By John Goolsby, For The Tribune
MILLBROOK —The Shades Valley Mounties defeated Stanhope Elmore, 20-13, on the road in Foshee-Henderson Stadium Friday night. The game was a back and forth affair, but the Mounties got a late score and a big defensive stand to secure the win.
The Mustangs took the opening kick and drove to the Mountie 12-yard line, but the Mountie defense forced a fumble on the the next play.
The Mountie offense could not find a rhythm and had to punt. The Mustangs then turned the ball over on downs after driving into Shades Valley territory.
The Mounties drew blood first on an 8-yard scamper by junior quarterback Steve Brown as time expired in the first quarter. The PAT failed, and Valley led 6-0.
The Mustangs struck quickly on a 48-yard strike from Jacob Bryant to Jackson Thomas. The PAT was successful, and Stanhope Elmore held a 7-6 lead with 11:24 remaining in the half.
The Mounties had to turn to their deep stable of backs after starting running back. Marcus Thomas left the game with an injury. Valley was able to put together a scoring drive just before halftime. Junior Ethan Johnson scored on a 1-yard run with 1:33 to play in the half. The two-point conversion failed, and the Mounties led 12-7.
The Mustangs mounted one last drive before the half. Senior Malique Steele intercepted a deep pass as time expired. The two teams headed to their locker rooms, with the Mounties holding a 12-7 lead.
The Mounties opened the second half with the ball but had to punt after they couldn’t put anything together offensively. The Mustangs then put together an impressive drive and moved inside the Valley’s ten-yard line. The Mountie defense stiffened and forced a field goal attempt. The Mustangs missed a 23-yard kick, and Valley took over.
Neither team could muster a scoring drive in the third quarter. Stanhope Elmore put together a drive culminating in a 20-yard touchdown pass from Bryant to Thomas with 11:35 to play. The two-point conversion failed, and the Mustangs held a 13-12 lead.
Both teams had to punt on their next drives. The Mounties took over on their own 23 with 6:02 remaining in the game and went to work. Freshman running back Geordan Clark took a screen pass for a 20-yard gain, and sophomore receiver Ji’Quez Daniel came up with a big 22-yard reception to keep the drive alive. With 3:40 remaining in the game, senior receiver Christian Thomas took a swing pass from Brown, made a tackler miss, and went untouched up the middle for a 28-yard touchdown. Ji’Quez Daniel converted the two-point conversion on a sweep, and the Mounties led 20-13.
Stanhope Elmore was not quite through, though. The Mustangs drove to the Mountie 7-yard line with less than a minute remaining. The Valley defense held them out of the endzone. The Mountie offense took over and ran the clock out.
Head coach Rueben Nelson was proud of his team. “I’m proud of them; they played with heart,” he said. “They took a step towards learning how to win tonight.”
Freshman running back Geordan Clark played extremely well in place of Thomas.
Christian Thomas, who had over 120 yards, was happy with his play. “I feel like we played well and I had a good night,” he said. “I wanted to leave my mark.”