Central Holmes football coach Mitch Womack knew his Trojans would have their hands full against Tri-County Academy on Friday night.
The Rebels overcame a slow start and scored five second-quarter touchdowns to pull away from the Trojans and take a 54-10 win.
Central Holmes falls to 0-3 on the season and will host Winston Academy on Friday night.
Womack said despite the the final score, he was pleased with several things he saw against the defending Class 4A champions.
“Our kids played their butts off,” Womack said. “We came out and played physical and executed at the beginning of the game. They are Tri-County and have a machine with a good tradition. How they play the game holds up. Honestly, I don’t think the score was any indication of how we played. We gave up some big plays and made them earn everything they got in the first half. I was pleased with the way our kids played.”
The game was tight in the first quarter as the Rebels scored first and led 7-0.
Both offenses got going in the second quarter as Tri-County scored five touchdowns while Central Holmes scored 10 points.
Their touchdown came on a 54-yard touchdown pass from John Ward to Ashton Tate. The other points came on a 32-yard field goal from Dan Lindsay as the Rebels led 42-10 at the half.
Tri-County added two more scores in the third quarter for the final margin of 54-10.
Their depth wore on us,” Womack said. “We gave up three TDs, had a pick 6 and a kickoff return that were big momentum shifts. Our kids played physical and when you are playing a good team, it’s tough to get momentum back when you lose it. We asked our kids to work on sand not play the scoreboard and they answered that call really well.”
Lamarian Buchanan led the Trojans with 72 yards rushing on 18 carries.
This week’s game
The Trojans continue their Class 4A gauntlet as they host Winston Academy on Friday night.
The Patriots are 0-3 as well with losses to Leake Academy (40-12), Canton (24-8) and Jackson Academy (20-17).
“They have a good football team,” Womack said. “They have a big running back and a lot of depth and numbers. They have good skill kids and a good-looking line. They are another big 4A school that we have to contend with. If we can build off what we did last week, that’s all I want to do. After this, we start our conference play. I just want to stay healthy and continue to grow and get better. I think we have a chance to get headed in the right direction.”
Last year, Winston won 43-8.
