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Week 7: Cory-Rawson at McComb (FINAL)

  • Leonardo
    Week 7
  • Leonardo
    Calpreps.com projects McComb to win, 42-3
  • Leonardo
    McComb: 7
    Cory-Rawson: 0
  • Leonardo
    McComb: 21
    Cory-Rawson: 0
    3:00 left in 1st quarter
  • Leonardo
    McComb: 53
    Cory-Rawson: 0
    FINAL
  • killdeer
    the interesting thing....is that this is the game where C-R finally figured out that last year was just a fluke.
  • Leonardo
    By (hippy) TED RADICK
    - THE COURIER

    McCOMB — Last year’s game between McComb and Cory-Rawson was a nailbiter that came, literally, down to the last play. This time around, McComb took all the suspense away.

    The undefeated Panthers scored on their first four possessions, built a 41-0 halftime lead and cruised to a 53-0 victory Friday in a Blanchard Valley Conference game at McComb.

    The Panthers, ranked No. 7 in the most recent Associated Press Division VI poll, improved to 7-0 overall and 6-0 in the BVC. Cory-Rawson fell to 3-4, 2-4. McComb had 21 first downs and 381 yards of total offense in the first half.

    “We came out firing on all cylinders tonight, both on offense and defense,” said McComb quarterback Andrew Dee, who finished 28 of 39 passing for 384 yards and four touchdowns. "Coach (Kris) Alge said when we got the ball, we wanted to try and set a tone. Our defense did the same thing, they stepped up big.”

    Alge said getting off to a quick start was important for the Panthers.

    “I think that has been key for our kids all season,” he said. “Tonight, the defense came out and got a stop, and when the defense does that, forces a three and out, it sparks our offense. We put up a couple touchdowns pretty early, and that sort of takes the wind out their sail a bit.”

    McComb’s opening score came on a 10-play, 62-yard drive that took less than two minutes to find the end zone. Dee scrambled for key first down on a third-and-10 play, hit Taylor Hanes for a 40-yard passing play and scored on a 1-yard run with 8:45 left in the first quarter.

    McComb struck quickly twice more in the first quarter. Cody Wilson keyed the Panthers’ second drive with a 25-yard first-down run before he scored on a 16-yard sweep to the left side. That drive went 71 yards in five plays, again taking less than two minutes off the clock.

    Dee then hit Mason Roth with two passes, sandwiched between a pass interference call against the Hornets. The second completion was a 6-yard score to make it 21-0 with three minutes left in the first quarter.

    Hanes finished with 13 catches for 230 yards and Roth caught nine passes for 106 yards. Both receivers had two touchdown catches.

    “The linemen did such a good job tonight,” Dee said. “You saw how much time I had to throw and our receivers are just so good it makes my job really easy. I sat back there and thought, ‘Someone should be coming,’ and no one came. The line makes my job really easy. Our offensive line has only a couple guys back from last year, but I’ve seen saying all year what a great job they’ve done. They mesh together so well. With the talented receivers we have, there’s no way they can cover all our guys with the time the line gives me.”

    Cory-Rawson coach Andy Schafer said the McComb receivers simply beat the Hornets’ second line of defense.

    “You look at our defensive line, and we’re not fast,” Schafer said. “Our game plan isn’t necessarily to put pressure on with the D-line, our game plan is to cover receivers and we just didn’t do that tonight.”

    Dee hit Roth for a 13-yard score in the second quarter, followed with a second 1-yard scoring run and hit Hanes with a 16-yard touchdown pass to make it 41-0 at halftime.

    Hanes caught a 51-yard scoring pass from Dee and Austin Inbody scored on a 4-yard, third-quarter run to wrap up the scoring.

    Alge said the Panthers worked on throwing the deep ball more than usual.

    “We missed on a couple plays; Dee overthrew a couple,” he said. “And their kids made a couple of nice plays knocking the ball down. We’ve been working on going downfield more. Additionally, we’ve been a shorter, jailbreak-type passing team. Our kids did a nice job of getting open and catching the ball, and our receivers blocked well down the field.”

    McComb finished with 515 total yards to Cory-Rawson’s 182.

    “The defense did a great job of containing (Hornets quarterback) Jeremiah (Alspach). We were concerned with his ability to scramble,” Alge said. “For the most part we didn’t give up the big play, and we’ve been trying to preach that.” Alspach, second in the BVC in passing yards behind Dee, completed 11 of 22 passes for 79 yards.

    “They’re a really good team, there’s not much to say there,” Schafer said. “My players didn’t quit, and I’ll still take them over anyone.”