STARKVILLE — Senior running back Devyn Shing had 166 yards and three touchdowns Friday night to lead the Clarksdale-Lee Academy football team to a 33-14 victory against Starkville Academy.
Shing had touchdown carries of 34, 9, and 5 yards to lead a rushing
attack that amassed 384 yards and averaged 9.8 yards per rush.
Clarksdale-Lee (3-6, 1-5) took a 20-0 halftime lead and held a 34-0 advantage entering the fourth quarter.
“We were able to establish the run early and do a good job with it,” Clarksdale Lee coach Robert Daniels said. “We got back to some of the things we did earlier in the season before some of the injuries occurred. We are playing some young players who are starting to really develop and show some poise.”
Following a punt on its opening drive, Clarksdale Lee rallied for five touchdowns on its next five possessions to take control.
The Colts took a 20-0 lead before the Volunteers crossed midfield.
“The combination of injuries this season and attrition just wore us down,” Starkville Academy coach Brian Sims said. “We made some plays tonight and played better at times, but having players play both ways all night against a physical team just took its toll.”
The bulk of the positive plays for the Volunteers (0-9, 0-6) came during the fourth quarter.
Junior quarterback Kyle Henson connected with Ryan McKell for a 16-yard touchdown and with Adam Crittenden for a 21-yard gain on fourth-and-10 to lead to another score.
Henson”s numbers could have been much better, (4 of 11 for 63 yards) but his wide receivers dropped six passes.
“I think he made some good plays,” Sims. “I was glad, in a way, to see the guys upset with mistakes they made. It shows me they still care and want to win and play with pride. They made up for some of those miscues with some solid plays late.”
Clarksdale Lee opened up the scoring in the first quarter, getting a Shing 9-yard run to cap a six-play, 65-yard drive.
The Colts” rushing attack notched six runs of more than 20 yards in the first half and seven for the game.
“The guys ran the ball hard tonight,” Daniels said. “The offensive line did a great job opening up some holes and the backs read them very well.”
Clarksdale Lee also received contributions from tailbacks Chip Meredith (66 yards), Welby Wu (52 yards), Brandon Hanks (42 yards) and Robert Bobo (22 yards).
As good as the rushing attack was, Clarksdale Lee”s defense wasn”t too far behind.
The Volunteers mustered only four first downs in the first half and were shut out until the reserves took the field for the Colts.
Starkville Academy was held to less than 80 yards of offense entering the fourth quarter.
“I thought our defense played very well, especially in the third quarter,” Daniels said. “We made them one-dimensional pretty much from the start controlling the line. In these conditions, I didn”t think anybody would be able to throw it well.”
Sophomore defensive back Robert Bobo led the Colts with eight tackles and two sacks.
Clarksdale Lee will look to continue its success Friday when it travels to Madison-Ridgeland Academy, while Starkville Academy will go to Magnolia Heights before it returns home to play Pillow Academy in the season finale.
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