WMCS shut out by Calhoun Academy

By JOHN RECH

news@theeveningtimes.com

Pads popped in a hard hitting game at West Memphis Christian School. The Black Knights hosted the Calhoun Academy Cougars. Contentious line play and hard tackling marked the spirited game throughout but the home team succumbed 48-0.

The young Black Knights team yielded in its second straight home loss by the same score. The team picked up a new player, a low to the ground punishing runner, Jeremiah Stevenson. West Memphis Christian School miss handled 4 of the first 5 snaps from scrimmage resulting in negative yardage and leading to two quick touchdowns for the Cougars.

Personal fouls marred the play for each team for tackling out of bounds against the home team and piling on from the visitors. The cougars trash talked and whooped, and punched on the ground in front of tolerant officials and insults added to literal injuries after the whistle for a handful of Black Knights.

The Black Knights A-gap was wide open for Cougar defenders early on and Coach Daniel Sousa urged the team to tighten their spacing along the line. The offense produced almost no positive yardage in the first half. The coach gave up on the play book and directed the team into a power I formation with simple calls to attack left or right.

The Black Knight defense proved vulnerable to the Cougar’s jet sweep to the left and passing to the right. The cougars scored on one or two play drives three times. The home team made short fields for the visitors with turnovers and shanked punts.

West Memphis Christian School battled until the end. The young players exhausted themselves playing both ways against a visiting squad with more players. The home defense dramatically slowed the scoring of the visitors in the second half yielding just sixteen points after the intermission.

Austin Williams provided the play of the game for the Black Knights. Number 5 intercepted a pass at the goal line and returned it 30 yards. Williams powered through one tackle and spun out of another before coming down in front of the Black Knights bench. Defenders formed a picket line to escort Williams in the return that thrilled the home crowd.

The Black Knights set for the snap during first half play at home Friday night against the Calhoun Academy Cougars. The visitors blanked West Memphis Christian 48-0 featuring hard hitting on the line.

Photo by John Rech