Eupora football coach Stephen Edwards knew his team didn’t need to fall behind against unbeaten Pisgah, who features one of the largest offensive lines in the state.
The Dragons recovered an onside kick to open the game and took an early lead and never trailed as they rolled to 40-20 win over the Eagles on Friday night.
With the win, Pisgah is now 6-0 on the season while Eupora falls to 1-5 overall.
Edwards said despite the final score, he thought he young team competed well against the unbeaten Dragons.
“I thought our kids competed well,” Edwards said. “They played hard and really limited them running the football. We wanted to force them to throw the football but it seemed like when we did, they were able to complete a big pass. We’ve just got to make some crucial plays and that might be a different game.”
The Dragons were averaging more than 320 yards a game running the football but ran for just 213 against Eupora on Friday night.
“Pisgah does a good job on offense,” Edwards said. “They have an identity and I thought at times we weren’t lineup up right and they hurt us on those plays. They are big up front and can go two tight ends and even throw an extra lineman in there. They are a big bunch and well coached. They know what their strengths are and play to that.”
After receiving an onside kick to open the game, Pisgah went 50 yards in six plays and scored on a 33-yard run. The try for two was good and Pisgah led 8-0.
The Eagles answered back with their best drive of the game on offense as they went 60 yards in seven plays. Cade Atkins capped off the drive when he hit Tyjuan Hughes on a 34-yard touchdown pass with 5:47 left in the first quarter. The try for two failed and Pisgah led 8-6.
“I thought we had a good drive and responded there,” Edwards said. “We just needed to get another stop and give the offense a chance to get in a little better rhythm on offense.”
The Dragons answered back with an eight-play, 80-yard drive as they scored on a 50-yard touchdown pass. The try for two failed and Pisgah led 14-6.
The Eagles gave the Dragons a short field on their next possession as a high snap on the punt ended up resulting in a blocked punt, giving Pisgah the ball at the Eupora 14. Four plays later, the Dragons scored on a 4-yard quarterback keeper with 10:25 left in the first half for a 20-6 lead.
After a Eupora punt pinned Pisgah at their own 4, the Dragons went 96 yards in one plays and scored on a 1-yard quarterback run with 4:21 left in the half for a 26-6 lead.
The two teams traded punts to end the half but a block by Eupora and a scoop and score by Jordan Sheffield for a touchdown with 1:07 left in the half. The try for two failed and Pisgah led 26-12 at the half.
The Dragons got the ball to start the second half and drove 63 yards in 13 plays, scoring a 3-yard quarterback keeper with 4:51 left in the third. The PAT was good and Pisgah led 33-12.
Eupora first possession of the second half turned disastrous when a backwards pass was mishandled and scooped up for a 30-yard touchdown for Pisgah with 4:26 left in the third for a 40-12 lead.
Eupora’s last score came with less than a minute to play as Travon McMillian scored on a 3-yard run. Adkins ran in the two-point conversion for the final margin of 40-20.
Eupora had just 137 yards of total offense with 89 passing and 48 rushing. Adkins was 7-of-14 passing for 89 yards with a TD. McMillian had 50 yards rushing on 17 carries. Tyjuan Hughes had four catches for 59 yards while Zak Morris had three catches for 30 yards.
Deunte Watson had 17 tackles to lead the defense while Landon Davis had 11 tackles and two for a loss. Ty Murphy and M.J. Thomas eat had 10 tackles while Payton Collums had eight tackles, including three for a loss. Sammy Bowie and Jordan Sheffield each had seven tackles while Kyle Kilgore added six stops. Morris and Chris Robinson also had five tackles apiece.
