By Alex Chaney, Sports Correspondent
Oct. 2 saw an intense football game between the Hokes Bluff Eagles and the Holly Pond Broncos at Hokes Bluff High School. Holly Pond’s run game gave Hokes Bluff fits most of Friday night, but Hokes Bluff’s defense was able to limit what Holly Pond could put on the scoreboard. Because of this, Hokes Bluff ultimately managed to pull away with a 37-12 win.
In the first quarter, Hokes Bluff got off to a lead with a run by their star running back #2 Brenton Hale, who scored a touchdown with 7:04 left on the clock. After that touchdown, the scoreboard read Hokes Bluff 7 to Holly Pond’s 0, and no other points were added throughout the quarter.
Early in the second quarter, Hokes Bluff had a good drive going, but they stalled out in the red zone after Hale went out with an injury. Despite this setback, Hokes Bluff kicker #24 Allen Cox was able to put the ball through the uprights to give the Eagles a 10-0 lead with 10:17 remaining in the second.
Holly Pond answered with a series of good runs, and penalties against Hokes Bluff only aided them. In a short yardage situation, Holly Pond’s #4 Hunter Tolbert powered in and put the Broncos on the scoreboard. The 2-point attempt, however, failed, and the score was left at 10-6
With Hale out of the game, Hokes Bluff had to rely on senior quarterback Dean Morgan and junior running back Jace Hanks to keep the offense moving. With 4:21 left in the half, Morgan connected with freshman receiver Javin Norman on a long pass, and Norman ran it in for a touchdown. The point after touchdown kick was good, and the score ran up to 17-6.
With the clock at less than a minute remaining, Hokes Bluff quarterback Morgan ran around right end and outran the defense to add a late quarter touchdown. The point after touchdown kick was good yet again, pushing the score to 24-6.
Holly Pond took the ensuing kickoff and added to their score before the half expired. Another 2-point attempt failed, and the half ended with Hoke Bluff 24 to Holly Pond’s 12.
In the third quarter, Holly Pond took the second half kickoff, and with their 3 yards and a cloud of dust, offense controlled the ball for nearly a full 10 minutes. The Broncos were even able to get within the 10-yard line, but the Eagles plugged up the run game. At one point, the Broncos attempted a pass that was intercepted in the endzone by Hokes Bluff’s #20 sophomore Bubba Leatherwood. Eventually, the third period ended with no points scored.
In the fourth quarter, Hokes Bluff’s quarterback Dean Morgan powered in from short yardage with 9:05 left on the clock. The point after touchdown kick went wide left, leaving the score at Hokes Bluff 30 to Holly Pond’s 12.
On Hokes Bluff’s kickoff, the kick was short and landed near a player who failed to field the ball, but Hokes Bluff jumped on the ball. This gave an them excellent field position, and on the next play, Morgan found a hole on the right side and ran through the Holly Pond defense, adding a quick score with 8:53 left in the game. The point after touchdown kick was good, bringing Hokes Bluff up to 37 points.
With no other points scored after this play, Hokes Bluff won with a final score 37-12. This win puts Hokes Bluff at 2-2 in region play, with an upcoming trip to Vinemont.
