2-3A
MAYFLOWER 50,
EPISCOPAL COLLEGIATE 0
Deon Simmons scored all four of his touchdowns in the first half and the Mayflower defense limited host Episcopal Collegiate to 75 yards of total offense Friday night as the Eagles cruised to a 50-0 victory.
Simmons, a 5-6 junior, scored on runs of 12, 57, 5 and 32 yards as the Eagles (9-0, 6-0) clinched the 2-3A Conference title.
[HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD: Full results + recaps, photos and more]
Tormented by injuries, Episcopal (1-8, 0-6) had only 15 players available for Friday's senior night festivities. Mayflower led 43-0 at the half.
"We had them outmanned," Mayflower Coach Todde Langrell said. "But the good thing is that we did what we needed to do against a team like that. ...There's a bigger prize out there and that's what we're trying to go for."
Mayflower will attempt to complete the program's first unbeaten regular season next week. The Eagles play at home against Marianna on Thursday and will have a first-round bye in the playoffs.
"We've talked about 10-0 and we've talked about 10-1," Langrell said. "And we don't want to be that team that gets a first-round bye, has a very successful year and then go 10-1. That's not what we're looking for. ... We've got to do a good job of getting our kids prepared."
The Eagles ran only 13 offensive plays in the first half, scoring on 6 of them while gaining 248 yards. Mayflower finished with 12 first downs and 320 total yards on 24 plays.
Simmons ran six times for 137 yards. His twin brother, Keon, carried 2 times for 51 yards, including a 47-yard scoring run. Senior quarterback Sean Harris completed all 3 of his passes for 48 yards, including a 32-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Houston Cochran.
Mayflower scored on all six of its first-half possessions. None of them lasted more than three plays and two of them were one-play drives.
The Eagles also scored on their first drive of the second half. Junior running back Drake Wilkerson capped a four-play, 47-yard drive with a 6-yard run with 8:02 left in the third quarter.
Episcopal managed only four first downs. Wildcats quarterback Ty Lazzari was 6 of 15 passing for 40 yards. He also provided his team with its longest rush of the contest, a 26-yard run on the Wildcats' final possession. That drive ended when Mayflower's Jordan Robinson intercepted a pass in the end zone with 2:15 remaining.
Sports on 10/28/2017