In a game where both teams came in averaging 40 points per game, not much defense was expected in Friday night’s Drew-Mundy’s Mill match up. The offenses didn’t disappoint in the first half.
But the Drew defense showed up in the second half, and with the help of some mistakes by Mundy’s Mill the Titans pitched a shutout in the final two quarters en route to a 40-28 win at Twelve Oaks Stadium in Lovejoy. The win put Drew (6-2, 6-0 in Region 4AAAAA-Division A) in the driver’s seat for the sub-region title and a home game in the first round of the state playoffs.
A five-yard touchdown run on the final play of the third quarter by Marquis Terry, who finished with over 100 yards rushing, and a 21-yard run with six minutes left in regulation by quarterback Joseph Newman provided the only points in the second half.
Newman’s run, came after Mundy’s Mill shot itself in the foot trying to take the lead early in the fourth quarter. Trailing 33-28, the Tigers marched to the Drew 4-yard line. But a fumbled snap, a false start penalty and an interception in the end zone by the Titans’ Latyreon Temple thwarted Mundy’s Mill’s lone serious scoring threat of the second half.
The teams combined to score 55 points by halftime, with Mundy’s Mill holding a 28-27 lead. Each scored on four of its five possessions in the first half.
Mundy’s Mill struck first to start the game, as junior fullback Josh Harrison capped an 11-play drive with a 12-yard touchdown run. Kevin Carstaffin’s extra point kick gave the Tigers a 7-0 lead. Drew countered with a lightning quick three-play drive, 75-yard drive. Senior Quarderman “Q” Sloan sprinted in from 38 yards out, but the conversion run failed to keep Mundy’s Mill on top, 7-6.
The Titans defense forced Mundy’s Mill to punt and Drew took over on its 46 yard line. This time it took Drew eight plays to score, as senior Marquis Terry bolted up the middle for a 28-yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter. His conversion run gave the Titans a 14-7 lead. During the drive, Terry became the first player in Drew history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season.
Mundy’s Mill tied the game on its next drive, going 63 yards on six plays before senior quarterback Rodricous Gates found fellow senior Cornell Washington behind the Drew secondary on third-and-10 for a 37-yard touchdown pass. Drew countered quickly after covering an onside kick attempt by Mundy’s Mill at the Tigers’ 49 yard line. The Titans needed just four plays before Sloan scored on his second touchdown run of the game, this time from 20 yards out, to give Drew a 21-14 lead.
The Tigers responded just two minutes later when Gates ended a five-play 61-yard drive with a 3-yard run to knot the score at 21-21. But Drew scored even quicker on the ensuing drive, following a 35-yard kickoff return by Sloan. Three plays later, junior quarterback Joseph Newman kept a read option and dashed 33 yards for a touchdown to give Drew a 27-21 advantage after the extra point kick failed. Mundy’s Mill retook the lead on its ensuing drive when Gates and Washington hooked up again for a 34-yard pass and catch to give the Tigers a 28-27 lead at the half.
About the Author
