For two decades the Ethel Tigers suffered loss after loss to the Durant, being outscored 192-21 during that stretch.
The two schools had not played since 2008, but rekindled the series in 2015 as a Region 3-1A contest to which Ethel fell again, 14-0. This past Friday night the tide finally turned for Ethel when they defeated Durant 12-6, their first win in the series since a 46-26 win in 1995.
Durant struck first, taking a 6-0 lead with just under six minutes left in the first quarter when the returned an Ethel punt 60 yards for a touchdown, which would be the only scoring in the first quarter for both sides.
Ethel struck quickly in the second quarter when Sean Williams found pay dirt on a six-yard run, conversion failed, tying the score at 6-6 with 9:44 remaining in the half. A defensive battle ensued for both squads for the remainder of the second quarter and both teams went into halftime deadlocked at 6-6.
The decisive score in the region tilt came with 4:30 left in the third quarter when Ethel quarterback Hayes Wood found Daquannay Dotson with a seven-yard strike, conversion failed, giving Ethel a 12-6 lead, which they would not relinquish for the remainder of the contest, pushing Ethel to 2-2 overall and 1-1 in region play while Durant fell to 0-4, 0-1.
“In all honesty, the game was pretty much everything we thought it would be,” said Ethel head coach Hogan Briscoe. “It was a war from the first snap to the last buzzer sounded and thankfully we came out on the winning end of it. Our guys played their hearts out and it was really a good team win for us, so we are thrilled with it.”
The offensive leaders for Ethel were Sean Williams, who rushed for over 100 yards in the contest on 23 carries with a touchdown; Hayes Wood, who was 3-of-6 through the air for 56 yards and a touchdown and Daquannay Dotson who had a seven-yard touchdown catch.
The defensive leaders for Ethel were Akeem Erving with nine tackles; Corey Felton with 10 tackles and a TFL; D’Ayres Merritt with six stops, a fumble recovery and an interception; Thad Halderman with four tackles; Williams with an interception and Casey Cloninger with a fumble recovery.
“I really didn’t know how long it had been (Ethel last defeating Durant), but I knew it was a big win for us,” added Briscoe. “They (Durant) were a very athletic bunch of guys and I knew it would be a very hostile environment as far as us going into there and pulling out the win and it has very big implications for us as far as how the remainder of our season goes.”
Ethel will host MHSAA Class 2A opponent J.Z. George (2-3) on Friday night while Durant will be on the road against Leake County (1-3) in another Region 3-1A clash. Both contests kick at 7 p.m.
