After dropping three consecutive games, the Yazoo City Indians entered last Friday night’s game against the Gentry Rams in desperate need of a win.
The stakes were even higher as it was not only the first district game, but Homecoming as well.
Fortunately for the Indian faithful, head coach Sherrod Gideon’s troops were able to use a ball controlled offense to pull out a 22-14 victory.
“This was a very big win for the program. If you lose this one and drop four games in a row plus lose your first district game, it would have been hard to dig yourself out of that kind of hole,” said Gideon. “So we came out tonight and did what we were supposed to do in the first half. We kinda let them back in the game in the second half so we’ve got to do a better job of closing teams out. We got into the red zone and turned the ball over and then let them drive 96-yards for a touchdown. You can’t beat good teams like that.”
Yazoo City opened the game with a touchdown run by Dewanya Jones, who has stepped up recently to assist fellow backs Travion Reese and Cordero McBride.
After a second quarter TD pass from Christopher Burnett to Anthony Brown, the Indians led 14-0.
The Rams got on the scoreboard on their ensuing possession after a touchdown pass and two-point conversion pass at the 5:19 mark of the second quarter.
The Indians scored again at the halftime buzzer on a pass from Burnett to Amarion Brown.
Burnett connected with Jacquaris Rogers on the two-point pass and the Indians led 22-8 at the half.
The Indians opened things up in the third quarter and went on a 10-play, time consuming drive all the way to the Ram redzone before a Burnett pass intended for Rogers was intercepted by a Ram defender.
Gentry connected on a 60-yard pass play leading to a first and goal inside the Indian five-yard line where they would score to make it a one possession game at 22-14 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Indians would fumble the ball over to the Rams with 10:24 to play in the fourth, but a few plays later Anthony Brown intercepted a pass giving Yazoo City the ball back with 5:05 remaining.
The Indians milked away the clock and the Ram offense never saw the field again.
Yazoo City travels to Jackson Prep Friday.
“I put Prep on the schedule for a reason,” said Gideon. “This game is going to show us what a playoff game is like.”
