The Chargers are on a roll after they defeated New Hope on their first home opener and homecoming. The County Boys shut out the Trojans in a 40-0 victory.
When the Chargers ran out onto the field, they were met with boos and sneers from the crowd. But, nine minutes after opening kickoff, Zabaius Miller silenced the Trojan crowd as he ran it back for a touchdown, but Caleb Cunningham’s PAT was ruled no good and the Chargers went up 6-0.
If the Trojans didn’t know they were in trouble, they knew by halftime.
The Charger defense remained solid for another four quarters with Elmar Gladney getting a sack and the defense pushing a three and out.
Back on the Chargers offense, the Trojans proved they could be the same issue for the Chargers. But, the Chargers also shot their own selves in the foot with penalities.
The Trojans pushed the Chargers to a second down, but Sophomore quarterback KJ Cork was able to find his way out of trouble to connect with Cunningham for another Charger touchdown. But, a failed two point conversion made the game 12-0.
And, the Trojans still had hope in the first quarter they could keep the game alive. But, it was a hope that was quickly squashed. And again, the Charger defense forced a three and out.
A defensive battled that went down to the very end, Cork found himself again in trouble getting out of it with a quarterback keeper. But, a Charger touchdown by Jeramiah Miller with an added two-point conversion, made the game 20-0.
And it was only the first quarter.
Head Coach Dillon Mitchell said he was pleased with the showing from the offense but needed to work on the pre-snap penalties. There were several times the Chargers shot themselves in the foot with false starts, offsides and illegal procedure penalities.
“I thought we showed signs of what we can be when we execute clearly. KJ was poised and made some great decisions with the ball. We need him to continue on that path. We are still committing too many pre-snap penalties and have turned the ball over in both games. If we don’t fix those things, they will cost us in closer games.”
The Chargers added 20 more points in the second quarter but with a nail-in-the-coffin interception by Quaysie Lane, the Trojans went in the half 40-0.
Mitchell said even though the defense had two great showings in the past two games, there is still work to be done.
“Anytime we are able to throw a shutout on defense, it’s obviously a great night. I can’t say enough good things about our coaches and the position they’re putting our guys in to have success. Our kids are playing really hard and running to the ball well. With that said, I don’t think any of them are satisfied and know that we have a lot of work to do before we are where we want to be,” Mitchell said.
At the beginning of the third quarter, the JV took the field. And, still in a battle of the defenses the Trojans forced the Charger JV to several three and outs. Quarterback Jack Hood tried to catch momentum with handoffs to Nehemiah Mitchell, Cortez Dotson and Samuel Dotson but the Chargers couldn’t find a hole in the Trojans defense.
But, not to be outdone, the Charger JV defense returned the favor pushing the Trojans to three and outs. The Trojans Trey Tippett caught a light and tried to put the Trojans on the scoreboard, but the Chargers defense snuffed out another Trojan drive. And it was all she wrote in New Hope.
Mitchell said he didn’t think it was the JV nerves but the Trojans defense was designed to stop the offense the Chargers were running on defense.
“They were pretty big and that’s a tough spot to throw JV guys into, but I thought they came in and were able to eat up the clock in the second half. And, I always love when they get a chance to get action on Friday night.”
He said the Miller and others are beginning to settle into their roles on the team and believes the Chargers are finding their footing on both sides of the ball.
“No question, we’ve got our best 11 players on kick off return and I believe that each of them have the potential to score if it’s kicked too them. Two games into the season, I think we are starting to find our identity on both sides of the ball but we’ve got to keep growing and evolving each week.
Coming into this past game against the Trojans and the game Friday against Ripley, the Chargers are seen as underdogs, but Mitchell doesn’t let that bother him or his players.
“We try not to let other people’s opinions of us dictate how we prepare and play. We just want to show up every single day like it’s the week of the state championship and prepare the very best we can,” he said.
This week’s game
The Chargers are in a stride right now as they travel up Highway 15 North to take on Ripley on – again—their homecoming. A 4A contender, Ripley’s known for being tough offensively and defensively. Both the Tigers and the Chargers go into this game 2-0 and Friday will be the first loss for one team.
“I think this will be our toughest test yet. Ripley is really well coached. They are big and physical and they know what it takes to win. We need a great crowd to follow us up Highway 15 tonight to North Mississippi!”
Player of the Week
This week’s player of the week – well, is really a no-brainer. Caleb Cunningham had a great game Thursday against the Trojans with six catches for 195 yards and three touchdowns.
