On the first play from scrimmage for Central Holmes, the Trojans fumbled and gave Oak Hill a short field.
It was a sign of things to come as the Trojans fumbled on their first three possessions as Oak Hill pulled away in the second half to take a 42-24 win on Friday night.
Central Holmes falls to 3-5 on the season and will close out the regular season this week with a tough contest against Indianola.
Central Holmes coach Mitch Womack said his team was not ready to play and it showed in an error-filled first quarter.
“We were very lethargic on Friday night,” Womack said. “We didn’t play with a lot of energy and I thought Oak Hill played a nearly perfect. We fumbled on the first play and everything that could go wrong went wrong. I don’t think we were mentally prepared as we have been the past couple of weeks. We self destructed on several drives on offense and were out of position on defense. It was just a bad night. I can’t put a finger on it, but you could tell we weren’t ready for the game on Friday night.”
The Trojans got the ball to start the game but fumbled on the first play. Oak Hill needed just two plays and scored on a 30-yard run to go up 7-0 early in the first quarter.
After another fumbled snap by the Trojans deep win Oak Hill territory, the Raiders went 80 yards in eight plays and scored on a 5-yard quarterback keeper with 3:19 left in the first quarter. The PAT was good and Oak Hill led 14-0.
The two teams then exchanged fumbled and the Trojans finally got something going on offense as they went 27 yards in six plays. Noah Steen hit Barrett Fondren on a 10-yard touchdown pass. Jorden Engle ran in the two-point conversion and Central Holmes cut the lead to 14-8 with 7:21 left in the first half.
But the Raiders answered right back as they went 69 yards in six plays as they scored on a 34-yard touchdown run with 5:44 left in the half. The PAT was good and Oak Hill extended its lead to 21-8.
The Trojans answered right back with their best drive of the night as they went 69 yards in nine plays. Steen hit John Ward on a 15-yard pass play with 53 seconds left in the half. Steen ran in the two-point conversion and the Trojans cut the score to 21-16.
But the Raiders were able to get the ensuing kick and quickly go 46 yards in four plays and scored on a 9-yard quarterback keeper with 16 seconds left in the half. The PAT was good and Oak Hill led 28-16 at the half.
“We are struggling with learning how to deal with success,” Womack said. “You have to learn how to handle winning. I talked with the kids after the game and they agreed that they were a little too relaxed in getting ready to play on Friday night. I think they have a better understanding of how hard you have to prepare and play every week.”
Oak Hill got the ball to start the second half and quickly went down the field on the Trojans and scored on a 3-yard quarterback keeper with 9:11 left in the third. The PAT was good and Oak Hill led 35-16.
The Trojans then put together a seven-play drive but turned the ball over on downs at their own 45. Oak Hill then hit a 45-yard touchdown pass and converted the PAT with 5:34 left in the third to go up 42-16.
Central Holmes’ last score came with 3:25 left in the game as the Trojans went 46 yards in nine plays as John Ward scored on a 24-yard run with 3:25 left in the game. Mike Jones ran in the two-point conversion for the final margin of 42-24.
“I thought we had some bright spots,” Womack said. “I thought Jurden Engle ran the ball really hard and John Ward did some good things at backup quarterback. Aiden Adcock had double-digit tackles and had a good night. But from a team perspective, if you only have three guys having a good night, you probably aren’t going to be very good.”
This week’s game
The Trojans will close out the regular season as they take on Class 4A Indianola.
The Colonels are 6-3 on the season with wins over Lee (44-20), Delta Streets (48-7), Washington (46-6), Carroll (18-16), Kirk (43-42) and North Delta (27-20). They have losses to Tri-County (47-7), Greenville St. Joe (32-14) and Winston (27-14).
“They are another physical football team,” Womack said. “Coach (Tony) Nester is going to have them prepared. They have a really good running back who has good speed and quickness. We will have our work cut out stopping him. They will be physical, and we have to match that. We are back to challenging our kids to play physical.”
Currently, the Trojans are the No. 5 seed in Class 3A but could possibly drop to the No. 6 seed if Amite beats Centreville. The No. 5 seed also gets a first-round bye and would advance to the play the No. 4 seed.
