Mount Ida Lions Football

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10/23/09
LION’S FALL TO RATTLER’S
Mt Ida, AR
Bruce Massey

Senior quarterback Tyler McRae threw for 206 yards and 3 TD’s to propel the Murfreesboro Rattlers past the Mt. Ida Lions at Mt. Ida on Friday night.  The win improved the Rattlers to 5-0 in the Class 2A Region 7 conference while the Lions dropped to 1-4 in league play.  The 7-1 Rattlers are set for a November 5^th meeting with the 7-1 (4-0) Springhill Bears for the conference championship.  The loss eliminated the Lions from playoff contention.

The Lions rushed for 204 yards and passed for 59 yards while the Rattlers threw for 206 yards and ran for only 53 yards in the ball game.

The Rattlers struck early in the first quarter after Drew Cox recovered a Lion’s fumble at the Mt. Ida 38 yard line.  McRae would hook up with Garrett Gills on the next play for a quick 38 yard scoring strike and after the PAT, the Rattlers led 7-0 with 6:21 left in the first.

The Lions were stopped on 4^th and 2 at their own 39 yard line on the next possession and again the Rattlers needed only one play to hit pay dirt.  McRae found Gills on a 39 yard pitch and catch to give the Rattlers a 13-0 edge with 3:36 left in the opening quarter.

After a good kickoff return gave the Lions 1^st and 10 at the Mt. Ida 43 yard line, Zach Hall found daylight on a quick hitter up the middle and rambled 57 yards for the Lions TD.  Ben Cogburn added the 2pt conversion to make it a ball game at 13-8 with 3:19 left in the quarter.

But the Rattlers would strike back with a 5 play 60 yard drive ending with a 20 yard TD toss from McRae to Chance Osburn as time expired in the first quarter.  The 2pt conversion attempt was no good giving the Rattlers a 19-8 lead. 

The Lions controlled the ball for much of the 2^nd quarter, grounding out a long drive deep inside Rattler territory.  The Lions picked up two key 4^th down conversions to keep the drive alive and pushed the ball inside the Rattlers red zone for a 1^st and 10 at the Murfreesboro 19 yard line.  A holding penalty forced the ball back to the Rattlers 27 yard line and the Lions were forced to turn the ball over on downs with 3:43 left in the half.  The Rattlers moved the ball quickly down the field but a Ty Dupree interception in the end zone ended the Rattlers drive as the first half came to an end.

The Lions would draw first blood in the second half.  Andrew Reynolds recovered a Rattler fumble near midfield to give the Lions 1^st and 10 at their own 48 yard line.  The Lions needed only 5 plays to go 52 yards with Zach Hall taking it in from 20 yards out for his second score of the game.  The 2pt conversion was no good but the Lions had pulled to within 19-14 with 5:55 left in the 3^rd quarter.

But the Rattlers answered back quickly with Cody Fugitt returning the kickoff 75 yards for a Rattler TD.  Fugitt would add the 2pt conversion to extend the Murfreesboro lead to 27-14.  The Lions would go three and out on their next possession, giving the Rattlers the ball at the Mt Ida 48 yard line.  The Rattlers drove to the Lions 21 yard line before the Lions defense stiffened.  A penalty set the Rattlers back to the 26 yard line and Issac Summitt sacked McRae for an 11 yard loss back to the Lions 37 yard line.  After an incomplete pass on 3^rd down, the Rattlers set to punt the ball.  Josh Hackney broke threw to block the punt attempt giving the Lions the ball on their own 37 yard line. 

The Lions would drive to the Rattlers 10 yard line before the Murfreesboro defense stiffened and forced the ball over on downs.  Dillion Robbins recovered a Rattlers fumble 2 plays later at the Murfreesboro 20 yard line to give the Lions new life deep inside Rattler territory.  But a holding penalty on the Lions stalled the drive and the Rattlers forced the ball over on downs at the 17 yard line to preserve the 27-14 win.

Zach Hall led the Lions offense with 6 carries for 98 yards and 2 TD’s, Tate Harper added 12 carries for 34 yards, Jacob Baker had 8 carries for 27 yards, Josh Hackney had 8 carries for 21 yards and Ben Cogburn had 5 carries for 16 yards.  Tyler McRae was 11 of 17 passing for 206 yards, 3 TD’s and 1 INT. Cody Fugitt carried the ball 13 times for 39 yards and had a 75 yard kickoff return for a TD.  Garrett Gills had 4 catches for 94 yards and 2 TD’s, Chance Osburn had 4 catches for 71 yards and 1 TD and Wesley Womack had 3 catches for 41 yards.  Ty Dupree had an INT and Andrew Reynolds and Dillion Robbins had a fumble recovery each for the Lions.

10/16/09

Lions Fall Short in Battle at the Holler, Dierks, AR, by Bruce Massey

The Mt. Ida Lions fell to 2-4 for the season (1-3 in conference) with a devastating loss to the Dierks Outlaws at Dierks on Friday night. The win gave Dierks their first conference victory of the season in front of a Homecoming crowd at the Holler.

Both teams went three plays and out on their first possessions.  The Outlaws would drive the ball to the Mt. Ida 38 yard line on their second possession before Travis Beechy would intercept a Cody Stapp pass at the Lions 25 and return it 55 yards to give the Lions’ offense great field position with 1^st and 10 at the Outlaw 20 yard line.  But the Lions’ offense would turn the ball over on downs at the Outlaw 24 yard line. The Outlaws would need only two plays to drive 76 yards for early TD.  After a 46 yard run by Cody Stapp, Jessie Edge would take it 30 yards for the Outlaw TD.  The PAT was no good giving the Outlaws a 6-0 advantage.

The Lions would answer right back with a 10 play 68 yard drive on their next possession , with Jacob Baker taking it in from 4 yards out for the Lions TD.  Travis Beechy added the PAT to give Mt. Ida the 7-6 lead with 18 ticks left in the 1^st quarter.

The Outlaws added a TD with 21 seconds left before halftime, ending a long 12 play  88 yard drive with a 2 yard dive into the end zone by Cody Stapp.  The two-point conversion was no good giving the Outlaws a 12-7 lead at the break.

The Lions’ defense stepped it up in the second half while the Outlaws enjoyed great field position.  The salty young Lions’ defense stopped Outlaw drives inside the Mt. Ida 15 yard line on each of the Outlaws first two possessions of the second half.  But the Lions’ offense continued to go three and out.  With 9:03 left in the 4^th quarter, Devin Westin intercepted a Stapp pass at the Mt. Ida 24 yard line on the Outlaws 3^rd possession of the second half but again the Lions were forced three and out.

With 4:52 left in the game, Sawyer Kesterson would intercept a Josh Hackney pass and return it 39 yards for an Outlaw score.  Jessie Edge added the 2-point conversion to give the Outlaws a decisive 20-7 victory.

The Outlaws ended the game with 282 total yards while holding the Lions to 154 yards for the game.  Jacob Baker had 15 carries for 58 yards and 1TD, Ty Dupree added 4 carries for 35 yards and Devin Westin had 2 catches for 48 yards and added 1 INT.  Travis Beechy had 1 INT returned for 55 yards.

Cody Stapp led the Outlaws’ offense with 22 carries for 94 yards and 1TD, Jessie Edge added 11 carries for 73 yards and 1 TD and Shaye Gilbert ended with 17 carries for 83 yards.  Sawyer Kesterson had 1 INT returned 39 yards for a TD.

10/9/09  

Springhill Wins Battle In The Mud
Mt. Ida, AR
Bruce Massey

The Springhill Bears improved to 3-0 in conference play with a decisive 40-7 win over the Mt. Ida Lions in the mud at Mt. Ida on Friday night. The loss dropped the Lions to 1-3 in conference play with an important game coming up against the Dierks Outlaws at Dierks next week.

The Bears enjoyed great field position all night while their average starting position in the first half was the Lions 44 yard line.  The Lions average starting position in the first half was their own 21 yard line.  The Bears led 21-0 at the half, taking advantage of the great field position.  The Bears took advantage of 2 Lions turnovers in the second half (3 for the game) to score 3 more times to make the 40-7 final score.

The Lions ended the game with 165 yards of offense (138 rushing-27 passing) while allowing the Bears 371 yards (347 rushing-24 passing.  The Bears had 16 1^st downs and the Lions had 7 for the game. Rodrea Jones led the Bears offense with 10 carries for 106 yards and 2 TD’s, Corey Powell added 14 carries for 102 yards and 2 TD’s and Kevin Aaron had 8 carries for 81 yards and a TD.

Josh Hackney had 14 carries for 107 yards to lead the Lions offense. Jacob Baker added 24 yards on 9 carries and a TD.

10/9/09 MT. IDA, AR- Id Springhill beat the Mount Ida Lions 40-7, Mt. Ida dropped to 2-3 overall and 1-3 in district. Springhill improved to 5-1 overall and 3-0 in district. Next up for Mt. Ida; a game Friday night against the Dierks Outlaws in Dierks. Horatio beat Dierks last Friday 33-8. The Outlaws are 1-5 overall and 0-3 in district. You can listen to the Mt. Ida vs. Dierks game live on our website Friday at www.kwxi.net  and replayed on KWXI AM and FM Saturday morning at 10 a.m. Clint Pettijohn and Bruce Massey with the play-by-play and color commentary.

Josh Hackney would have 14 carries for 107 yard and 24 yards passing against Spring Hill.

10/2/09
Lions Ground Out Victory Over Gators
Foreman, AR
by Bruce Massey

The Mt. Ida Lions ran their power ground game almost to perfection on Friday night and picked up a big conference win 21-0 over the Foreman Gators.  The Lions had two backs break the century mark in rushing yardage for the first time this season while piling up an impressive 308 yards on the ground.  The win evened the Lions season record at 2-2 (1-1 conference) but more importantly, was the break out game for the young Mt. Ida offense.  Jacob Baker had 20 carries for 135 yards and  1 TD while quarterback Josh Hackney added 14 totes for 123 yards and 2 TD,s.  The Lions offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage while the Lions defense, led by Sophomore Trevor Scurlock and Senior Isaac Summitt, held the Gator offense to only 167 yards for the game.

The Lions scored quickly, needing only 2 plays on their opening possession to find pay dirt.  Josh Hackney scored on a 45-yard run with 9:30 left in the 1^st quarter and after a Travis Beechy  PAT, the Lions led 7-0.

After the Beechy kickoff, the Gators set up 1^st and 10 at the Gator 23 yard line.  The Gators controlled the ball for over 9 ½ minutes on a 16 play drive, aided by two off-side penalties on the Lions defense that gave Foreman key 1^st downs to keep the drive alive.  The Mt. Ida defense stiffened and stopped the Gators on 4^th down at the Lions 6-yard line to force the ball over on downs.

The Lions converted two key 4^th downs deep in their own territory but an offense pass interference call stopped the Lions, forcing a Beechy punt from the Lions 32-yard line.  The Lions defense forced the Gators three plays and out and a Jordan Young 37 yard punt gave the Lions 1^st and 10 at the Mt. Ida 27 yard line with 4:13 left in the half.  The Lions went to the power ground game as Baker and Hackney continued to pound the ball up the middle behind the big offensive front line.  The Lions drove 73 yards in 11 plays with Baker scoring from  2-yards out with :40 left in the half.  Beechy added the PAT giving the Lions a 14-0 lead at the half.

The second half was left to the defenses with both teams stingy on their individual sides of the 50-yard line.  The Lions would add a late insurance TD on a 4-yard run by Josh Hackney with 1:52 left to play in the 4^th quarter.  Beechy’s PAT made the final score 21-0. The Lions defense forced 3 second half turnovers by the Gators and lost one fumble of their own.  The Lions picked off Senior quarterback Shawn Walker 3 times in the game.

Ty Dupree added 6 carries for 30 yards and Zach Hall had 2 carries for 20 yards as an added bonus to the Lion offense in the absence of Sophomore tailback Ben Cogburn.  Hackney completed 2 of 5 passes for 12 yards with both receptions made by Tate Harper.  The Lions converted 14 1^st downs and allowed the Gators 11 1^st downs.  Tate Harper, Jacob Baker and Josh Hackney had one INT each in the ball game and Zach Hall had one fumble recovery. 

9/25/09 Lions Drop Conference Opener To Hornets

Mt. Ida, AR
Bruce Massey

The Mt. Ida Lions came up on the short end in their conference and home opener for the 2009 season.   The Lions fell 18-0 to the Mineral Springs Hornets making their season record 1-2 overall and 0-1 in conference play.

The Hornets scored three times, all in the first half, while the young Lions offense continued to sputter.  The Hornets had scoring drives of 45, 45, and 44 yards and continually found themselves with excellent field position on the Lion side of the 50 yard line.  The Hornets ground out 8-1^st downs in the first half while holding the Lions to three plays and out on all six first half possessions.

The Lions managed to find some offense in the second half.  The Lions put together three long second half drives but the Hornet defense stiffened each time to keep the Lions out of the end zone.  The Lions managed 8-1^st downs in the second half while the Hornets ended with 12 for the game.

The young Lions ended with 103 yards of total offense while giving up 298 yards to the Hornets. Senior Hornets quarterback Shaun Richardson rushed 18 times for 190 yards and 2 TD’s and completed 6 of 10 passes for 71 yards and 1 TD.  Josh Hackney rushed for 57 yards on 19 carries and Jacob Baker had 12 carries for 31 yards.

9/18/09 Lions Do It With Defense

Lavaca, AR
By Bruce Massey

The Mt. Ida Lions used a big play defense to overcome a subpar offensive effort to defeat the Lavaca Golden Arrows on Friday night. The Lions defense intercepted passes from Lavaca’s Senior quarterback Tyler Daniels 5 times in the ballgame (including 3 picks in the 4^th quarter) to preserve a 28-20 win over the Golden Arrows.  The win evened the Lions season record at 1-1 (0-0) sending them into conference play next week with their home opener against Springhill.

The Golden Arrows completely dominated the offensive statistics, out gaining the Lions 346 to 99 in total offense. The Golden Arrows racked up 19 first downs while allowing only 2 for the Lions. But it would be the Lions defense that would be the difference makers in the ball game.  The Lions defense forced 5 turnovers while only committing 1 to make the difference in the game.

Lavaca got on the scoreboard first ending a 9-play 73-yard drive with a 5-yard toss and catch from Daniels to Senior tailback Jason Voss. The extra point attempt was no good giving Lavaca the early 6-0 lead with 8:04 left in the opening quarter.

Mt. Ida answered immediately, needing only 2 plays, when Sophomore tailback Ben Cogburn (9 carries-79 yards-1TD) busted up the middle for 60 yards and a Lions TD.  Travis Beechy added the extra point to give the Lions the lead with 7:14 left in the first quarter.

The Lions defense would get their first big defensive stop on the Golden Arrows next possession. Lions Senior Devin Weston would stop a 10 play-49 yard Lavaca drive with an interception at the goal line and return the ball to the Mt. Ida 28 yard line. The Lions went three and out and punted the ball back to the Golden Arrows. But a 12-yard sack by Isaac Summitt and a fumbled snap on 4^th down, defended well by Swazee Brown and Garrett Mullenix, dropping Daniels for another huge loss, gave the Lions back the ball 1^st and goal at the Lavaca 5-yard line. Sophomore Trevor Scurlock would take it in from 5-yards out and after the Beechy PAT, Mt. Ida led 14-6 going in at the half.

Both teams exchanged punts to start the second half. But Lavaca would tie the game after a Travis Michael punt return gave the Golden Arrows the ball 1^st and 10 at the Mt. Ida 45 yard line.  Daniels (15-29--162 yards--2TD’s) would hook up with Senior split end Jake Upchurch (7 catches for 102 yards) for a 30 yard gain to the Lions 15 yard line.  Daniels would pick up 13 yards on a quarterback draw and then connect with Senior tailback Travis Michael from 2-yards out for the TD. Corey Keene would complete the 2-point conversion to tie the score at 14-14 with 3:41 left in the 3^rd quarter.

The Lions defense would force the ball over on downs on Lavaca’s next possession, stopping an 11 play drive at the Mt. Ida 15 yard line.   Quarterback Josh Hackney would be intercepted on a 3^rd down pass attempt by John Wheatley, returning it 30 yards to give Lavaca new life at the Lavaca 45 yard line. But Hackney would pick off Daniels on 1^st down and find nothing but green in front of him and scamper 55 yards for the Lions TD.  Beechy added the PAT to give the Lions the 21-14 lead with 8:51 left to play.

After the kickoff and return to the Golden Arrows’ 31, a 4-yard gain by Michael and a 10 yard catch by Upchurch gave Lavaca 1^st and 10 at their own 45 yard line. After a 3 yard run by Corey Keene, Hackney would get his third interception of the game, taking it back again 55 yards for a Lions’ TD.  After the Beechy PAT, the Lions led 28-14 with 6:41 left to play.

The Golden Arrows answered back, after the kickoff and a nice return gave the Golden Arrows the ball close to mid-field, Lavaca needed only 7 plays to move 54 yards, capped off by a 15 yard TD toss from Daniels to Michaels. The 2-point conversion was no good leaving Lavaca trailing 28-20 with 4:26 left to play.

Mt. Ida couldn’t run out the clock and was forced to punt with 1:17 left to play but Senior Tate Harper would pickoff Daniels for the 5^th time in the game at the Mt. Ida 9 yard line with 19.9 seconds left to seal the win.

Not a lot of offense for the Lions but the defense stepped it up for the win. Hackney had 3 INT’s returned 110 yards and 2 TD’s. Travis Michael had 18 carries for 134 yards and a TD, 1 catch for 15 yards and a TD.