Dallas Co. captures first win in more than a year

Published 1:11 am Saturday, September 1, 2012

A Dallas County running back is dragged down by a host of Calhoun defenders Friday night in Letohatchee. Dallas County won the game, marking their first victory in more than a year. -- Fred Guarino


By Fred Guarino

The Selma Times-Journal

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The 4A Dallas County Hornets ended a 13 game winless drought in Letohatchee Friday night defeating The 2A Calhoun School Tigers 27-14.

“I’ll tell you what, now, at times it was ugly, but we haven’t had a win in 13 games,” Hornet head football coach Chris Littleton said. “We need to win one to learn how to win one. I don’t care if it was ugly, we’ll learn to win pretty later.”

He said it was his first game with the team and he couldn’t be happier.

Littleton said Demarius Berry the senior running back “had a heck of a game.” And junior defensive end Justin Chandler, “he really kept the defense in it and made a lot of big plays.”

On the other side of the field, second year Calhoun head football coach Bill Williamson saying his outmanned Tigers “just got whipped, you’ve got to give Dallas County credit.”

Williamson would not take a 23-man roster as an excuse. “Everybody is going to have twice as many players as we’ve got. You know, we’ve just got to get a little tougher, work hard and get a little more disciplined.”

Williamson said his kids played hard, but everyone could improve, including the coaches.

The Hornets had 208 yards rushing, 40 yards passing and made 13 first downs. They also had four penalties for 25 yards.

Berry has 20 carries for Dallas County for 114 yards and two touchdowns. Shadrick Turner had 13 carries for the Hornets for 50 yards and one touchdown.

The Calhoun Tigers rushed 26 times for 136 yards and two touchdowns, made six first downs, had 10 penalties for 60 yards and were 4 of 11 passing for 37 yards.

The Hornets drew first blood when Berry scored on a 5-yard run at the 4:51 mark of the first quarter. With the point after good, the visitors led 7-0.

But the lead was short lived when Jamaine Jordan returned the ensuing kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown and Jemarcus Rhimes added the 2-point conversion to put the Tigers up 8-7.

But the Hornets would bounce back when Berry scored on a second 5-yard run at the 11:32 mark of the second quarter. The point after put the visitors up 14-8.

Turner later scored on a 9-yard run at the 6:10 mark of the second quarter to put the Hornets up 20-8 at the half.

At the 6:12 mark of the third quarter Jarmacus Davison would turn a fourth-and-one play into a 26-yard touchdown to make it a 20-14 ballgame.

Xavier Knight would close out the scoring on a 2-yard run at the 11:54 mark of the fourth quarter.

Dallas County will face Central-Clay County at home next Friday while Calhoun will host New Brockton.