2025 -
GAME 7
@ BTW-Tuskegee 26, Saint James 6
STJ 0 6 0 0 6
BTW 0 7 7 12 26
Friday, October 3 7:00 PM Eagles Stadium. Game Conditions: Partly / mostly cloudy, windy Game Temperature: 78 Wind: E 10-20
SCORING SUMMARY:
BTW (2) 4:36 Woods 19 pass from Kitt (Williams kick) 0 - 7
STJ (2) 0:04 Hines 42 FG 3 - 7
STJ (2) 0:00 Hines 33 FG 6 - 7
BTW (3) 8:55 Daniel 81 pass from Kitt (Williams kick) 6 - 14
BTW (4) 6:49 Minor 60 pass from Kitt (kick failed) 6 - 20
BTW (4) 0:32 Woods 8 run (kick failed) 6 - 26
COMPLETE GAME RECAP
For the first time this season, Saint James won a coin toss but elected to defer their choice to the second half, giving the Golden Eagles the first possession. On the third play of the opening drive, Jeremiah Kitt's first pass attempt was intercepted by Luke Catchings and the Trojans had great field position at the BTW 44. Grant Phillips picked up 14 on a first down run, but three plays later on fourth and 7 Mason Craig on a quarterback keeper was knocked out of bounds a yard short of the necessary to gain, and Saint James turned the ball over on downs. The teams traded possessions throughout the remainder of the first quarter with no serious scoring threats, and the Trojan defense held the Eagles to no first downs in the opening quarter.
Saint James continued a sustained drive into the second quarter with Miles Zukowski converting a fourth and 2 with a 4 yard run. On the next play Craig tossed Zukowski a pass and he galloped down to the 5 yard line giving Saint James first and goal. However, three plays netted only two yards, and Dylan Hines was called in to attempt a field goal. With a sharp angle and a strong crosswind working against him, a delay of game penalty pushed the ball back, lowering the angle and remaining well within his reach. However, the kick failed and BTW started a possession on their own 20. The Eagles had not converted a first down, so they decided to press the tempo, and it worked as BTW moved down the field in six plays for the game's first score. Chunk plays of a 22 yard pass completion, an 18 yard run by Dylan Purter, and another 20 yard run gave the Eagles first down on the Trojan 19. From there, Kitt tossed a short handoff pass forward to Jaden Woods who wove through the secondary into the endzone for a 19 yard touchdown. The extra point attempt by Alexander Williams was deflected, but still made it through and over the uprights, and the Eagles had a 7 - 0 lead as the second quarter dwindled.
Despite a good kickoff punt, the Trojans had to relay on a Dylan Hines punt to pin the Eagles back at their own 15 yard line. With less than a minute to go, the Eagles tried several passes which both went incomplete, and after a short run and a short punt Saint James had 22 seconds left in the half with the ball at the BTW 31. Zukowski ran for 6 yards on first down, and after a timeout, Hines was called in again and converted a 42 yard field goal putting the Trojans on the scoreboard with 4 seconds remaining until halftime. With nothing really to lose, the Trojans opted for the deep onside kick. The ball was first legally touched by Luke Catchings and then recovered by Grant Phillips at the Eagle 31 yard line. Time on the clock had expired, but as Phillips was getting up he was tackled by an Eagle long after the whistle had sounded, which resulted in a 15 yard penalty and an untimed down. From the 16 yard line, Hines got an unexpected shot at a field goal and connected, thus three consecutive stellar kicking plays earned the Trojans six points and they only trailed by one going into halftime.
The momentum for the Trojans appeared to continue when Mikell Delbridge returned the kickoff to the Trojan 45, but a first down could not be earned. However, a Hines punt pinned the Eagles at their own 10 yard line. However, on third down, Kitt found Marquez Daniel on about a 10 yard swing pass and he turned on the afterburners, rushing by several potential tacklers and eventually the entire 81 yards for a quick BTW touchdown. The extra point barely made it over the crossbar, but it did, and suddenly the Golden Eagles had a 14 - 6 lead early in the third quarter.
The Trojans converted several pass plays in a quickly moving third quarter. Unfortunately, one of them was to Landon Whigham who wears # 51, an ineligible receiver number. His catch and run was admirable and would have been for a first down, but an illegal pass penalty led to another punt, a common theme in this third quarter. Craig connected with Zukowski on an 11 yard pass to give Saint James a first down in Eagle territory on the final play of the third quarter. Despite another first down, the drive would again end in a punt which would travel to the Eagle 21. On the fifth play of the drive, Kitt connected for his third touchdown pass of the game to a wide open Raymond Minor down the near sidelines for 60 yards. The extra point was deflected and no good, but suddently BTW was up by 14.
Another drive ended in a punt, and the Eagles basically ran out the clock with a 9 play drive which covered 59 yards; Woods scored on an 8 yard run to account for the final score of 26 - 6. Saint James takes its first varsity football trip ever to Heflin to face off against Cleburne County in their final road game of the season, another region contest, on the following Friday.
PRESS BOX STATISTICS - GAME SEVEN
SAINT JAMES RUSHING 40 attempts 108 yards 0 TDs (2.70 yards per carry)
6
Phillips
15 / 50 yards 30
Zukowski 13 / 42
1
Bass 2
/ 11
32
Hartley
1 /
7
13
Yancy
2 / 6
7
Craig 7 / -
9
PASSING 6 completions 10 attempts 0 INTs 55 yards 0 TDs
7
Craig
6 - 10 - 0 55 yards
RECEIVING
30
Zukowski 2 /
35 yards 9
Hines
1 / 7 6
Phillips 1 / 6
8
Catchings 1
/
6
87
Knowles 1 /
1
TOTAL
YARDS: 163
KICKS: XP 0 / 0
FG 2 / 3 (42,33 made, 26
missed)
2
POINT CONVERSIONS: 0 / 0
KICKOFFS: 2 (57,29)
PUNTS: 7
(32,29,41,7,47,20,33)
KO RETURNS: 5 (29,26,19,12,6)
PUNT RETURNS:
2 (-1,0)
FIRST
DOWNS: 8 (6 rushing, 2 passing)
THIRD DOWN CONVERSIONS: 5 / 15
FOURTH DOWN CONVERSIONS: 1 / 2
FUMBLES: 1,
lost 0
TURNOVER
MARGIN: + 1
INTERCEPTION RETURNS: 1 (-1)
POINTS OFF TURNOVERS: 0
ACCEPTED PENALTIES: 4 / 20 yards
TIME
OF POSSESSION: not available
BTW-TUSKEGEE
RUSHING 26 attempts 138 yards
1 TD (5.31 yards per carry)
PASSING
8 completions 15 attempts 1 INT 207
yards 3 TDs
TOTAL
YARDS: 345
2 POINT CONVERSIONS: 0 / 0
KICKOFFS: 5 (44,41,46,34,27) PUNTS: 5 (35,38,12,28,40)
KO RETURNS: 1 (29) PUNT RETURNS: 0
FIRST DOWNS: 11 (7 rushing, 4 passing)
THIRD DOWN CONVERSIONS: 3 / 9
FOURTH DOWN CONVERSIONS: 0 / 0
FUMBLES: 1, lost 0
INTERCEPTION RETURN: 1 (0)
ACCEPTED PENALTIES: 6 / 50 yards
TIME OF POSSESSION: not available