|
Local 'Cats put up fight before falling
By Van Hilburn
Published August 30, 2009
Paris High may have come out on the short end of Friday night’s season opener against the defending Class 4A state champions, but the local Wildcats can probably look at the game as a moral victory.
Despite six fumbles and four turnovers, the 17th-ranked Sulphur Springs Wildcats left Noyes Stadium with a 33-21 win over 14th-ranked, Class 3A Paris.
“I’m extremly disappointed because we lost. We played them play-for-play, but at the end, we made some mistakes. But they are correctable mistakes,” said Paris High head coach Travis Smith after the game.
Big plays highlighted the game on both sides of the ball. Paris High’s Aaron Ethridge had two electrifying plays — a 53-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter and a 51-yard pass from sophomore Broderick Reed that set up Paris at the SSHS 16 late in the first half. The local ’Cats were unable to cash in during that drive and ended up trailing at halftime, 14-7.
Ethridge ended up with 185 yards rushing and receiving on the night, while Paris finished with 312 total yards.
Running back Devion Hill ran hard all night, finishing with a game-high 220 yards rushing on 23 carries and scoring two touchdowns, including a game-sealing 40-yard scoring run with 8:51 remaining in the fourth.
The Hopkins County Wildcats racked up 460 total yards, including 286 rushing. SSHS quarterback Colton Lee completed 11 of 27 attempts for 174 yards and a touchdown, but he also threw three interceptions.
Paris free safety Dominique Mitchell had a team-high 15 tackles, including 14 solos, and he picked off two passes, including one in the end zone early in the fourth period with Paris trailing by six. Senior Equettis Jenkins had the other interception late in the first half.
Unlike last year’s game that was close for just two quarters, Friday night’s contest was pretty tight most of the way.
“I’m pleased with the kids’ effort. We just got beat by a good football team. We knew they were the Goliaths and we were playing the underdog role,” Smith said. “But our kids never gave up and we played smart football.”
Paris actually tied the game at 14-14 with 8:23 left in the third quarter on a 43-yard reception by sophomore Tavairus Williams from sophomore quarterback Corban Taylor.
That drive was set up when Sulphur Spring’s Lee attempted a punt on fourth down, but the ball hit the back of a SSHS lineman and Paris’ Kendall King landed on the ball.
Following Williams’ touchdown catch, sophomore kicker Gabriel Vera added his third extra point of the night to knot the score.
While SSHS turned the ball over five times, Paris had two miscues that led to touchdowns by the visiting Wildcats.
The first came on an Ethridge fumble during the first series that was recovered by SSHS at its own 48. Five plays later, SSHS senior running back Devion Hill slipped away from three defenders and rumbled into the end zone from seven yards out for a touchdown. Fernando Arellano added the PAT, giving SSHS a 7-0 lead with 9:48 left in the opening stanza.
Paris tied the game with 6:22 left in the first when senior running back Tyrell Smith scored on a four-yard run, capping a 28-yard, four-play drive.
That drive was set up when Paris Ced Hill caused Lee to fumble on a punt attempt and Jamal Wooten recovered the ball at the SSHS 24.
For the rest of the first half, both teams had trouble sustaining drives, until late in the first quarter when SSHS struck again when Lee found SSHS Blue Chip receiver Bryant Jackson open. Lee, a 6-3, 190-pound senior who has verbally committed to the University of Texas, hauled in the pass and sprinted 53 yards into the end zone with 2:11 left in the opening stanza. Arellano added his second extra point, giving Sulphur a 14-7 advantage.
SSHS had another scoring opportunity halted at the Paris 3 in the second quarter when Lee was hit by King, who also recovered the ball with 8:56 left. King ended the game with eight total tackles, including seven solos, one caused fumble and a fumble recovery.
Paris’ defense started the second half by holding SSHS on its first possession. The Wildcats’ offense then tied the game at 14-14, but SSHS came right back to take the lead when Lee scored from a yard-out with 4:42 left.
SSHS then went ahead 27-14 when Taylor was picked off by Sharad Timmons, who returned the pick 55 yards for a touchdown with 3:42 left in the third quarter. The extra point attempt failed.
Paris is at Longview Pine Tree on Sept. 4 to take on the Pirates, who suffered a 47-0 thumping at the hands of visiting Pleasant Grove in the season opener Friday.
SULPHUR SPRINGS 33, PARIS 21
SSHS 14 0 13 6 — 33
Paris 7 0 14 0 — 21
First quarter
SSHS - Devion Hill 7 run, 9:48 (Fernando Arellano kick)
Paris - Tyrell Smith 4 run, 6:22 (Gaberiel Vera kick)
SSHS - Bryant Jackson 53 pass from Colton Lee, 2:11 (Arellano kick)
Third quarter
Paris - Tevairus Williams 43 pass from Taylor, 8:23 (Vera kick)
SSHS - Lee 1 run, 4:42 (Arellano kick)
Paris - Ethridge 53 run, 2:46 (Vera kick)
Fourth quarter
SSHS - Hill 40 run, 8:51
SSHS Paris
First Downs 22 9
By run 13 3
By pass 7 6
By penalty 2 0
Rushes-yards 43-286 26-150
Passing yards 174 162
C-A-I 10-26-1 11-27-2
Total yards 460 319
Punts-avg. 2-16 5-39
Penalties 9-70 8-75
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING — SSHS: Devon Hill 23-220, Lee 14-30, LaMarcus Kendricks 1-7, Kody Chester 1, Bryant Jackson 3-28. Paris: Tyrell Smith 9-14, Aaron Ethridge 13-130, Broderick 3-12, Taylor 1-1.
PASSING — Garrett Ferguson 4-28, Alvin Frazier 3-30, Brant Jackson 3-84, Kendricks 1-32. Paris: Darian Jones 3-14, Ethridge 1-53, Tevin Gray 1-2,Tevairus Williams 2-60, Tyrell Smith 2-31.
INTERCEPTIONS — SSHS: Timmons. Paris: Mitchell (2), Cory Battle.
RECORDS — SSHS 1-0, Paris 0-1.
Share |
Save |
Mail |
Print |
Letter
|
|
 |
|
|
