt was off it’s mark. Lester has thrown for 783 yards and six touchdowns for the season.
Outside linebacker, Wake Forest commit, Shamar McCollum had his best night of the year with 12 tackles to lead the Nasty Cat defense and Dray Thompson joined Shakai Jeanty with 5 take downs .Jeanty recorded a QB sack and Thompson had a knocked down pass to his credit.
The Wildcats finished the game with 301 total yards offense and 17 first downs while the defense allowed only 40 for the Blue Jackets and 3 first downs, all coming in the first half.
Dillon will play host to the Lake City Panthers this coming week as DHS celebrates homecoming.