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Dallas County runs to second win

By Buster Wolfe | Selma Times-Journal

Published Saturday, September 26, 2009

PLANTERSVILLE — Dallas County has been working on its rushing game, coach Darryl Burns said Friday night.

After beating Francis Marion 48-12 with 396 yards on the ground, the work showed as the Hornets won their first home game of the season and of Burns’ Dallas County tenure.

“It felt great to win at home,” Burns said. “We went to a ‘wildcat’ formation tonight, which we had worked on for several weeks. We just now felt confident enough to use it.”

In the formation, the snap from center comes to a running back in a shotgun position. In Dallas County’s case, quarterback Justin McAfee usually lined up as a wide receiver in the formation.

“We have worked on our running game,” Burns said. “We have had a big improvement in what we see now.”

One advantage is snapping the ball to a running back is the immediate quickness, which the Hornets (2-3) showed Friday night.

“You can’t coach speed,” said Francis Marion coach Javaris Jackson. “We started easing up on them before the end of the half. But we got at them and fought the second half.”

Dallas County led 20-6 after the first quarter when the Hornets scored on a three-play drive, an interception return for a touchdown and a six-play, 58-yard march.

Jackson said he was proud of his team’s determination, although the Rams are still searching for their first victory.

“We’ve told them to never give up,” said Jackson, whose roster carries plenty of freshmen and sophomore players. “If they do, they are going to hurt themselves.”

He praised the play of sophomore quarterback Torriance Herring, who threw a 61-yard TD pass to Jalen Essex in the first quarter.

“He’s a 10th-grader, and he’s real tough,” Jackson said. “Sometimes as a coach, you have to look to the future.”

Dallas County started off quickly, scoring two touchdowns in the first six plays of the game. After senior Hunter Butts went six yards around left end, McAfee took the same route for 23 yards and junior Brandon Harvell scored from 33 yards out in just over a minute. The PAT kick failed.

After Francis Marion missed on a pass attempt and rushed for one yard, Dallas County linebacker Brandon Jackson snagged an errant pass and returned it 27 yards for the touchdown. Another PAT kick missed, but the Hornets managed a 12-0 lead with 9:46 remaining in the first quarter.

The Rams countered quickly. On the third play after the kickoff, Herring lofted his 61-yarder to Essex over the left side. Then Dallas County struck again before the horn when Jackson went four yards around right end and Nathaniel Bell ran in the PAT.

The Hornets padded the lead in the second quarter when Jackson recovered a Rams fumble at the Francis Marion 39-yard line. McAfee hit tight end Thomas Beach on the right flat for the TD; Harvell caught the PAT aerial.

Burns praised the play of Harvell on both offense and defense.

“We are just starting to see his talents,” Burns said. “He’s been playing so much we are wearing him out. I thought he stood out tonight.”

On Dallas County’s next drive before halftime, the Hornets marched 56 yards in eight plays for the score. McAfee capped off the drive with a 1-yard plunge, and Jackson kicked the PAT for the 35-6 margin.

Dallas County dominated the third quarter after linebacker McArthur Jemison recovered a Rams fumble on the first play. The Hornets then strung together seven plays (including a McAfee TD run that was denied because of a holding infraction) for 24 yards. Sophomore running back Anthony Finney punched it through the final yard for the touchdown and Jackson kicked the PAT for a 42-6 lead.

The Hornets’ final points came when Harvell pulled down the Rams’ fourth-down punt and returned it 60 yards for the touchdown with 7:44 left in the third quarter.

Then with 5:31 remaining in the game, Francis Marion ended its scoring when senior Jamarcus Billingsley threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Essex over the left side.

Francis Marion goes to Highland Home next week to face the Rams’ only victim last season. The Hornets face a formidable foe in Jemison.

“Everything’s going to be a lot tougher,” Burns said. “I thought we played OK tonight. We’re getting better. We’re still not where we want to be.”

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