CRAWFORD — With the exception of a spirited third-quarter push from the home team, Friday”s West Oktibbeha-East Oktibbeha rivalry game was all Timberwolves.
West Oktibbeha”s receiving corps quickly introduced itself to East Oktibbeha”s secondary on the third play of the team”s first drive with an 80-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Von Smith to junior receiver Dwight Quinn. The relationship proved fruitful, as Smith racked up 370 yards and four touchdowns to help West Oktibbeha earn a 29-20 victory.
Smith was 19 for 29 with no interceptions, while Quinn had 149 receiving yards and a touchdown and Josh Powe caught seven balls for 124 yards and two touchdowns. Junior Drake Powell”s one catch from Smith went 30 yards for a touchdown.
West Oktibbeha High coach Adam Lowery was proud of his quarterback and the offensive line that protected him.
“(East Oktibbeha) had a blitz coming on him the whole night and he set in the pocket, took the hit, and delivered touchdown pass after touchdown pass,” Lowery said. “The only way (East Oktibbeha) could get to him was to blitz him. It got to where they could not beat anybody one-on-one.”
East Oktibbeha County High coach Randy Brooks said his secondary was vulnerable due to inexperience and an injury to defensive back Terrence Rice.
“They were able to exploit our inexperience at the corner,” Brooks said. “We had a sophomore out there who has never played corner.”
The lone bright spots for the Titans was the offensive play of senior defensive tackle Demonte Horsley and a running game that came alive in the third quarter.
Trailing 17-0 at halftime, Brooks moved Horsley off the offensive line to fullback and let the big boy clear the way for the tailbacks. The Titans rattled off three straight first downs and rumbled 77 yards to set up a Chris Hunter touchdown run on their first drive of the second half. Horsley banged in the two-point conversion.
“Something everyone has known since preseason is Demonte Horsley is a player,” Brooks said. “He can play any position out here. He could probably play safety if we put him back there.”
Unimpressed, the Timberwolves answered with a touchdown drive and repeated the feat after East Oktibbeha”s Marlon Fair scored on a 1-yard dive.
Fair scored the last touchdown of the game late in the third quarter on an 18-yard run, but a failed two-point attempt left East Oktibbeha two scores away from capturing the lead.
With the Titans” momentum drained after the third quarter, West Oktibbeha kept the ball on the ground throughout the fourth quarter to avoid a turnover. The Titans” lone fourth-quarter drive stalled on their 49-yard-line before the Timberwolves ran out the clock.
East Oktibbeha will play host to South Leake on Friday for its fourth-straight home game to start the year. West Oktibbeha will have its first home game Friday when it plays host to Noxapater.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.