2025 - GAME
3
@ Bullock County 31, Saint James 14
STJ 0 7 7 0 14
B C 12 12 0 7 31
Friday, September 5 7:00 PM Thornton-Foster Stadium, Union Springs. Game Conditions: Partly Cloudy, warm Game Temperature: 86 Wind: none
SCORING SUMMARY: (times were not available as the clock did not function)
B C (1) ---- Wallace 6 run (kick blocked) 6 - 0
B C (1) ---- Ivey 2 run (run failed) 12 - 0
STJ (2) ---- Zukowski 3 run (Hines kick) 12 - 7
B C (2) ---- Wallace 12 run (kick failed) 18 - 7
B C (2) ---- Wallace 12 run (run failed) 24 - 7
STJ (3) ---- Phillips 1 run (Hines kick) 24 - 14
B C (4) ---- Pearson 38 pass from Wallace (Garcia kick) 31 - 14
Saint James won the coin toss and elected to receive. Following the same strategy as the previous week it appeared the Trojans would get off to a better start as Grant Phillips rushed for 12 yards on the opening scrimmage play, but the next three plays gained minimal yardage and Bullock County took over after a punt on their own 40 yard line. Quarterback Tye'kelis Wallace rushed for 16 yards on his first play, and would rush for over 200 yards on the evening. He shared the rushing duties with Caiden Ivey, who rushed for 90 yards himself. One short pass and four double digit yardage rushes gave the Hornets first down at the Trojan 6, and Wallace carried in for the first of his three rushing touchdowns. The extra point attempt was blocked, but Bullock County was up quickly 6 - 0. The time clock (in fact the entire stadium clock) did not function during the entire game, so times were unavailable.
A Trojan penalty forced a three and out, but a deep punt pinned the Hornets at their own 19. However, a 10 play 81 yard drive allowed Bullock County to double the score as Ivey rushed from two yards out. Wallace tried to run for a two point conversion but was unsuccessful, and the Hornets were up 12 - 0 and were not close to being stopped on either of their first two offensive possessions.
Saint James finally caught a break at the end of the first quarter as a Hornet unsportsmanlike conduct penalty gave them a first down at their own 32. Three plays later, Mason Craig launched a pass to an absolutely wide open Luke Catchings, and he raced down the field. He was caught from behind inside the five yard line by a horsecollar tackle which saved a touchdown, but the Trojans had first down on the Bullock County 1. Miles Zukowski took the handoff and after a Dylan Hines extra point, the lead was suddenly down to 5, at 12 - 7.
Despite an endzone kickoff, Bullock County again drove the length of the field, 80 yards. A face mask penalty gave the Hornets a first down at the Trojan 16, and two plays later Wallace ran off left end untouched for a 12 yard score. The extra point attempt went wide left, but Bullock County again had a two possession lead, at 18 - 7.
A sack and a penalty forced a Saint James punt, but Dylan Hines shattered the old school record with a 70 yard punt bomb. The punt traveled about 50 yards in the air and took a very favorable bounce, pinning the Hornets all the way back at their own 13 yard line. However, 11 plays later they were in the endzone again as Wallace duplicated his 12 yard touchdown run from the previous drive. The run once again failed, but Bullock County finished up four first half possessions with four touchdowns and would take a 24 - 7 lead into halftime. Things got worse for the Trojans as on the last drive of the first half, quarterback Mason Craig was hit out of bounds into the nearside wall after a keeper and was shaken up. For precautionary measures, he did not return in the second half.
It appeared disaster was going to strike on the first play of the second half as Wallace found Jaquez Pearson on a nifty screen pass and he broke through tacklers for a 76 yard touchdown. However, the Hornets had lined up in an illegal formation and the touchdown was negated. In fact, after that, the Hornets were held without a first down and Wallace, who also performed the punting duties, sorta shanked a punt out of bounds and Saint James had good field position at the Bullock County 43. Ford Bass and Phillips shared the load on running plays. A Luke Catchings run was boosted by yet another unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, and several plays later Phillips called his own number from a yard out and for the first time this season, Saint James had double digit scoring. Hines' extra point cut the lead to 10, at 24 - 14, late in the third quarter.
After another endzone kickoff, the Hornets moved into Trojan territory but Wallace was stopped on fourth down at the Saint James 43, and suddenly the Trojan sidelines had life. Saint James moved into Bullock County territory, but a costly delay of game penalty on third and one led to a fourth down non-conversion, and the Hornets took over on downs themselves. The improved Trojan defense stopped the tiring Hornets again, but could not convert a first down after earning the ball back. Bullock County managed to complete one downfield pass during the game, and it was a strike from Wallace to Pearson for 38 yards. Jose Garcia's kick was good, and Bullock County was comfortably in control at 31 - 14. Saint James could not earn a first down, and the Hornets only had to run two plays to exhaust the game.
The Trojans, off to an 0 - 3 start, take to the road again in Roanoke to face off against region foe Handley the next Friday.
PRESS BOX STATISTICS - GAME THREE
SAINT JAMES RUSHING 27 attempts 70 yards 2 TDs (2.59 yards per carry)
6
Phillips
15 / 40 yards (1
TD) 8
Catchings 2 /
18 1
Bass
6 / 13
30
Zukowski 1
/
1
(1 TD)
7
Craig
3 / - 2
PASSING
3 completions 15 attempts 0 INTs 77
yards 0 TDs
7
Craig
2 - 10 - 0 67 yards
6
Phillips 1 -
4 - 0 10 yards
22
Shalayda 0 - 1 - 0
RECEIVING
8 Catchings 2 / 72
yards
6 Phillips 1
/ 5
TOTAL
YARDS: 147
KICKS: XP 2 / 2
FG 0 / 0
2
POINT CONVERSIONS: 0 / 0
KICKOFFS: 3
(EZ,49,EZ)
PUNTS: 4
(25,42,70*,52) (* - school record)
KO RETURNS: 6 (10,30,12,14,18,18)
PUNT
RETURNS: 0
FIRST
DOWNS: 10 (7 rushing, 1 passing, 2
penalty)
THIRD DOWN CONVERSIONS: 4 / 9
FOURTH DOWN CONVERSIONS: 0 / 2
FUMBLES: 1,
lost 0
TURNOVER
MARGIN: 0
POINTS OFF TURNOVERS: 0
ACCEPTED PENALTIES: 8 / 50 yards
TIME
OF POSSESSION: not available
BULLOCK CO
RUSHING 45
attempts 310 yards 4 TDs (6.89 yards per
carry)
PASSING
4 completions 9 attempts 0 INTs 69
yards 1 TD
TOTAL
YARDS: 379
2 POINT CONVERSIONS: 0 / 2
KICKOFFS: 6 (48,57,58,43,57,50) PUNTS: 2 (16,20)
KO RETURNS: 1 (13) PUNT RETURNS: 0
FIRST DOWNS: 20 (18 rushing, 1 passing, 1 penalty)
THIRD DOWN CONVERSIONS: 5 / 8
FOURTH DOWN CONVERSIONS: 0 / 2
FUMBLES: 1, lost 0
POINTS OFF TURNOVERS: 0
ACCEPTED PENALTIES: 9 / 72 yards
TIME OF POSSESSION: not available