Davis Leads Red Bank To 37-7 Win At Central

Lions Break Open Close Game In Second Quarter

  • Saturday, September 20, 2014
  • John Hunt

Malik Davis was just a little too much for the Central Purple Pounders to handle Friday night.

Playing at Central in a key District 6-AA contest, the Red Bank senior scored two touchdowns in the second quarter and the Lions broke open a close game en route to a 37-7 victory.

The score was tied at 7-7 as play entered the second quarter, but a fumble recovery by Shawn Caldwell put the Lions in business at the Central 21. 

Demarcus Rivers gained four yards on the first play before quarterback Brett Perry hooked up with Davis for a 17-yard TD pass.  Christian Velazquez booted the extra point and Red Bank's lead was 14-7 with 7:41 showing before the half.

The wheels started falling off for the Pounders on the kickoff following that second-quarter TD.

The kick was fielded at the 16 by Sharone Tatum, but instead of going upfield, he went backwards in hope of picking up some key blocks.  He was nailed at the 2.

Central was unable to get a first down, so Tareq Faleh was forced to punt from the back of the end zone.  He was unable to handle the snap and a safety was awarded when the ball sailed out of the end zone.

Then on the ensuing free kick, Davis fielded the kick at the Red Bank 25 and raced 75 yards for another score with 4:46 to play before intermission.

It was 23-7 when the horn sounded for the break, but the game was basically over at that point.  Red Bank was able to add two more touchdowns in the third quarter as the Lions improved to 3-2 overall and 2-0 in District 6-AA.

"That's the kind of effort we've been looking for, so let's just keep doing it," Red Bank coach Chad Grabowski told his kids immediately following the game.

"Right now, we're in first place in the district so we just need to keep moving forward.  Four of our next five games are at home and that should help us, but we needed this win tonight.

"I wish we could have gotten a few more first downs, but I thought we did a good job of being consistent on offense.  That 16-point spurt in the second quarter was critical and that safety just got our juices flowing," he added.

While Davis had the one TD reception and another on the kick return, he also had an interception and got a few offensive snaps at quarterback from the Wildcat formation.  He probably would have sold some popcorn if they had asked.

If that wasn't enough, he recovered an onside kick to start the second half.  The Lions scored two plays later when Courtney Stamper bulled his way into the end zone from the 7.

"I had fun tonight," began the slender 6-2, 170-pound senior following the game.

"They called my number and I showed up.  I love playing defense, but that kick return gave us a big spark as this was a huge win for us.  We're leading the district right now and we want to keep it that way," he nodded.

Central coach Ryan Mallory was down, but not out following the lopsided loss.

"We just didn't do a very job of getting ready to play offensively.  We had a few big plays,  but we were way too inconsistent.  I'm proud of the effort as we never backed down.  We played hard until the last snap.

"It's hard when you give up a touchdown on special teams and that totally changes things when you're that far down, but we'll keep working.  I'm confident that we're heading in the right direction," Mallory nodded after his team fell to 3-2 overall and 0-2 in the district.

Neither team set the woods on fire with their offensive output, but credit must go to the defenses on both sides.

Red Bank finished with 205 total yards, including 81 on the ground and 124 through the air.

Rivers was the workhorse with 57 yards on 16 carries.  Ben Brown just had two pass receptions, but the first went for 50 in the first half while the second was good for 24.  Jerome Hughley had a catch for 25 while Davis had the 17-yarder for the second Red Bank touchdown.

Central was limited to 152 yards total offense, including 80 on the ground and 72 through the air.

Isyah Funk gained 46 yards on 11 carries while Taven Spann added 35 on 16 trips.  Tracy Penson added a spark with 20 yards on three carries late.

Tre Tiller had two receptions for 48 yards -- both going for 24 -- while D.J. Baxter had three grabs for 24 yards.

Rivers scored Red Bank's first touchdown with 8:27 showing in the first quarter when he blocked a Central punt.  After a scramble for the loose ball, he scooped it up and zipped six yards for the opening score.

Central's only score same late in the first quarter. 

Brian Billingsley intercepted a Red Bank pass and returned it to the Lion 32.  Tiller's 24-yard reception moved it to the 8.  Spann picked up seven on the next play before Scout Morgan scored from the 1 on a keeper with 2:33 to play.

Red Bank will be at home next week to host Rhea County while Central will be off next week before a road trip to Tyner on Oct. 3.

 RED BANK  7  16  14  0  --  37

CENTRAL    7  0  0  0  --  7

RB -- Demarcus Rivers 6 return of blocked punt (Christian Velazquez kick), 8:27 left in first;

CEN -- Scout Morgan 1 run (Tareq Faleh kick), 2:33 left in first;

RB -- Malik Davis 17 pass from Brett Perry (Velazquez kick), 7:41 left in second;

RB -- safety when Central punt snap sailed out of end zone, 4:59 left in second;

RB -- Davis 75 free kick return (Velazquez kick), 4:46 left in second;

RB -- Courtney Stamper 7 run (Velazquez kick), 11;30 left in third;

RB -- Rivers 1 run (Velazquez kick), 5:52 left in third.

(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@Comcast.net

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