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Indians lose first of season By BARRY BURLESON
Editor Markeith Washington said his Indians got a wake-up call Friday night. Byhalia, after starting the season 3-0, tasted defeat at the hands of Westwood, Tenn. 28-22. “We
didn’t play like we did the previous three games,” Coach Washington
said. “We got that big win over Holly Springs, and I think we were a
little too relaxed going to Westwood.” The Indians had beaten the Longhorns 20-8 last year. “Maybe
our kids counted it as a victory,” he said. “Westwood was ready to
play, and we weren’t. They were more motivated. We were flat until the
second half but it was a little too late then.” Byhalia had 14-13 and 22-21 leads in the game. A third-quarter fumble proved costly. A Longhorn picked it up and ran it back for a touchdown. “We continued to fight,” Washington said. “We woke up in the second half, and we actually had opportunities to win the game. “I saw some brights spots, but I also saw some things we need to improve on.” The
Indians’ touchdowns came on a 35-yard pass from Markez Saulsberry to
Ahasuerus Sanders, an 8-yard run by Lemuel Hardaway and a 12-yard run
by Devonte Norman. They also made two of three two-point conversions on
runs by Terence Phinisee and Hardaway. Coach Washington named Hardaway the team’s most valuable player for the game. “He had a good night running the football and he really played hard,” Washington said. Westwood (2-2) ran a lot of misdirection offensively. “We were too aggressive on defense at times, and they broke some big runs,” he said. Hopefully,
the coach said, the non-district loss will make his team “work a little
bit harder” in preparing for its first district game this Friday night
at home versus Senatobia. “Senatobia, as always,
is a solid team,” he said. “We cannot make the mental mistakes. We need
to go out and play well and win that first district game. “This
is the part of the season that counts. I’m glad we got the wake-up call
when we did. We need to make a stand starting this week. “Our young team has to grow up quickly and play mature football and win some big games in district play.” Senatobia is 2-2 after a 35-7 loss to Oxford last week. Following the Warriors, the Indians face district foes Lafayette and Rosa Fort, both unbeaten entering play this week.
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