ABERDEEN — The Aberdeen High School football team’s victory against Amory on Friday in the 24th A-Team game was still the main topic of conversation in and around town this week, even as Aberdeen prepares to face Class 4A power Noxubee County High at 7:30 tonight.
Aberdeen scored on the game’s final play to beat Amory 27-22. The consensus among Aberdeen fans, those who stayed for the entire game anyhow, was the thriller was one of the best games between the schools in recent memory.
Aberdeen and Amory, which are less than 20 miles apart, have played 77 times since 1935 (they split two games in 1944 because of gas rationing during World War II) and the Panthers own a 44-33 lead.
In addition to being the 77th time the two teams have played, Friday’s contest marked the 24th A-Game because the A-Game moniker came into play when Sid Salter and his Monroe Publishing group came up with the idea and awarded the first A-Team trophy to Amory in 1989.
Highlights from the game included Aberdeen’s defensive effort, which limited Jon David Poss, the state’s leading passer and third overall total offense leader, to just 105 passing yards and 40 rushing yards — considerably below his 303 yards per game passing average. The Bulldogs also limited the Panthers to 182 total yards.
“Our DBs did a great job on what is considered to be the best receiving corps in the state,” Aberdeen defensive coordinator Sammie Burroughs said. “Any time you can hold one of the state’s most explosive offenses to under 200 yards, your defensive backs, linebackers, and D-line are doing something right.”
For the second week in a row, sophomore quarterback Josh Williams played a near-flawless first half to guide the Bulldogs to the end zone on their first three possessions. Williams teamed with junior running back Chico Harrison on 26 of the Bulldogs’ 31 first-half rushing attempts.
“We wanted to run the ball as much as we could and we pretty much did what we wanted,” Aberdeen offensive coordinator Alex Williams said. “Our line did a good job up front to allow Josh and Chico the room to operate.”
Not to be upstaged, Aberdeen’s offensive line was responsible for a balanced attack that had 385 yards total offense — 192 rushing and 193 passing.
“We threw it a bit more than we wanted to, but we knew we could gain yards through the air if our line gave Josh the time he needed,” Williams said. “I’m pleased with the balance.”
Aberdeen’s first three possessions, all of which ended in touchdowns, set the tone for the first half and gave the Bulldogs a much-needed confidence boost.
“That was a real morale booster scoring like that,” Aberdeen head coach Mark Bray said.
After a see-saw battle in the first three quarters, the turning point came with the Bulldogs trailing by a point with less than six minutes to play. Williams was hammered by Amory’s Braxton Polk and linebacker Hayden Williams recovered for the Panthers at their 25. Five plays later, Poss was stopped on a third and inches near midfield and Amory decided to punt. With 1 minute, 26 seconds left in the game and 89 yards from a score, Aberdeen threw caution to the wind and marched downfield for the winning touchdown.
“That stop on third down was huge,” Burroughs said.
In addition to the gutsy effort from the Aberdeen squad, 12-year old Syd Allmond’s performance as a member of the chain gang drew praise. Syd got an up-close and personal look at the game handling the measuring chain, after he was called on to help his father, John, just minutes into the game when one of the poles — or sticks, as they are called — was broken by a collision with a ball-carrier and a tackler and the regular rod man decided he didn’t need to risk a back injury.
Another unsung hero for Aberdeen was two-way star Sammie Burroughs, Jr., whose father serves as defensive coordinator. Burroughs had an interception on the second play of the fourth quarter and then caught a clutch 23-yard pass to give Aberdeen a first down at the Amory 20 with 12 seconds remaining (Aberdeen wore black jerseys with dark blue numbers and Trey Mims, who wears No. 4 but didn’t dress out, was erroneously credited with the catch.)
Volleyball
Aberdeen blew a pair of substantial leads in the first and third sets and was blown away in the second set in a 3-0 loss to Pontotoc.
The Lady Warriors took the first set 25-18, rolled to a 25-5 decision in the second set and then broke a 23-all tie in the third set to grab a 25-23 win and the match.
“In two of the sets, it was back-and-forth and back-and forth, a constant battle,” Aberdeen coach Candy Grant said. “At one point in the first and third matches, we led by a good margin, as many as five points, but then we let things get away. That second set, it was horrible.”
Jamie Strong posted four kills and Rachel Boone had three kills to pace the Lady Bulldogs (2-5), while Jakayla Dancy and Jennifer Young turned in errorless performances.
Aberdeen travels to New Hope on Monday for a re-scheduled game and will play host to Amory on Tuesday.
Hamilton
The Hamilton High football team led 20-16 at halftime but couldn’t hold on Friday in a 35-27 loss to Kossuth.
“I thought we played the best game we’ve played so far,” Hamilton coach Ray Weeks said. “The kids played hard, and even though we had a four-point lead at the half, we just didn’t have anything left in the tank after playing nine starters not only on offense and defense, but on the special teams also.”
The Lions’ depth took a hit early when Quinshay Heard, who also starts at quarterback, was sent to the sidelines with a separated shoulder.
“We got the ball first and Deion Howard scored from around midfield,” Weeks said. “Then Kossuth got the ball and their quarterback rolled to his right to throw but then tucked it in and took off running. Quinshay came up to make the stop, hit him low and separated his shoulder.”
Heard is expected to miss two to four weeks.
Seth Dement, a senior who last lined up under center on the junior varsity team in the ninth grade, received what Weeks called a “crash course,” the remainder of the game.
Hamilton also lost the services of defensive end Tanner Dement, who is out with a high ankle sprain.
“He’ll be out about a week,” Weeks said. “The X-rays were negative, but it’s real swollen.”
Looking to even its season record at 2-2, Hamilton will face county rival Hatley (0-3) at 7:30 tonight in “the H-Game.”
“Hatley is a well-coached team that plays hard on defense,” Weeks said. “They have a big quarterback and a big fullback on offense, and even though they haven’t won yet, they really get after it.”
Hamilton fans are reminded it’s a blackout game (everybody wears black).
Softball
Alison Atkins tossed a five-hit gem and chipped in with three singles to lead Hamilton to a 7-1 win against Baldwyn on Tuesday.
The Lady Lions scored twice in the bottom of the first and then added three more in the third on singles by Taylor Hyland and Atkins, followed by a Cheyenne Logan triple and a two-run homer by Mary Willis. A pair of runs in the sixth closed the scoring.
Hamilton had 13 hits, including 11 singles, and stranded eight. Defensively, the Lady Lions had one error.
“We hit the ball well and played solid defense,” Hamilton coach Lewis Earnest said.
Hyland, Logan, and Willis had two hits apiece. Myiah Dobbs, Jordyn Jackson, Raimi Bryan, and Christy Willis all singled once.
Hamilton will play host to Amory on Tuesday.
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