GAME 1:   G.W. Long 19, St. James 7

August 28, 1987   Collier Field.    Partly cloudy.  Game time temperature 87.  Winds SW variable  3-8

Sizeable kick returns set up all three touchdowns for the G.W. Long Rebels as they traveled to Montgomery and returned home to Skipperville with a season opening 19-7 win over the Trojans. 

St. James was stopped on their first drive, and a late hit on the Rebel punt return gave G.W. Long a first down at the Trojan 42.  After converting one first down, the Rebels got as close as the 20 but missed on a 36 yard field goal attempt.  St. James was again three and out and the ensuing punt was returned 33 yards to the Trojan 20.  This time, the Rebels would not be denied.  On third down from the 11, Shaun Thompson took the handoff, and as the Trojan defense was stacked on the line to prevent a first down on third and short, he cruised to the endzone after breaking through the initial resistance.  Art Cullifer added the extra point and the Rebels were up 7-0 late in the first quarter.

Will Parker earned the first first down of the season for the Trojans on their longest run of the night, 19 yards, but again the Trojans had to punt before reaching Rebel territory.  G.W. Long earned two first downs before punting deep into Trojan territory at the 3.  St. James was lucky to recover a third down backwards fumble at the 3, but on the next play a poor punt only traveled 12 yards and Long had a chance to score from 15 yards out.  An offsides penalty on fourth down from the 10 left the Rebels just short, but on fourth down St. James came up with a huge defensive play stopping the Rebel tailback a yard behind the line of scrimmage.  The Rebels began calling time outs to try and get the ball back before halftime, and they forced St. James to punt from their own 15, but Trojan Charlie Edwards forced and recovered a fumble on the punt return, ending any late Rebel threat.

Good luck continued for the Trojans as the Rebels fumbled the second half kickoff return, and St. James' Jack Draper returned the ball several yards to the Long 33.  Ben Freeman carried for 11 yards on first down, and Coleman Brewster converted a big third down with a run to the 7 yard line.  He was rewarded with two subsequent carries, his only three carries of the game, for 6 and 1 yards and the Trojan touchdown.  Gavin Finklea's extra point tied the score at 7, still early in the third quarter.

However, the St. James kickoff was returned to the 34, and two plays later a 34 yard running play by Larry McCloud had the Rebels threatening again.  After converting a fourth down and one on the Trojan 19, Chris Watson tossed a 15 yard touchdown pass to Thomas Allen two plays later.  However, the extra point attempt was wide and the Trojans were still within six, at 13-7, late in the third quarter.

The kick return bugaboo continued on the final play of the third quarter as a St. James punt, one of 8 in the game, was returned 12 yards to the Trojan 41.  Shaun Thompson carried for 3 on first down, and on the second play of the final quarter, McCloud broke loose for a 38 yard touchdown run.  He tried to score on the two point conversion, but was stopped a yard short of the endzone.  However the lead was now two scores wide, 19-7, with most of the fourth quarter remaining.

St. James returned the favors the Rebels had provided earlier by fumbling the ensuing kickoff, but another field goal attempt, this one from 37 yards, was short, and St. James still had a chance.  Jody Dunning recovered his own fumble at the end of a 14 yard run for one Trojan first down, and Brewster caught the only completed Trojan pass on the next play for 26 yards.  However, the Trojans were stopped after a loss and two incomplete passes.  The Rebels could not run out the clock and gave St. James one more chance to score, but the Trojans elected to punt on fourth and 5 from the Rebel 45 which wrapped up the season opening defeat as one Rebel first down afterwards was sufficient to run out the clock.