Revival of Cardinal football • Potts Camp junior high loses opener at rival Byers


Thursday, October 8, 2009
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Revival of Cardinal football
• Potts Camp junior high loses opener at rival Byers

By CLAUDE VINSON
Sports Editor

Photo by Ronnie Day

Hanging on

Hunter Snow of Potts Camp hangs on in hopes of tackling Byers ball-carrier Marquis Moore (25) Thursday night.

And a county rivalry begins.

H.W. Byers has made enough history the past three years to have its own page in the Guinness Book of Records. On this date (October 4, 2009) Potts Camp was inaugurating its football season of modern times and using the H.W. Byers field as its venue.

Local historians say Potts Camp last had a football team some 70 years ago.

The junior high Lions were first over the ball and Khalyn Baker wasted no time in uncorking the bottle and letting the genie out. The genie was Ladarrius Jones, who took the pass and trucked it 70 yards for an opening score. The conversion was a two-pointer and the Lions led 8-0.

The Cardinals gave up their first possession on a fumble which was immediately claimed by the Lions. Baker used an option pitch to Jones for the second score. He then heaved a two-point conversion pass to Kelvin Collier to make it 16-0.

Potts Camp went four and out on their next possession. On the ensuing play by the Lions, Shunn Smith stopped the Lions ball carrier in the backfield. But Jones came back with a first down and after a penalty, Baker called his own number and ran in for another tally. Quantario Stigger then took the handoff and swept the right side for two more, making the score 24-0.

Hunter Joyner was calling the signals for the Cardinals. But the offense still wasn’t making any headway. The ball went back to Byers and the Lions scored from 2 yards out on Marquis Moore’s fullback draw. Baker tried another keeper but was stopped short by Steven Dillard. The score was 30-0.

Smith and Jordan Harris were doing a good job of reading plays and getting into the Lion backfield. However, Jones was again plying his trade and scored a couple of plays later to make the halftime score 38-0 after the conversion.

Potts Camp lost ground to begin the second half and sent the ball over after the first series. Then Harris rushed a Lion ball carrier, stripping away the pigskin and gave the Cardinals good position at the 49. Harris then gave the Cardinals two consecutive first downs. Although they kept the ball for a large portion of the third quarter, they couldn’t push it into the end zone. The third quarter ended with the Lions still in command at 38-0.

Potts Camp held off the Lions through the last quarter, asserting a strong defense. The Cardinals even took to the airways but the score remained the same.

The game was attended by a good crowd from both schools who seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed this newly-formed rivalry.

1932-33 Potts Camp football team

Front row: Milton Steele, Ralph Overton, Andrew Watson, E.J. Marett, Clinton Boren. Second row – Ralph Greer, Willard Overton, Frank Greer, Mitchell Stone, Paul Lowery, Herbert Cook. Back – Bob Bennett, Dooley Stone, Walter Dunn, Wyatt Kidd, Johnny Watson, Ben Henderson, coach Lloyd Thomas.


Cards vs. Lions (Left William Payne (20) of Potts Camp tries to pull down H.W. Byers runner Quantario Stigger (2). (Right) Kelvin Collier (15) of H.W. Byers catches a two-point conversion afer the Lions’ second touchdown of the night.

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