Coach Mark Mowery wasn’t very happy.
To be a little bit more precise, he was extremely unhappy with his Grace Academy Golden Eagle football team Friday night.
Even after posting a convincing 45-14 victory over the Lookout Valley Yellow Jackets to put the finishing touches on Grace's Homecoming celebration.
The Golden Eagles did have their share of bright spots and things to celebrate, but 140 yards on 14 penalties about drove Mowery over the edge.
And there was one other play when two Grace players almost got into a fight on the field over a missed block.
“Do you think we look composed out there tonight?” Mowery asked in a disgusted tone after a lengthy talk with his squad after the win.
While Mowery might lose sleep over those two items, he’s got a lot to be proud of in senior quarterback Josh Blake, who quietly had another outstanding performance.
He only ran the ball twice in the first half for 38 yards, but he finished the game with 101 yards on just six carries.
While he's always a threat to score when he’s running with the pigskin, he’s equally as dangerous when he’s throwing it.
Blake tossed 13 TD passes in the five games before this week.
He got five more Friday night as he completed 12 of 20 passes for 209 yards.
Lookout Valley slowed him down on occasion, but he made the Yellow Jacket defenders look helpless at other times.
“This is the first time we’ve ever beaten Lookout Valley, so we’re thrilled about that. And I thought Josh threw it well," Mowery said while focusing on positive news.
"They were determined to keep him from running the ball, but we had receivers open all night long. He didn’t have the huge seams like he normally gets, but they picked their poison tonight,” the coach praised.
“We played the best we’ve ever played in the first quarter. I mean, everything we did worked, but then we lost our intensity and concentration,” he continued.
Perhaps the two biggest cheers of the game were for girls.
The first came in pre-game ceremonies when Savannah Hughes was crowned homecoming queen.
The second came when Stacey Tatum booted the first of two extra points midway through the third quarter.
She’s a senior and a pretty good soccer player, but she proved to be quite efficient at kicking a football as both PATs were right down the middle and had plenty of distance.
“I think she practiced twice with us this week, but she wants to be part of this football team. She did what she was supposed to do and I think the fans got excited,” Mowery broke into a smile.
Blake came out firing when Grace got the ball after Lookout Valley took the opening kickoff and went three-and-out.
He completed four of eight passes on that first drive as the Golden Eagles moved from their own 49 to the Lookout Valley 8 before the drive stalled.
Jefferson Walker made the effort count as he booted a 25-yard field goal with 6:29 to play in the first quarter.
Walker started the Golden Eagles’ next drive with a 26 yard run, moving the ball from one 37 yard line to the other 37.
Three plays later Blake hooked up with Stefen Graham on a 38-yard TD and the Golden Eagles were rolling.
The lead increased to 17-0 inside the final minute of the first quarter when Blake tossed a 12-yard scoring pass to Taylor Wilson.
Another 30-yarder to Wilson made it 24-0 with 8:49 to play in the first half and all of that took place before Lookout Valley recorded its first first down.
Tay Vaughn Wynn put the Yellow Jackets on the board with a sneak from the 1 with 5:15 to play before intermission.
The eight-play, 76-yard drive was highlighted by a 28-yard pass from Wynn to Aaron O’Dell to get everything started.
Wilson’s third TD catch of the half extended the Grace advantage to 31-8 before Derrick Pullom powered his way into the end zone from the 11 with 40 seconds to play before the break.
The Golden Eagle lead was 31-14 at intermission and it never got any closer.
Lookout Valley coach Tony Webb was another individual who wasn’t very thrilled at his team’s performance.
“We got off to a bad start, but I thought we did some good things in the second quarter. All we can do is try to get better on Monday.
“I thought we took a step backward tonight. We had several bad snaps and we had some untimely penalties. We just weren’t very physical at times.
"The score was 45-14. What can you say after a game like that?” he concluded.
Lookout Valley finished the game with 188 total yards, including 126 on the ground and 62 through the air.
Pullom was the leading rusher for the Yellow Jackets as he gained 62 yards on 13 attempts.
Wynn added 45 yards on 13 attempts. O’Dell’s 28-yard reception was the biggest pass play of the game for Lookout Valley.
Grace finished with 422 total yards, including 213 on the ground and 209 through the air.
Wilson was the leading receiver with five grabs for 83 yards and three TDs.
Fuquan Harper and Matt Ruebusch had three catches apiece for 46 and 40 yards, respectively.
Graham’s only catch was the 38-yard TD.
Blake was the leading rusher for Grace with his 101 yards while Cody Cross added 48 yards on 11 trips and Walker 45 yards on four attempts.
Grace finished with 21 first downs while Lookout Valley ended the game with 11.
Grace improves to 4-2 overall and 2-0 in Region 3-A. The Golden Eagles will be at home again next week with a game against David Brainerd.
Lookout Valley is now 4-3 overall and 2-2 in 3-A.
The Yellow Jackets have the next two weekends off before facing Silverdale on Oct 24.
Lookout Valley 0 14 0 0 -- 14
Grace Academy 17 14 14 0 -- 45
GA – Jefferson Walker 25 field goal, 6:29 left in first;
GA – Stefen Graham 38 pass from Josh Blake (Walker kick), 4:27 left in first;
GA – Taylor Wilson 12 pass from Blake (Walker kick), :50 left in first;
GA – Wilson 30 pass from Blake (Walker kick), 8:49 left in second;
LV – Tay Vaughn Wynn 1 run (Derrick Pullom run), 5:15 left in second;
GA – Wilson 17 pass from Blake (Walker kick), 3:20 left in second;
LV – Pullom 11 run (run failed), 0:40 left in second;
GA – Fuquan Harper 34 pass from Blake (Stacey Tatum kick), 5:37 left in third;
GA – Blake 11 run (Tatum kick), 1:55 in third
(Email John Hunt at tnmoose2002@aol.com)
Stacey Tatum kicks an extra point.
photo by
Greg Davick