They went out on a high note.
Behind a stellar offensive performance from Kendal Dotson and some key stops on defense, Ethel whipped West Lowndes 38-12 in its season finale on Friday night.
“I was very proud of the team and the way we kept fighting to eventually take it out of reach,” said Ethel coach Dave McCrory. “We beat a very athletic team that has beaten teams that beat us, so that to me shows the improvement we have made all year.”
The Tigers would take a 19-6 lead at halftime and would then outscore the Panthers 19-6 in the second half to pull away.
Quarterback Kendal Dotson would lead the Ethel offense going 5 of 10 passing for 126 yards with two touchdowns with an interception. He also rushed 14 times for 65 yards with two rushing touchdowns.
Running back Luther Clark had 21 carries for 92 yards with a touchdown. Wide receiver Scott Walters had three catches for 105 yards with two touchdowns.
Akeem Irving caught a touchdown pass from Jace Dean on a jump pass.
“I am proud of how we executed on offense and defensively we made big stops when we had to get off the field,” McCrory said. “I am extremely proud of the seniors because it’s not easy to change how you have done things for several years, but the kids have committed to summer workouts, 7 on 7 and the things that every other team in the state does. I wish I have more time with them and they could all stay back another year.”
Now after the first year completed under McCrory, and it is on to offseason program and improve on things for the 2019 season.
With this year being a new MHSAA reclassification cycle, means there are possibilities that new teams could be thrown into the region.
“I had two goals when I took this job. One was to get more players out and second was to generate interest in the program and we met those goals. From a coaching standpoint, I wanted us to get better each week and we did,” McCrory said. “We have to get better up front on the offensive line. We played three freshmen a lot up front and that is the only position where it is hard to play guys that young a lot. We also have to develop a mentality that we expect to win games and not to worry when things go bad.”
