By By Rocky Higginbotham/special to The Star
September 20, 2003
COLLINSVILLE West Lauderdale's defense has carried the Knights thus far in the 2003 football season. But it hasn't dominated like it did here Friday night against Choctaw Central.
West held Choctaw Central which was coming off back-to-back wins to just 90 yards in the contest and allowed the Warriors only four first downs. Three of those came on Choctaw's final drive of the game.
Choctaw, which fell to 2-2, didn't help itself with five lost fumbles four of them in the first half when West jumped out to a 21-0 lead. That helped the 3-1 Knights, who pitched their second consecutive shutout, sport an average starting field position of the Choctaw 44-yard line in the first half.
It also didn't help that the Warriors were playing without starting quarterback Shaun Jimmie, who was injured in last week's 14-7 victory over Cherokee, N.C.
Baylor broke a couple of touchdown runs and finished with a game-high 125 yards on 19 carries to lead West, which had 14 first downs and 226 total yards.
Choctaw's first lost fumble came with 2:42 showing in the first quarter, and West took over at the Warriors' 38. Four plays later, Baylor scampered untouched around left end for a 19-yard TD run, and Michael Pogue's PAT kick made it a 7-0 game.
West stripped Choctaw's Bracey Billie on the ensuing kickoff, and the Knights recovered at the Choctaw 15. The Knights needed just three plays to score this time, as Josh Hanible a sophomore like Baylor ran the exact same play round left end for a 16-yard touchdown. Pogue's kick made it 14-0.
The Knights' third score came on yet another Choctaw fumble, as Maurice McDonald scooped up the loose ball and rambled 18 yards with it for a touchdown to put West up 21-0.
It stayed that way until the fourth quarter. After Choctaw turned the ball over on downs at the West 48, Baylor made three consecutive runs before busting a 46-yarder up the gut for a touchdown. Pogue's PAT finished out the scoring at 28-0 with 5:19 left.
Choctaw Central's first 11 drives went for three plays or less and ended in either a lost fumble or a punt until the Warriors turned it over on downs midway through the fourth. Choctaw then put together a nine-play drive that pushed the Warriors to the West 21 before they fumbled it away again with 1:36 remaining.
Brandon Anderson had 46 yards on four carries and Geno Mack ran for a tough 37 yards on 16 carries for Choctaw.
Hanible added 48 yards and his score on 10 carries for the Knights, who host Newton County next week, while Choctaw Central goes to Morton.