AMORY — In a game defined by missed opportunities by both teams, the Aberdeen High School football team came up with a fourth-quarter comeback and a late defensive stand to escape with a 14-7 victory at Amory in the annual ”A” game matchup.
With the Bulldogs (2-1) unable to get any points inside Amory”s red zone three times in the first quarter, Aberdeen coach Chris Duncan knew he”d have to rely on his defense for a second straight week for a win.
Abderdeen”s defense turned the momentum in the first quarter by forcing a punt that would turn into a 25-yard touchdown pass from the right arm of Josh Williams for the game”s first score on a fourth-and-15 play call.
“We probably had over 350 yard of total offense and just got 14 points,” Duncan said. “I”m glad we got the win, but I”m disappointed by that.”
Both team”s defenses, would nearly force three-and-outs throughout the rest of the first half. Amory, which came in with a high-powered passing offense, got a solid effort on the other side of the ball with mostly freshman and sophomores to stop Aberdeen”s spread option attack.
“My defense was undermatched and undersized and you can”t say enough about how they battled,” Amory coach Trent Hammond said.
Amory”s passing attack was hampered as senior quarterback Forrest Williams, who had thrown six touchdowns in the season opener, was out with an injury to his right arm, leaving the offense in the hands of freshman Jon David Poss. Poss directed the offense inside the red zone twice but threw interceptions into double coverage on both drives.
The Panthers” defense found the end zone as senior outside linebacker Jeremy Roberts made an interception after reading a screen pass perfectly. Roberts, a 176-pound linebacker, walked into the end zone to give the home fans at Logenenecker Field a 7-6 lead.
“What we did tonight was score on defense, blocked a punt, and did all the little things that good teams do to win,” Hammond said. “Sometimes you just don”t get the result you want.”
After forcing a three-and-out on defense that included a sack by four-star defensive end prospect Channing Ward, Abderdeen went on an 11-play, 86-yard game-winning drive. The drive, which included a fourth-down conversion on a jump pass by Williams, ended with 10-yard touchdown run.
“What I like about my kids is they went down, scored and had all the momentum and they didn”t quit,” Duncan said. “We went down boom, boom, boom to score like we”ve done it all game.”
Ward, who is being recruited by Alabama, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and LSU, had two sacks.
Amory would immediately get a long kickoff return to set up a game-tying drive after Hammond put sophomore athlete Fred Garth as a wildcat quarterback giving the offense a different look.
Garth would have four consecutive runs, leading to a second-and-goal fumble on the 1-yard yard line on the handoff between Garth and Dario Robinson with Abderdeen recovering.
“It”s a game of inches, and people don”t understand you play this game on a 100-yard field and it”s one inch that makes a difference,” Hammond said.
The Bulldogs ran off the final five minutes to preserve their second straight victory.
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