Yazoo City High took their fifth loss in as many games on Friday night when they fell 38-0 to Hazlehurst.
The Indians are now 0-5 on the season.
In the first minutes of the game, Hazlehurst jumped out to a 7-0 lead.
After scoring their first touchdown of the game, Hazlehurst kicked off to Yazoo City, who fumbled the ball, allowing Hazlehurst to return it for a score.
According to Yazoo City High head football coach Lynn Lang, that touchdown, by MHSAA rules, never should have occurred.
“On their second touchdown, they kicked off to us, and we fumbled the ball,” Lang said. “They picked it up and ran it in. You can’t do that in high school football. That should have been a dead ball like a muffed punt. I’ve called it in to the Mississippi High School Athletics Associations. I just want my kids to be treated like everybody else. We’re not at the point where we can get down 14-0 and come back. We couldn’t bounce back from that.”
With Yazoo City on the ropes, the Indians of Hazlehurst began to roll in the second quarter, scoring 25 straight points to take a 38-0 lead into the half.
A running clock throughout the second half shortened the game, making 38-0 the final score.
Junior linebacker Javarious Grady had one of his best games of the season on Friday night. Grady racked up a team-high 10 tackles (2.0 for loss) and 1.5 sacks.
Sophomore Jordan Cole was right behind Grady with nine tackles.
Junior Dashun Taylor had five tackles (3.0 for loss) and a sack in the losing effort.
The Indians have been playing shorthanded lately due to a rash of injuries.
Lang believes that has been a big problem for his team lately.
“One of our main issues has been injuries,” Lang said. “We lost our most veteran player, linebacker Sam Barton, early in the first game against Yazoo County. We’ve been playing without Tommy Washington, who hurt his wrist. We’re still a relatively young team. When we have injuries, you can see that.”
While the injuries have been difficult to overcome, Lang believes they have a chance to make a positive impact on his team down the road.
“It makes you have to reshuffle your hand,” Lang said. “You have a certain way that you want to play, and it stops you from doing that. When you have an injury like we did at middle linebacker, you have to put in a less experienced guy. The middle linebacker is the quarterback of the defense. they make sure everybody is lined up right. We have a ninth grader doing that. But it does allow him to get experience, and in the long run, that will help.”
Yazoo City will try and get their first win of the season on Friday night when they travel to face South Delta.
South Delta is 3-2 on the year after defeating Humphreys County 52-30 on Friday night.
Lang has been impressed with South Delta’s ability to score.
“South Delta put up 52 points on Humphreys County,” Lang said. “I don’t think their offense will be quite as complicated as Hazlehurst’s. Either way, we have to do much better offensively. I think we have played a very good non-conference schedule, and we have one more to play to get ready for conference.”
Kickoff between Yazoo City and South Delta is set for 7 p.m.
