Wildcats use physical rushing attack to down War Eagles

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August 25, 2012

Wildcats use physical rushing attack to down War Eagles

By Dale McKee / Special to The Star The Meridian Star The Meridian Star Sat Aug 25, 2012, 06:00 AM CDT

WAYNESBORO —     The Meridian Wildcats used a strong second-half rushing attack to down the Wayne County War Eagles 34-21 at War Eagle Stadium on Friday night.

   The teams battled to a 14-14 standoff in the opening 24 minutes before Richard L. McQuarley and Austin Holt took over the game for the 'Cats. McQuarley set the tone for the second half on the opening play when he exploded for a 41-yard run setting up the Wildcats’ third touchdown of the night. Six plays later, J-Mar Smith scored on a 17-yard run and the Wildcats, who are ranked No. 3 in the MPB Top 25 poll, were ahead for good at 20-14 with 8:50 to play in the third period.

   McQuarley gained 64 yards in the second half to go with his 83 yards in the opening half for a rushing total of 147 yards on 17 carriest. Holt only gained 20 yards on four tries in the opening half but came alive with 87 rushing yards on 16 carries in the second half. Holt ended the night with 107 yards on the ground.

   Holt scored on a 5-yard run with 4:55 to play in the third period to put MHS up 27-14 ending a short 42-yard, seven-play drive that was set up on a short punt by the War Eagles.

   Wayne County battled back and pulled within six points of tying at 27-21 with an 11-play, 80-yard scoring drive. Quarterback Jarvis Chambers scored on a 1-yard sneak on a fourth-down play with 1:29 to play in the third period.

   Meridian answered Wayne County’s score with an 11-play 80-yard scoring drive that resulted in a McQuarley 1-yard run. Kyle Boykin’s second kick conversion of the game gave MHS a 34-21 lead with 8:31 to play in the game.

   Wayne County drove to the Meridian 6-yard line before Andrew Bator recovered a fumble at the 10, halting the drive with 6:02 to play.

   “That was probably the key play of the game that fumble recovery," MHS coach Larry Weems said. "By taking possession we were able to run another three and a half minutes off the clock.”

   Wayne County only had one other possession in the game, and four straight incompletions ended the War Eagles’ chances of a comeback.

   Wayne County took the early lead in the game when Lonnie Bonner intercepted a J-Mar Smith pass and returned it to the MHS 6. WC took advantage of the miscue to take a 7-0 lead when Chambers eluded several Wildcat defenders to score with 3:38 to play in the opening period.

   Meridian responded with a seven-and-a-half minute scoring drive of 84 yards. Smith had two key completions, one to Richard E. McQuarley for 13 yards and another to Corey Davis for 16 yards. Smith and Richard L. McQuarley did the ground work on the scoring drive as Smith did the honors on a 5-yard run. The point after failed on a pass attempt.

   Thirty seconds later, Boderick Oliver scooped up a Wayne County fumble and ran 37 yards to score to put Meridian in the lead at 8:19 of the second period. Smith ran the two-point conversion to give MHS a 14-7 lead.

   Wayne County tied the score at 14-14 with 2: 24 to play in the half as Chambers led his team on an 11-play ,83-yard scoring drive. Chambers did the honors on a 1-yard sneak. Jace Gardner kicked his second of three conversions on the night to tie the score.

   “We played bad in the first half," Weems said. "We challenged the team at half to play more physical because we just did not execute in the first half.”

   Meridian racked up 21 first downs and rushed 50 times for 320 yards while passing for another 44 yards on the night. Wayne County gained 19 first downs and rushed for 154 yards. Chambers passed for another 121 yards.

   Greg Miller led WC with 104 yards on 20 carries.

   Meridian (2-0) hosts Canton next week while Wayne County (0-2) goes on the road for the first time this year as they travel to Mendenhall.

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