Chieftains not kind to MHS after 27-year postseason hiatus
After a solid campaign that ended with the Bulldogs’ first playoff appearance since 1990, McAdams finished 5-6 overall after falling 39-0 in round one of the Class 1A North Playoffs to the Okolona Chieftains (10-2. The Chieftains will host Brooks (8-2-1) this Friday night in round two of the playoffs.
“Overall, the final results didn’t turn out like we would have liked, but in the end, we accomplished a lot this season with the playoff berth that will only spawn great things in the future of the Bulldogs football program,” said McAdams head coach Jim Risen.
The Bulldogs received the opening kick to start the contest and began their first drive of the game at their own 34-yard line. McAdams was forced to punt after a three-play, two-yard drive with 10:05 left in the quarter. The Chieftains blocked the punt and recovered it on the Bulldog 26-yard line. Jacorrius Standfield scored on a six-yard run for Okolona after a four-play, 26-yard drive, kick good, giving the Chieftains an early 7-0 lead with 8:12 remaining in the first. McAdams junior safety/running back Jordan Fleming received the ensuing kick and raced 46 yards to the Okolona 44-yard line, but the Bulldogs punted after a three-play drive for -10 yards. Okolona received the punt at their own 44-yard line and after four plays, appeared poised to score once again near the McAdams 13-yard line when Fleming came up with another big play, returning a Chieftain fumble to the Okolona 37-yard line with 2:11 left in the first quarter.
The Bulldogs turned the football over on downs after a four-play, three-yard drive with 11:22 remaining in the half and the Chieftains took over on their own 34-yard line. Two plays and 66 yards later, Okolona would score again. Standfield broke loose from the Bulldog defense and raced 57 yards for another touchdown, pushing the Chieftain lead to 14-0 with 10:45 left in the half. On the Bulldogs’ next possession, they turned the football over on downs once again at the Okolona 46-yard line after a four-play, four-yard drive with 9:15 left in the half. The Chieftains marched 54 yards on 10 plays for another touchdown, increasing their lead to 21-0 after Deonte Hampton ran it in from seven yards out with 4:44 remaining before halftime. With 2:23 left in the second quarter the Bulldogs blocked an Okolona punt near the Chieftain 15-yard line but fumbled the football after recovering it, relinquishing possession back to Okolona, who ran out the clock and took a 21-0 lead into the half.
The Chieftains received the second half kick and marched from their own 38-yard line to the McAdams 15-yard line on seven plays where they would attempt a 32-yard field goal with 7:00 remaining in the third quarter. The Bulldogs blocked the kick and took over at their own 18-yard line. Three plays and 3 yards later McAdams was forced to punt once again, which resulted in another blocked punt with Hampton recovering the football in the end zone for another Chieftain touchdown. The Chieftains pushed their lead to 27-0 after a failed PAT with 4:29 remaining in the third. The Bulldogs offense would turn the football over once again on their next possession when Chieftain defensive back Jacob Buchannan stepped in front of a Marquell Tinnie pass, returning it to the Bulldog 40-yard line with 2:33 remaining in the third quarter.
Okolona would increase its lead once again to 33-0, run failed, after a six-yard touchdown strike from Jacob Moore to Marcus Thomas that culminated a six-play, 40-yard drive with 11:47 remaining in the contest. The Chieftains would score once more in the contest after Gerquavious Farr intercepted a Bulldog pass and raced 53-yards for a touchdown with 8:20 remaining in the contest. After another failed PAT, Okolona pushed the final score to 39-0.
“Okolona was everything we thought they would be with great speed and team discipline,” added Risen. “With a few of our key starters banged up with injuries and with the turnovers, it just knocked the life out of us. I can’t say enough about our players and how they made this season simply one that will be remembered for a long time.”
