CALEDONIA — The two-quarterback system might be controversial on some college campuses, but it works just fine at Hamilton High School.
Starting quarterback Zarratt Sims and passing-down quarterback Austin Welch accounted for 274 of Hamilton”s 344 yards of offense Friday night to help the Class 2A Lions defeat the Class 4A Caledonia Confederates 14-0.
Sims handled 50 of Hamilton”s 57 snaps and finished with a team-high 81 rushing yards on 13 carries. He completed all three of his passes for 58 yards, and he also was on the receiving end of Welch”s 62-yard touchdown toss on the Lions” second series of the game.
“Zarratt does a good job of reading the defense, and he”s getting better every game,” Hamilton High coach Ray Weeks. “As he proved tonight, he can also throw the ball when needed, and he can catch it, too.”
Welch, who also lines up at wide receiver, had 135 yards on only two completions in seven attempts — the first of which went to Sims for a touchdown. The second set up the Lions” final score.
“We bring Austin in on passing situations and he came through on two big ones,” Weeks said. “We got a lot of mileage on those two completions, and on both plays, we had great execution.”
Execution, or a lack thereof, haunted Hamilton (3-3) early, as it drove to the Caledonia 26-yard line on its first series, but Sims bobbled the snap on a third-and-long and Tyler Armistad recovered for the Confederates (0-6).
Caledonia”s second possession ended the same way as its first — a three and out — and resulted in a William Breen punt, which was downed at the Lions” 38. Welch and Sims then swapped positions and hooked up on a first-down, 62-yard pass-run play for the game”s initial score. Senior foreign exchange student John Alvo added the kick for a 7-0 lead.
Hamilton wasted two more scoring opportunities in the second quarter. Midway through the period, the Lions drove to the Confederates” 13, but Alvo”s 30-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right. Just before halftime, Onterrio Lowery bobbled a Hamilton punt and Quinshay Heard recovered the ball at the Confederates” 34. But Caledonia escaped damage when Cole Carter pounced on a Silas Gill fumble at the 7 with less than 30 seconds left.
Caledonia put together its best drive midway through the second quarter. Taking over at its 20 following Alvo”s missed field goal, the Confederates marched to the Hamilton 45 on the strength of three Lowery runs good for 33 yards. The freshman speedster, who led all rushers with 117 yards, then ripped off a 39-yard scamper, but Sims caught him at the 6 and forced a fumble, which was recovered in the end zone by Hamilton”s Brandon Fikes.
Welch”s second and last completion came on the first play of the third quarter when he found Cojuante McMillian on a 73-yard effort that carried from the Hamilton 17 to the Caledonia 10. Four plays later on a fourth-and-2, McMillian sprinted around the right side for the touchdown. Alvo”s kick made it 14-0.
The 73-yard pass play was put in at halftime by assistant coach Matt Atkins, a 1996 graduate of Caledonia High.
“It was a fake screen on which Cojuante ran a backside post and was wide open, and you can credit that play to coach Atkins,” Weeks said. “He noticed something, drew it up at halftime, and it was a great call, but that”s what you want out of your assistant coaches.”
While Hamilton mustered only two scores on 344 yards total offense, its defense held Caledonia to 129 yards rushing, 29 yards passing, 158 total yards, and only seven first downs. Hamilton shut out Caledonia 22-0 last season.
“We challenged our defense,” Weeks said. “We”ve faced the Wing-T before and have had problems stopping it, but this time the defense stepped up and did a good job as a unit. Like I”ve told them over and over, if they don”t score, they don”t win. Anytime you step up in class and come out ahead, it”s a good win.”
Caledonia High coach Ricky Kendrick, whose departure as head coach at Hamilton seven years ago opened the door for Weeks to succeed him, said his team is long on heart and short on experience but takes full responsibility for the loss.
“We”re winless (0-6) six weeks into the season and you can blame it on the coach,” Kendrick said. “We”re big boys, and we can take the criticism.”
Kendrick, who just took over the program this year, said he has a great bunch of young, but inexperienced kids who need an offseason weight program to help them get to the next level.
“Basically, we”re putting a JV team experience-wise on the field every Friday,” Kendrick said. “Even some of the seniors we play either don”t have any experience or haven”t played in several years. What we need more than anything, though, is to get them into the weight room because right now physically we are not very strong.”
Playing a rugged non-division schedule and then facing the toughest Class 4A division in the state top to bottom, also hampers Caledonia”s bid for a winning season.
“Amory, where I coached the last several years, comes in here next Friday and then we face teams like Noxubee County, Kosciusko, and Louisville,” Kendrick said. “It doesn”t get any tougher than that, but we”re in this thing for the long haul, and what you see from here on out will be a work in progress.”
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