By DAVID MILLER
Special to The Dispatch
It’s been a rough couple of weeks for the New Hope High School football team.
Two members of the team – linebacker Kyle Cruthids and right tackle Darrius Hendrix – were involved in a wreck on Oct. 8 that left them and one other in stable condition and a 15-year-old girl on life support.
The Trojans had just lost to Lake Cormorant a day before the accident and lost the following week to Oxford. The two losses pinned the Trojans in a three-way tie for next to last in the district.
The Trojans and their fans, however, got the lift they needed Friday in a 55-21 Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 5A, Region 1 win over Lewisburg.
New Hope (5-4, 2-3 region) built a 34-0 lead in the first quarter, capitalizing on a forced fumble by Tae-kion Reed and an interception by Kyree Fields. The Trojans needed just five plays to score its first three touchdowns, including a 50-yard run by quarterback Thomas Stevens and a 77-yard pass to Andre Erby on the first play of the game.
“Winning cures a lot,” New Hope coach Kris Pickle said. “It kind of heals a lot of wounds. I hate losing games, and I know the kids do, too.
“We got beat by four pretty good football teams, and three of those games we were right there in it. So to get a win and lift the spirits of these kids a bit, I hope it helps them moving forward.”
The laughs may be fewer while Hendrix continues to recover in Jackson, but the team’s performance on offense – the Trojans rushed for 158 yards on 22 carries – would have made Hendrix smile.
“You can joke with Darrius all day,” Stevens said, “and he’ll joke right back with you. It’s been hard on us with Darrius and Kyle out.”
Stevens finished with 183 passing yards and four touchdowns, three of which came through the air. He had a clean pocket for much of the two-and-a-half quarters he and the starters played. Though the offensive line has missed Hendrix, Bryce Braddock has moved from right guard to right tackle in his stead.
The Trojans’ rushing attack didn’t need to set the tone early in the third quarter – they led 41-0 at that point – but on the starters’ final series, they rode Tony Deloach for eight straight runs and 68 yards for a score.
“We’ve started to work together more as a unit (with Hendrix out),” Braddock said. “Darius is my right tackle, my best friend. It was hard coming from putting your hand down to being open and taking your hand off the ground. It was difficult against quicker players on the edge. But it felt good to drive the ball down the field like that and wear them down in the run game.”
Stevens said the Trojans didn’t change much in practice to snap the two-game losing streak, other than continue to work on their screen game, which paid immediate dividends. The Trojans lined up four wide receivers in a bunch set to the left side of the line on the first play for the game before Stevens zipped the ball to Erby on a screen pass. Erby raced up the sideline for a 77-yard score.
Big plays like Erby’s score were limited against Oxford, which played coverage and tackled well, Pickle said. And with an area clash against West Point (8-1, 5-0) looming next week, Pickle hopes to achieve the same balance New Hope demonstrated Friday.
“You gotta be physical against (West Point) on offense and defense,” Pickle said. “When we beat them two years ago, I think we threw the ball for 90 yards and rushed for 250-260 yards. They’re a physical football team, and you have to be balanced on offense.
“We are what we are – we’re not very big up front, a bit undersized for 5A football, averaging 225 across the front. We feel like if we get protection, we can make plays. It’s hard to match up with four guys who are 6-2, 6-3 and Erby, who can run in the slot. But we still want to be balanced.”
New Hope had arguably its best defensive performance of the season. The Trojans forced two fumbles, recovered one, and picked off two passes. Reed had two sacks and four tackles for a loss. Fields added a sack, too. Collectively, the starters pitched a shutout before being pulled in the third.
The Trojans need to win their final two games against Saltillo and West Point and have Clarksdale, which owns the tiebreaker over New Hope, lose its last two if they hope to make the 5A playoffs.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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