PHEBA — Spent. Gassed. Pooped.
Landon Hill was all three of those and more last week in the third quarter against Delta Academy.
The Hebron Christian senior had just scored and was laid out in the end zone trying to catch a breather. As Hill stared up at the sky and wondered how he must going to muster the energy to play the final 10 minutes, teammates Payton Griffin and Brian Eaddy encouraged him to get up because there was more work that needed to be done.
“Payton said, ‘I know you’re tired. We are all tired. We just have to keep playing because this is a game we need to win,’ ” Hill said. “Brian and Payton picked me up and said we had to keep going because this was going to be a good game.”
Hill had 18 carries for 304 yards and eight touchdowns last week to lead Hebron Christian to a 92-74 victory against Delta Academy. He had touchdown runs of 17, 21, 55, 28, 18, 7, 39, and 45 yards. He also had four catches for 91 yards, including a 76-yard touchdown. If that’s not enough, he had 12 tackles and was part of a defensive effort that had two goal-line stands in the fourth quarter to help preserve the victory.
“I have never played in anything like that,” Hill said. “It was a special game for all of us. I think it shows us what we can do when we play together as a team and don’t give up and keep playing to the best of our ability.”
Hebron Christian (2-1) will try to duplicate that effort at 7 tonight when it travels to Macon to take on Central Academy (1-2) in Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Eight-Man District 2 opener for both teams.
Hill wasn’t alone last week in lighting up the scoreboard. Eaddy had 19 tackles and six carries for 71 yards. Quarterback Channing Tapley threw for 275 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed for 125 yards and had 13 tackles. Griffin had two touchdown catches and 13 tackles. In all, it was a rousing rally that saw the Eagles score 40 points in the final quarter. Hebron Christian finished with 788 total yards offense.
If not for six missed two-point conversions, Hebron Christian coach David Foster said his team would have eclipsed the 100-point mark. Needless to say, it was the highest-scoring game Foster has been a part of as a player or as a coach.
“(Landon) did really well, but it wasn’t only him,” Foster said. “It just so happened that he busted a lot of plays wide open and got a lot of yardage, but he never quit. None of my guys did.”
Foster said the Eagles trailed by four points at halftime and by 10 points at the end of three quarters. He said missed assignments and poor tackling played key roles in the Eagles allowing 74 points, which made him shake his head Thursday when he recounted the details. Even though Foster didn’t play, he said he felt as worn out as his players.
“My linemen worked hard. Everybody worked hard,” Foster said. “It just about killed me.”
Foster said he didn’t know Hill had rushed for more than 300 yards. Hill didn’t learn of his accomplishment until Saturday, when he received a phone call from assistant coach Hearne Foster. He said he didn’t have any idea he had rushed for that many yards, but he knew he was tired and that he had to fight through the fatigue for his teammates.
Coming off a loss to reigning Eight-Man champion Sharkey-Issaquena, Hill said Hebron Christian gained confidence from a victory that saw it play with only seven and eight players at times against Delta Academy. He said the resolve the team showed in the victory should give it confidence to know it can push through tough times.
For Hill, the game, which lasted more than three and a half hours, showed him he can persevere even when he feels he has reached his limit. Moving forward, he knows all he has to do is to look to his teammates for motivation to give him the energy he needs to keep running and scoring.
“I try to give my best every game, but last week was something different,” Hill said. “I just felt like I had to keep going and going and going. Our offensive line blocked really well and made big holes for us and we all played good as a team.”
NOTE: Due to a schedule change, Hebron Christian defeated Delta Academy last week. The opponent was incorrect in last week’s newspaper. Clay Faulkner’s name also was incorrect in last week’s paper. In The Dispatch’s prep football section, Lucas Foster was incorrectly identified in a picture with Hebron Christian football coach David Foster.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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