Tied at 7 early in the second quarter, the Columbus High School football team needed a spark against Olive Branch.
The Falcons had capitalized on an early interception to take the lead, but a string of penalties that wiped out a 60-yard kickoff return. That was only the start of their trouble. The penalties cost Columbus two first downs before it went three-and-out on a drive and was fortunate to recover one of its fumbles.
But then Kendre Conner ran over two Conquistadors on a 13-yard touchdown jaunt to set off a chain of big hits that set a level of physicality Olive Branch couldn’t match and propelled Columbus to a 46-20 victory at Falcon Field.
Braylan Edinburgh trucked Dontadrian Bruce on the ensuing kickoff before Derrick Beckom laid a big hit on Jaylon Johnson on a pass completion, drawing a response from the Columbus crowd.
Columbus scored on its next two drives to take a three-score lead at halftime.
Conner said he and his teammates weren’t sluggish out of the gate. They just had to “see what was up.”
“We found it, and when we did, it was over,” Conner said.
Conner and backfield mate Kylin Hill combined for five touchdowns, four of which were scored by Hill. They split the carries equally, as Hill provided as much physicality as Conner. In the second quarter, Olive Branch safety Sanchez Blake nailed Hill in the hip and sent him backwards. But Hill walked out of the tackle and turned the corner for a positive gain.
“Stuff like that just shows me the hard work I put I’ve put in in the weight room for the summer,” Hill said. “It showed tonight.”
Senior tackle Michael Bailey said the Falcons are reaping the rewards of a summer’s worth of competition that included conditioning and plenty of hard work in the weight room.
“It’s really a mind-set that was created this summer,” Bailey said. “Each day, we worked to out-do each other. Now we come out every week, no matter who’s in front of us, wanting to be the more physical team. We’re gonna work harder and give more effort (than the opponent).”
Part of that confidence, at least on offense, is knowing Conner and Hill are going to run hard and grind out extra yards on each play. Bailey said the offensive line feeds off that energy.
“Tonight, it was any play with power,” Bailey said. “And (Conner and Hill) finish off runs. It’s really good to make a block and have these running backs come up the way they do. Some running backs will get a good block and not do anything with it. But I know if I make a good block we have the potential to score a touchdown anytime.”
Friday marked the second week back in action for Conner, who’d missed three weeks due to a high-ankle sprain. Columbus coach Randal Montgomery said Conner still isn’t 100 percent, but his performance Friday was what the team expected.
“I’m back to being ‘Bull Conner,’ ” Conner said.
Hill said having Conner back is a relief because it will allow the Falcons to keep both players fresh down the stretch in the regular season and into the playoffs. Hill said he and Conner are a “deadly” combination.
“If you stop one, you aren’t gonna be able to stop the other one,” Hill said. “It’s great getting to play with Kendre. To me, we’re the two best backs in the state.”
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