After a big win over rival Nanih Waiya, the Noxapater Tigers got back on the field against PURE Academy out of Memphis.
PURE flexed its muscles and took a 34-6 win over the Tigers on Friday night.
Noxapater falls to 1-1 on the season and will travel to Coffeeville this week in its last non-district contest of the season.
Coach Caleb Kelly said he wasn’t concerned with the final score after seeing the players that PURE rolled out with.
“They were really impressive with the athletic ability and size,” Kelly said. “Going in, I didn’t think they were very disciplined, but I knew they would be quick. But it was a different level of size and speed, and they had a lot of depth. They are in Memphis and are able to draw players from a really big area.They were a good football team.”
PURE led 20-6 at the half and scored two second-half touchdowns.
“Our kids hung in there and never backed down which I was proud of,” Kelly said. “They could have easily been intimidated because those guys were huge. We weren’t down much at the half. We had some chances but couldn’t capitalize on their mistakes. I was proud of our effort. Our kids gave 100 percent effort, and that’s all I can ask for. It made us better. We won’t play anyone else in 1A football with that kind of size and speed, that’s for sure.”
Keon Tucker had the only score for the Tigers on a 29-yard interception return.
“They were huge on the offense and defensive lines,” Kelly said. “I’ve coached in 5A and 6A, and I’ve never seen size like I saw on Friday night. But they were our only real choice. We dropped Winston Academy, and it was either them or St. Martin, and we had a game to fill. In the end, we played a game and got reps against a good team and got better.”
The Tigers struggled on offense against a tough PURE defense, which Kelly said featured several players who could easily play college football.
“It was a tough night offensively,” Kelly said. “They had a big lead for most of the night, but it never really got out of control. We could have hung our heads, but we didn’t. Our kids believed they could move the ball and that was huge. It will help us for district play and for what’s ahead of us.”
He continued, “I certainly don’t think we will face anyone with that kind of speed. We played hard, but they had some kids that looked like they could have played in the SEC. When you put that on a 1A field, you are going to be tough.”
Kyle Phillips was 6-of-20 passing for 59 yards and had eight carries for 32 yards. JyTavius Riddle had two catches for five yards while Keon Tucker had four catches for 54 yards. Jimmy Graham had 13 carries for six yards as well for the Tigers.
Tucker also had a big night on defense, leading the Tigers with eight tackles and one interception. Cooper McMullen had six tackles, including three for a loss. Riddle, Chris Dale, T.K. Wilson, and Javion Eichelberger each had five tackles while Phillips, Vontavious Triplett, and Ro Riddle each had four tackles. Ethan Yates and Emmanuel Carter each had three tackles apiece while Demarkus McCully and Ethan Easley each had two tackles apiece. Troy Roark, Luke Reynolds, and Ty Wraggs each recorded one tackle.
This week’s game:
The Tigers will hit the road this week as they take on Coffeeville on Friday in a non-division contest.
The Pirates are 0-2 on the season with losses to Bruce (26-0) and J.Z. George (30-6).
“It’s our last non-district game and we are still working on us and correcting ourselves before we get to district play,” Kelly said. “For us to be successful this week, we have to have a lot of energy and effort in practice this week and continue to get better.”
Last year, Noxapater took a 13-12 win over the Pirates.
