Indians knock off rival Hawks

John Danley, back in the coaching business after a three-year absence, has Byhalia on the winning track to start a new season.

The Indians beat cross-county rival Holly Springs 21-0 Friday night at Sam Coopwood Park. It was their third straight victory in the series as they retained the Mayor’s Cup.

“Starting the season with the win is always good,” said Coach Danley, who led the Indians in 2012 and 2013 before going into administration. “It will certainly boost the morale of our kids. They’ve been through a lot the last few years.

“And to shut out your cross-county rival, that’s a big achievement. I know we have to get better every day, and I think we will.”

The bulk of the first half was dominated by the de­fenses of both squads.

The Holly High defense stepped up big, halting Byhalia on a fourth and goal from the 8. Teelan Brown made the tackle for loss.

But on its next series, the Byhalia offense started clicking. Quarterback Charles Powell opened the drive with a 19-yard run. Tyrico Richmond added a 14-yard carry. Powell finished the march with a 3-yard keeper for six points and then a carry for the two-point conversion. The Indians led 8-0 with 3:25 to go in the second quarter.

“Mistakes stopped a couple of our drives in the first quarter but we started getting on track in the second quarter,” Danley said.

The Byhalia defense forced a three and out to open the second half. Then the offense drove 72 yards to pad the lead. Richmond was the workhorse, and he scored on a 25-yard run. Tomas Hernandez kicked the extra point to make it 15-0 with 7:20 remaining in the third.

Neither team could get anything going offensively the remainder of the third quarter.

“Our offense didn’t come through for us,” said Donald Deans, head coach of the Hawks. “I see a lot of room for improvement.”

The Indians opened the third quarter with a 60-yard scoring drive. Richmond had a big 20-yard run to the Holly High 29. Later, Powell kept for a 12-yard gain to the 5. Richmond crossed the goal-line on the next play. The point-after try failed. It was 21-0.

The Hawks fumbled the ball away on their next possession.

The Byhalia Indians ran time off the clock before Holly High took over one last time but could not avoid the shutout.

“We actually played a little better than I expected, especially since we did not play in a jamboree the week before,” Danley said. “We made minor mistakes, mostly caused by miscommunication from the coaches to the players.

“As a whole, we were in shape. Not one player, on a hot and humid night, went down with leg cramps. Our guys played hard to the finish.”

Coach Deans said his Holly High defense played well in the first half but he was disappointed in the second-half showing.

“We pretty much got run over,” he said. “They lined up and ran the football and ran the clock. Our possessions were limited.”

Brown led the Hawks’ defense with two sacks and eight solo tackles.

The Indians will play their first home game this Friday night as Coahoma County comes to town. The Red Panthers lost 50-0 to North Panola last week.

The Hawks will try to rebound when they visit Mantachie (in Itawamba County) this Friday. The Mustangs lost in week one, 48-13 to Nettleton.

“We have to buckle up and bounce back next week,” Deans said. “I think we will play better.”