GAME 2: ST. JAMES 19, Highland Home 14

H H 0 7 0 7 14

STJ 0 9 7 3 19

SCORING SUMMARY:

STJ   (2) 9:04   Roberson 22 FG                                                           3 - 0
STJ   (2) 7:47   Pynes 18 interception return                     (kick blocked) 9 - 0
H H (2) 5:35   Harris 35 run                                                 (kick good)     9 - 7
STJ   (3) 7:50   Armstrong 57 run                                  (Roberson kick) 16 - 7
H H (4) 9:44   Harris 1 run                                                   (kick good)   16 - 14
STJ   (4) 4:31   Roberson 32 FG                                                                 19 - 14

September 10, 1993. Carlisle Field. Game Conditions: Partly Cloudy Game Temperature: 75 Light wind

Andy Roberson kicked two field goals, Cade Armstrong rushed for over 150 yards, threw two passes for completions, and caught two passes as well, and Ryan Pynes had an interception return for a touchdown and a long catch late in the game to seal victory as the Trojans started the 1993 season with their second consecutive win, a 19-14 victory over the visiting Highland Home Flying Squadron.

The Squadron picked up several first downs on their initial drive, but were forced to punt just inside Trojan territory, and they pinned St. James back deftly at the 2 yard line. With a clock failure, the time seemed to literally fly in the first quarter, as the heat timeout was called just after the Trojan's unsuccessful try on third down. Highland Home took over after a punt on the Trojan 41, but could not advance and punted once more, pinning St. James back at their own 11.

A 34 yard pass from Cade Armstrong to Ryan Pynes finally gave the Trojans some breathing room near the end of the first quarter. The rotating quarterbacks each picked up rushing yardage on the next drive, with Walter Moss running for 18, Hunter Pappas for 8, and Armstrong for 15 more. On third down from the Squadron 2, a mixup on a call pushed the ball back to the 5, and Andy Roberson was called in to kick a 22 yard field goal, which he did. With the clock working again, the field goal gave St. James a 3-0 lead nearly three minutes into the second quarter.

A nice kickoff return by the Squadron was negated in most part by a dead ball unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. On third down and 22 from their own 25, the Highland Home quarterback attempted a screen pass which was juggled and taken away by the pursuing Ryan Pynes at the 18 yard line, where he cruised into the endzone. The extra point was blocked, but St. James had scored 9 points in less than 90 seconds.

After another nice return on the kickoff gave Highland Home some badly needed field position, and they took advantage. Six plays later, quarterback Roosevelt Harris called his own number and carried for a 35 yard touchdown. The extra point cut the lead to 2 with still time remaining in the first half.

St. James drove smartly down the field. A Armstrong carry of 29 yards gave St. James a first down at the Squadron 20. After an 8 yard pass to Armstrong from Moss, Pappas took a handoff but the ball was knocked loose at the 5 yard line and unintentionally kicked through the back of the endzone for a touchback, thwarting a Trojan scoring opportunity. With still 3½ minutes, Highland Home drove as well. Harris ran for 16 yards, and then later caught a halfback pass for 18 yards giving Highland Home a first down at the Trojan 6 with 20 seconds remaining. A penalty and an incomplete pass pushed the ball back to the 11, and a last second 29 yard field goal attempt failed, leaving the Trojans with a precarious 2 point lead at halftime.

Things started off badly for the Trojans in the third quarter as Highland Home recovered a fumble on the first scrimmage play a tthe Trojan 30. Three runs netted only 2 yards, and an incomplete pass on 4th down gave the ball back to St. James. On first down from the 28, Pappas took a reverse handoff on a play which should have been a touchdown, stopped by a lucky one hand tackle 15 yards downfield by a Squadron defender. However, on the next play, Armstrong ran the same play without the reverse handoff and traveled 57 yards into the endzone for a touchdown. Andy Roberson's extra point was good, and St. James had a two possession lead, 16-7, midway through the third quarter.

The Squadron could not move the ball on either of their remaining third quarter possessions, but pinned the Trojans deep with punts each time. The final play of the quarter had the Trojans with a first down at their own 5. Two plays later, St. James fumbled again deep in their own territory, and this time the Squadron would take advantage. It took four consecutive runs from the 5 yard line for Harris, but he did finally bust into the endzone on fourth down for the score. The extra point dropped the Trojan lead to 2 points, 16-14, with nearly 10 minutes remaining in the game.

A holding penalty on the kickoff return pushed St. James back yet again, but they ground out valuable clock in the fourth quarter with a 13 play drive. Armstrong picked up first down runs of 15 and 8 yards, the second one bolstered by a personal foul penalty, and Michael Reid's 12 yard run gave St. James a first down at the Squadron 28. A defensive offensive penalty led to another first down, but the drive stalled, and Roberson was called in for his second field goal of the game, which he converted from 32 yards out, giving St. James a 19-14 lead with 4:31 remaining.

Highland Home could not gain any yardage and elected, to the dismay of the visiting crowd, to punt with 3 minutes remaining. The 42 yard punt, which the Trojans and the Squadron allowed to roll around for 10 valuable seconds, finally lay at the St. James 22. After a 1 yard run, Highland Home squeezed the line tight, expecting the safest of calls. Not! Hunter Pappas dropped back and found a wide open Pynes for a 30 yard catch, which would have been a touchdown had he not been run down by the desperate Squadron safety. Armstrong took over, and forced the Squadron to burn timeouts with three straight runs. The third run, after a measurement, had just enough for a first down, and the Trojans simply ran out the clock with their fourth consecutive victory over the Flying Squadron.

SIDELINE STATISTICS - GAME TWO

ST. JAMES RUSHING 42 rushes 263 yards 1 TD (6.26 yards per carry)

12 Armstrong 21 / 157 (1 TD) 17 Pappas 7 / 48 35 Reid 6 / 24
10 Moss 5 / 22 21 Webber 3 / 12

PASSING 4 completions 4 attempts 0 INTs 75 yards 0 TDs (no sacks of)

                    12 Armstrong 1 - 1 - 0    34 yards
                        17   Pappas          1 - 1 - 0        30 yards
                        10   Moss            2 - 2 - 0        11 yards

RECEIVING

84 Pynes 2 / 64 12 Armstrong 2 / 11

TOTAL YARDS: 338

                  KICKS: XP 1 / 2                FG 2 / 2 (22,32 made)
                        2 POINT CONVERSIONS: 0 / 0
                        KICKOFFS:   5 (43,37,49,42,48)         PUNTS:   2 (31,21)
                        KO RETURNS: 3 (24,13,19)                       PUNT RETURNS: 1 (4)
                        INTERCEPTION RETURNS: 1 (18TD)
                        FIRST DOWNS:   15 (13 rushing, 2 passing)
        FUMBLES: 2, lost 2
TURNOVER MARGIN: 0
      PENALTIES: 3 / 20 yards
                        TIME OF POSSESSION: (not available, intermittent clock failure)

HIGHLAND HOME RUSHING    40 attempts 124 yards 2 TDs (3.10 yards per carry)
                        PASSING      4 completions 10 attempts 1 INT 67 yards 0 TDs (1 sack of, - 10 yards)
                        TOTAL YARDS: 191

                        KICKS: XP 2 / 2                FG 0 / 1 (29 missed)
                        2 POINT CONVERSIONS: 0 / 0
                        KICKOFFS: 3 (51,47,51)      PUNTS: 5 (40,28,30,48,42)
                        KO RETURNS: 5 (20,14,28,5,21)             PUNT RETURNS: 0
                        FIRST DOWNS:   10 (7 rushing, 3 passing)
    FUMBLES: 3, lost 1
        PENALTIES: 5 / 45 yards
                        TIME OF POSSESSION: (not available, intermittent clock failure)

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