The DeKalb Middle School Saints ended their season Tuesday night with a 42-28 win against the Cornerstone Middle School Yellow Jackets in Baxter.
The coin toss went the Saints way, but they elected to allow the Yellow Jackets to receive. The first possession was short, however, and DMS held the Cornerstone offense to a gain of two yards before regaining the ball.
The Saints took control of the ball at the Cornerstone 45, and Colter Norris handed the ball to Tyler Bundy for a 34-yard run on the first play of the series. Bundy ran for 34 yards on the Saints possession. A six-yard pass to Tanner Poss and a five-yard pass to Grayson Redmon put DeKalb in the end zone. A failed two-point conversion attempt put the score at 6-0 with 4:18 left in the first quarter of the game.
The kickoff put the ball on the Yellow Jackets 29-yard line. A handoff from Cornerstone QB Sidney Brewington to Blake Metzgar for a 43-yard run took the ball to the Saints 28. Cornerstone soon stalled out, and two sacks and an incomplete pass saw the ball returned to DMS on the DeKalb 46. A Norris handoff to Bundy for 54 yards and a touchdown, coupled with another muffed two-point conversion brought the Saints lead to 12-0 with 2:23 on the clock in the first quarter.
The Cornerstone offense fought back with a 70-yard touchdown by Donoven McCallister on the kickoff, but their two-point attempt was shut down as well, bringing the score to 12-6 with 2:09 left in the first.
A personal foul against the Yellow Jackets on the first play of the next series brought the ball to the Cornerstone 39-yard line. After three holding penalties were called against the Saints, a 41-yard pass to Poss ended the quarter with DeKalb at the Yellow Jacket’s 15-yard line.
Two Tyler Bundy runs put DMS in the end zone again, and a successful two-point conversion put the Saints up 20-6. Cornerstone answered with another TD with 5:01 on the clock in the first half, and the teams went into the locker room at half time with the score at 20-12 Saints.
DeKalb took the kickoff to begin the second half, and Bundy carried the ball three times for 70 yards and another touchdown. They again failed to convert, bringing the score to 26-12.
The Yellow Jackets proceeded to lose the ball on downs at the Saint’s four-yard line, and DMS took advantage of the situation by taking the ball back to the Cornerstone 19 on the ground. Norris completed a touchdown scenario by hitting Poss for 19-yards, and another good conversion extended the Saint’s lead to the 34-12 with 7:05 on the clock in the fourth.
The Yellow Jackets quickly lost the ball on downs again, but when DMS took possession, a fumble gave the ball back to Cornerstone on their own 48-yard line. A 17-yard pass to McCallister and a 31-yard keeper by Brewington put the Baxter team in the end zone again, and a two-point conversion brought the Yellow Jackets within 14 points of the Saints with a score of 34-20.
DMS ran the kickoff back to their own 42, and Bundy ran to the Cornerstone 15. Norris then handed the ball to Poss, who fought his way across the goal line. A good two-point conversion put the score at 42-20 DeKalb with 4:48 left in the game.
The Yellow Jackets fumbled on the kickoff, giving the ball back to DMS on their own 35, but the Saints quickly lost the ball on downs. The Yellow Jackets then ran the ball back on their own 34-yard line.
McCallister kept the ball twice for 66 yards to put the Yellow Jackets back in the end zone with 1:48 left on the clock, and a successful conversion brought the final score to 42-28.
Norris went six for nine, passing for 74 yards in the game. Bundy rushed for 311 yards and carried the ball into the end zone three times. Poss covered 119 yards and scored twice, while Redmon rushed for five yards and took the ball in for a touchdown.
