2008 - GAME 6

@ Holtville 53, Saint James 28

  STJ            7       7       0     14         28
 
 HOL         20     20     13      0          53

SCORING SUMMARY:

HOL  (1)   8:01   McCall 74 pass from Arant            (kick blocked)       0 -   6
STJ    (1)   6:05   Christian 6 run                                (Weldon kick)       7 -   6
HOL  (1)   4:19   McCall 39 pass from Arant              (Tucker run)       6 - 14
HOL  (1)   2:21   Tucker 47 run                                      (pass failed)       6 - 20
STJ    (2) 11:38   Christian 1 run                                (Weldon kick)     14 - 20
HOL  (2)   9:55   McCall 67 pass from Arant               (pass failed)     14 - 26
HOL  (2)   6:48   Arant 37 run                                       (Towns run)     14 - 34
HOL  (2)   2:47   McCall 48 pass from Arant               (pass failed)     14 - 40
HOL  (3) 11:00   Tucker 57 run                                     (kick failed)     14 - 46
HOL  (3)   2:16   McCall 3 run                                     (Towns kick)     14 - 53
STJ    (4)   4:25   Poe 5 run                                         (Weldon kick)     21 - 53
STJ    (4)   2:25   McCabe 11 run                               (Weldon kick)     28 - 53
October 3, 2008    Boykin Field   Game conditions:  Mostly clear   Game temperature:  73  Wind:  none

Daniel Arant threw four first half touchdown passes and for 300 yards in the first half alone, three of those to Akevous McCall, and Javon Tucker added two long rushing scores of his own as Holtville broke a six game losing streak against Saint James, evening their all-time series at six wins apiece with a wild 53 - 28 victory over the Trojans.

Neither team shone on defense, as he game featured 910 yards of total offense, shattering the Saint James plus opponent combined total by 100 yards.  Unfortunately, 572 of those yards were credited to the Bulldogs, easily breaking the old record of any Saint James opponent.  And, Holtville only ran 38 plays from offense in compiling those yards.  On the first drive, Saint James picked up a first down, one of an amazing 24 they earned in the game (not quite a record).  However, the drive stalled, but Matt Dean's fine punt rolled dead at the Holtville 12 yard line.  Delmond Bledson picked up 14 quick yards on a pair of 7 yard carries.  On the next play, quarterback Daniel Arant lofted a seemingly innocent looking pass over rushers to Akevios McCall.  His catch and run included dodging at least three potential Trojan tacklers, and after escaping them, he easily outran the remaining pursuers to the endzone for a quick touchdown.  The extra point was blocked, but Holtville was up early 7 - 0.

Saint James responded quickly.  John Slayton's tough kickoff return brought the ball out to the Trojan 42.  Two plays later, Chase Eley caught a Dean slant pass and zigzagged across the field for a nice 20 yard gain.  Chase Christian broke a 25 yard run off left end on the next play, and 7 yards were tacked on because of a late hit out of bounds, the first of 15 accepted penalties against the Bulldogs.  From the Holtville 7, Christian was stopped for a 1 yard gain on first down, but on second down he powered into the endzone.  B.J. Weldon's extra point gave the Trojans a 7 - 6 lead midway through the first quarter.

It was short-lived.  A pooch kick, designed to keep the dangerous McCall out of the kick return game as well, was fair caught by a Bulldog upman.  McCall picked up 18 yards on a run, but a holding penalty stifled the next run by Jevon Tucker.  It was only a temporary stoppage.  After a short completion from Arant to Coty Medford, McCall was on the receiving end of another short pass and again he darted around, between, and beyond Trojan tacklers for a 39 yard catch and run touchdown.  Tucker walked in on a two point conversion run, and Holtville was back on top by 7 with still ample time left in the first quarter.

Another Dean punt rolled dead at the Holtville 41.  After Bledson picked up 12 yards on first down, Tucker took a handoff, veered to the far sidelines, and outraced tiring defenders for a touchdown.  A two point conversion pass was intercepted in the endzone by Saint James, but Holtville had built up a 20 - 7 lead in a first quarter offensive flurry.  After a kick out of bounds left Saint James again with a relatively short field, Christian picked up 14 yards on 2 runs and Eley caught a 12 yard pass as time was winding down in the first quarter.  On the first play of the second quarter, Christian broke loose for a 27 yard gain and was brought down just 4 feet short of the goal line.  However, he was rewarded on the next play with a 1 yard carry for his second score of the game.  Weldon's extra point cut the lead to 20 - 14 just 13 minutes into the game.

The Bulldogs took only three plays to respond.  On third down from their own 33, once again McCall showed his magic on a 67 yard catch and run touchdown.  After a penalty, a two point conversion pass was incomplete, but Holtville's lead was now 12 at 26 - 14.  What may have been the key turning point of the game was the ensuing kickoff, as a bouncing kick was difficult to handle by several Trojans, but fortunately Slayton fell on the loose ball at his own 8 yard line.  Even after a good punt from bad field position, Holtville took over on their own 42 yard line.  The yardage on a first down pass to Tucker was mostly erased by a block in the back penalty.  On the next play, Tucker took a handoff and, thanks to a good hold by the Bulldog right tackle, swept around the corner and avoided several tacklers and the sidelines on his way to a 57 yard run.  The flag indeed flew, but much to the surprise of the Trojan side, a face mask penalty was called and the obvious hold was either missed or overlooked, and Tucker was given credit for the touchdown.  A two point run by Jonathan Towns gave Holtville a 20 point lead, at 34 - 14, with still most of the second quarter remaining.

Two incomplete passes and a sack on Saint James' next drive forced another punt, which McCall fielded but fumbled out of bounds.  A personal foul penalty moved the ball back to the Holtville 22, but it only prolonged the next Bulldog drive.  Two more penalties were later overcome before Arant found a wide open McCall this time behind the defense at the goal line for a 48 yard touchdown reception, his fourth of the first half.  After another penalty, the two point conversion pass was incomplete, and Holtville had stretched their lead to 40 - 14 with still nearly three minutes remaining in the half.  The Trojans managed one first down and advanced as far as midfield, but then had to punt and the Bulldogs were more than content to let the clock run out inside their own 15 yard line with a 40 - 14 halftime advantage.

After a penalty on Holtville's first scrimmage play, Bledson ran for 12 yards on first down and Tucker broke loose again for 54 yards on the second play of the third quarter.  Towns again tried to kick the extra point, but it sailed wide.  Holtville was up 46 - 14 early in the third quarter. 

Neither team had committed a turnover in the first half, but Saint James committed two in the second half and both were quite costly as the Trojans were wrapping up long scoring drives.  The Trojans slowed the game and held the ball for nearly a nine minute stretch of the third quarter.  Dean completed three passes on the drive; the third was a 12 yarder to Christian giving Saint James a first down on the Bulldog 7.  Christian took the handoff on the next play, and the ball was wrestled loose right into the arms of Holtville's Bledson at the 3 yard line.  He took off toward the Holtville sidelines and it appeared he was going to cash in a 97 yard fumble recovery for a touchdown.  However, Dean managed to finally catch the tiring Bledson and tackle him at the Saint James 11, leaving Bledson with only an 86 yard fumble recovery and no score.  No matter, as McCall scored his fifth touchdown of the game, this one on the ground from 3 yards out, two plays later.  Towns finally connected on an extra point, and Holtville was up 53 - 14 after the long impressive drive by the Trojans was painfully unrewarding.

Saint James was again the victim of a fumble very deep in Bulldog territory.  Dean's 11 yard run against the Bulldog backups gave the Trojans a first down at the Holtville 3, but on the next play the snap was bobbled and Holtville took over on their own 1 yard line.  On first down, Justin Taunton caught a risky pass and picked up a quick 13 yards, and it appeared the Bulldogs were off and running.  However, the drive stalled (for Holtville's first time all evening, disregarding the end of the first half possession), and the Trojans took over possession in the Holtville half of the field.  With second string quarterback Lee Ketzler out with a broken thumb, third stringer Taylor Poe got his first varsity work of the season, and he made the most of it.  A 14 yard run by Slayton was doubled by a personal foul penalty, and Mason McCabe, seeing his first significant duty on offense, picked up 9 yards down to the Trojan 1.  From there, Poe snuck in off right guard and Saint James was on the scoreboard again.  Weldon kept his perfect season streak of PATs intact, and the score was 53 - 21 with about 4 minutes remaining.

Holtville was again thwarted by a major penalty on their next drive, and the Trojans successfully called for and executed the punt block two plays later as Will Spivey fell on the ball at the Holtville 11.  On first down, McCabe ran the play which had earned so many yards for Christian earlier, the left side sweep, and he snuck into the endzone just before a defender would have knocked him out of bounds.  Weldon's extra point finalized the scoring at 53 - 28.  After another personal foul penalty on the kick return, Saint James had ideas of stopping the Bulldogs and perhaps blocking another punt, but two runs of 12 and 25 yards by Bledson ended that threat.  Holtville was then content to run out the clock as they evened their record at 3 - 3 and their regional record at 2 - 2, keeping their playoff chances in good shape as the Trojans were virtually eliminated with an 0 - 4 regional mark and eyes again looking forward to that elusive first victory of the season.

GAME SIX SIDELINE STATISTICS

SAINT JAMES    RUSHING    50 attempts  266 yards  4 TDs  (5.32 yards per carry)

                             32   Christian       29 / 190   (2 TDs)     20   Slayton    10 / 32            14   Dean          7 / 22
                             34   McCabe          2 /   20   (1 TD)         5   Poe           1 /   1  (TD)   22   Pattie         1 /   1

                             PASSING    6 completions  14 attempts  0 INTs  72 yards  0 TDs  (1 sack of, - 5 yards)

                             14   Dean               6 - 14 - 0     72 yards  0 TDs   (1 sack, - 5 yards)

                             RECEIVING

                             32   Christian          3 / 29        4   Eley             2 / 32          45   Baker             1 / 11

                             TOTAL YARDS:   338

                             KICKS:  XP  4 / 4                FG  0 / 0
                             2 POINT CONVERSIONS:  0 / 0
                             KICKOFFS:   5  (26,36,45,50,44)                           PUNTS:   4  (41,44,33,33)
                             KO RETURNS:   7  (34,33,4,0,16,16,15)               PUNT RETURNS:  1  (0)
                             FIRST DOWNS:   24  (19 rushing, 5 passing)
                             FUMBLES:  2, lost 2
                             TURNOVER MARGIN:   - 2
                             POINTS OFF OF TURNOVERS:  0
                             PENALTIES:  3 / 20 yards
                             TIME OF POSSESSION:  29:35

HOLTVILLE       RUSHING    28 attempts  259 yards  4 TDs  (9.25 yards per carry)
                             PASSING       8 completions  10 attempts  0 INTs  313 yards  4 TDs  (no sacks of)
                             TOTAL YARDS:   572  (Saint James opponent record)

                             KICKS:  XP  1 / 3                FG  0 / 0
                             2 POINT CONVERSIONS:  2 / 5
                             KICKOFFS:  9  (49,51,41,22ob,52,ob,53,50,49)      PUNTS:  2  (31,bk-2)
                             KO RETURNS:  5  (0fc,8,14,10,11)                         PUNT RETURNS:  2  (0,-5)
                             FUMBLE RETURNS:  1  (86)
                             FIRST DOWNS:   15  (9 rushing, 6 passing)
                             FUMBLES:  3, lost 0
                             POINTS OFF OF TURNOVERS:  7
                             PENALTIES:  15 / 123 yards
                             TIME OF POSSESSION:  18:25

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