Defense dominates in Hawks’ win

Chalk up a win for the defense Friday night at Sam Coopwood Park.

The Holly High Hawks held Ashland to just 39 yards total offense and knocked off the Blue Devils 15-6.

“Defense won the game for us,” coach Donald Deans said. “Our defense played well.”

That included a goal-line stand in the second half with the Hawks leading 8-6.

“We had a miscue and they took the ball to the 4-yard line and we stopped them short of the goal-line,” he said. “That was huge.”

The Holly High offense had its struggles but not early in the game.

In the first quarter, Kadarreon Lumpkin got loose for a 46-yard touchdown run. Quarterback Dylan King threw to Marquise Turnage for the two-point conversion.

The Blue Devils answered in the second quarter. Zayvon Knox scored on an 8-yard run. The try-for-two was stopped short by the Holly High defense.

Holly High led 8-6 with 3:57 left in the first half.

The next points did not come until the 2:47 mark of the fourth quarter. Holly High’s defense iced the victory when Turnage picked up a fumble and returned it 21 yards for six points. Ahmed Alhalemi kicked the extra point.

“A win is a win,” said Deans, who saw his Hawks go to 2-1 on the season. “We’ve still got a lot of work to do.”

He said his offense, with a freshman quarterback, has to improve.

“We had mistakes Friday night, dropped snaps and things like that, but our quarterback is going to be fine,” Deans said. “He made some good throws, too.

“Plus, the conditions were different Friday night, too (a wet field after the heavy rains from Hurricane Harvey). It was hard adjusting to the elements.”

He said the Holly High offense reached the red zone a few times and “just couldn’t get it into the end zone.”

The Blue Devils are in their first year of football after the former Benton County team split into two squads, Ashland and Hickory Flat.

“It’s a new rivalry for us,” Deans said, “and it was a good win.”

Holly High had 241 yards total offense – 187 rushing and 54 passing. Lumpkin carried 25 times for 110 yards and a score.

Deans named Turnage the most valuable player for the game. He had six solo tackles, eight assists, the fumble recovery for a TD and a two-point conversion.

Alhalemi turned in a stellar defensive night with seven solo tackles and 10 assists. Tyrell Battle had three sacks.

Top tackler for the Blue Devils was Wesley Thomas with seven solos and four assists.

Next up for the Hawks is a road trip to Strayhorn. The Mustangs are 1-2 after a 6-0 loss last week to Magnolia Heights.

“We know Strayhorn will be tough,” Deans said. “We have to go back to work this week and get better.”

Ashland (0-3) will host Hickory Flat (0-3), a clash of the Benton County squads, this Friday. The Rebels lost 57-6 last Friday night to Tupelo Christian.