Byhalia puts together ‘best game’ for road win

It was a long ride but a good ride for Byhalia Friday night.

Coach John Danley’s Indians left Caledonia, 130 miles away in Lowndes County, with a 34-18 win and evened their season record at 2-2.

“We played some good football,” he said. “We ran the football like we are supposed to, and defensively we bent but we didn’t break.”

Tyrico Richmond was the workhorse on offense. He carried 17 times for 170 yards.

And, Coach Danley said, Corvell Todd excelled in all three phases – offense (some big catches), defense (an interception) and special teams (punt return for a touchdown).

“Those two are continuing to step up,” he said. “They have to be the leaders of this football team. They both had solid games.”

The Confederates took a 3-0 lead in the first quarter on Wes Rollins’ 39-yard field goal.

The Indians grabbed the advantage in the second on Richmond’s 12-yard touchdown run and Charles Powell’s quarterback keeper into the end zone from 1 yard out. It was 12-3 in favor of the visitors.

Caledonia picked up a touchdown prior to intermission. Graham Weseli plunged over from 1 yard away. Rollins’ kick made it 12-10 at the break.

“We were up by just two at halftime and came out with a sense of urgency in the second half,” Danley said. “We took the kickoff and drove it down their throats. Our guys realized they had to take over the football game.”

Richmond cashed in the possession with a 1-yard run. Powell threw to Xavier Yarbrough for the two-point conversion.

Byhalia added another third-quarter score when Todd got loose and returned a punt 70 yards for six. Richmond ran for the two. The lead spiraled to 28-10.

The Confederates kept battling. They scored in the fourth on Dylan Hankins’ 10-yard carry. He also ran for the conversion.

“Caledonia played tough,” Danley said. “They wouldn’t give up.”

Richmond sealed the deal with his 5-yard run to the end zone in the final period. It was his third touchdown of the night.

“I thought we played a pretty complete game – our best game of the year,” he said.

The Indians had 319 yards total offense – 242 rushing and 77 passing. They added 141 return yards. Powell was five of eight through the air for 61 yards.

Byhalia will host Coldwater this Friday night for homecoming. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. The Cougars are 0-5, coming off a 56-0 loss to Palmer.