TRINITY – The Meek Tigers traveled north to West Morgan High School to face off against the Decatur Heritage Christian Academy Eagles (DHCA) Friday night, after dropping a close contest at home against Lynn last week. The Tigers have shown strength in their running game, but continued the trend they set last week of missed opportunities, costly penalties and turnovers. The final score was DHCA 28, Meek 22.
The Eagles came out strong and dropped 21 unanswered points before the half.
Senior Benjamin McGough shined on both sides of the field as he started the game off with a 27-yard receiving touchdown, thrown by fellow senior Grayson Wakefield, and ending the half with his first of two interceptions. Wakefield swapped quarterback duties throughout the half with junior Nathan Ladner. Both QBs looked solid as potential dual threats in showcasing their arms and legs. Both threw for more than 50 yards, and Wakefield rushed for another 50+ yards and ended the night with two passing touchdowns and a 27-yard rushing touchdown.
Meek just couldn't contain DHCA in the first half and they handed the Eagles nearly 100 yards in penalties throughout the night with multiple face mask, false start, pass interference and personal foul calls. On two separate occasions they received a face mask, followed by a personal, resulting in an added 30 yards to each of the previous plays. But miraculously, the Tigers made a mighty comeback in the second half. The Tigers’ sluggish start to the season doesn't reflect their ability to execute and perform in the manner in which they're capable. Entering the third quarter, the Tigers were down 21-0, but stormed back with a massive momentum shift to post 22 unanswered points up on the board.
Meek junior John Mark Abercrombie continued to impress with his size, ability and second effort. He had flashes of brilliance against Lynn last week, and he continued it this week as he powered through the Eagles’ defensive line, sometimes dragging defenders for an extra 2 or 3 yards. He notched over 100 yards in total offense, while also serving as the place kicker for team, and ended the night with two touchdowns and a 2-point conversion score.
Abercrombie was joined in the Tigers’ offensive efforts by sophomore Destin Morris and senior Collin Brock, who both racked up more 60 yards rushing, with Brock scoring a touchdown. The Tigers came out of the locker room clearly more aggressive on both sides. Despite all their penalties, they made several great defensive stops, and were, for at least one full quarter of the night, firing on all cylinders, making the game a last position contest, leading 22-21 with just over 5 minutes left.
Unfortunately for the Tigers, they chose to gamble by kicking the ball end over end in an attempt to force a turnover. This resulted in the Eagles being only 43 yards away from the end zone, and they took full advantage of the great field position, taking a 28-22 lead with 3:39 left. Meek began to march down the field, but was quickly stopped when DHCA’s Benjamin McGough plucked his second interception of the night out of the air, allowing the Eagles to eventually run out the clock.
Meek will play Gaylesville next week at home.
Copyright 2016 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
