The DeKalb Middle School Saints Football team was on the road last Thursday evening, traveling to Smith County to take on the Owls during their Homecoming night. The game start out promising for DMS, but as the match went on the Owls would pull farther and farther away.

The Saints would get the ball to start the game, returning the kick to their own 32. Juan Ortega would get the first carry of the game, gaining three yards, then Wyatt Carter got the ball, taking it to the 38. Jon Hendrix then called his own number, getting a first down at the 45. There, the drive would stall.

An Ortega run lost two yards, then a keeper up the middle was good only to the 47. The first pass of the game from Hendrix to Devin Fish fell short, and facing a fourth and eight the Saints were forced to punt.

It wouldn’t take long for the Owls to get on the board. With the ball fair caught at the Smith County 31, the Owls went just two plays. A pass from Kaden Powell to Jaden Preston fell incomplete, then a Powell keeper went 69 yards for a touchdown. A handoff to Cole Hackett was good for the two-point conversion and the Owls were up 8-0 with 4:51 left in the first quarter.

On the kickoff, the ball went out of bounds and the Owls had to re-kick. Ortega would fall on the ball at the DeKalb 43 and it was the Saints’ turn to get on the board. A Hendrix keep went to the Smith County 45, then, after a high snap, another Hendrix run was good to the 23. From there, Ortega was given the ball where he took it in for a touchdown. The two-point attempt was no good, but the Saints cut the Owls’ lead 8-6 with 3:46 left in the first.

Smith County started their next drive from their own 36, and from there they quickly moved down the field. A Ben Howell run was good to the 38, then another keeper from the 6’2” Owl QB Powell went to the went to the DeKalb 19. Another keep went to the 17, then a Howell carry was good to the 10. As the game entered the second quarter, Howell carried twice more, moving down to the DMS six, and giving the Owls a first and goal. Another keep was good to the one, but on the play a Smith County lineman broke his arm, resulting in a near 30-minute delay as an ambulance was called.

Following the delay, and facing a third and goal from the one, Powell kept the ball and fumbled. The scramble for the ball ended with Powell falling on it in the end zone. A keeper was good for two points, and the Owls commanded a 16-6 lead with 24 second left in the half.

DMS started their next possession at their own 41, and mounted a drive that looked as if it might put more points on the board. A Hendrix run was good to the Owls’ 37 on the first play, then a carry by Ortega and two more keeps took the ball down to the 24. A muffed snap resulted in Hendrix falling on the ball at the 25, then a Hendrix run was stuffed.

A pass to Fish reinvigorated the drive, as he went down to the Owls’ three yard line. Another fumbled snap resulted in a one-yard loss, then an Ortega run lost four more. A penalty on the next play resulted in 10 more yards lost, but on a third and goal from the 18, a pass to Ortega was good to the three. With a fourth and goal from the three the Saints went for it. The Hendrix keep was stopped at the two, giving Smith County the ball.

The next play the Owls stunned the Saints. Powell kept the ball himself and ran it in for a 98-yard touchdown. The two-point try was no good, but the Owls were now up 22-6 with 2:01 left in the half.

DeKalb could do nothing on their next possession. Following a Carter return to the Owls’ 38, the Saints would end up losing yards. On a fourth and 11 from the 39 Hendrix took a sack back at the DeKalb 48, giving Smith County the ball.

Again the Owls made them pay. Following a pass to Riley Martin to the 32, then a false start penalty, Powell threw a deep pass to Preston, which was in for the touchdown. A Cole Hackett carry was stopped for the two-point conversion, but the Owls took a 28-6 lead with 24 second left in the half.

The second half would not be any better. The Owls would get the ball and start at their own 47. From there the drive looked as if it would stall with a fourth and five from the DeKalb 48. They would go for it, and a pass to Cole Hackett was good to the 35.

The Owls would mix it up, combining an air assault with the ground game. They would move down to the DeKalb 10, where again it was Powell. A keep was good to the two, then another was good for six points. A pass for two points fell incomplete, but Smith County was up, 34-6. The drive had also eaten up most of the third quarter with only 1:34 left.

DMS started their next possession at their own 30, and with the clock against them they were quickly running out of time. A Hendrix run was good to the 47, then another took the ball to the 48. A pass to Fish was deflected, then a lateral to Ortega ended with him down at the Owls’ 39.

A keeper was good to the 25, and later another keep was good to the 21 as the third quarter came to an end. A pitch to Ortega was good to the 13, then a Carter run was stopped back at the 16. A false start backed the Saints up five more, but a pass to Conner Hopkins was good to the five. With a third and two from the five, Hendrix kept it himself and was in for DeKalb’s second touchdown of the night. A keep was good for two, and the Saints cut the lead 34-14 with 5:24 left to play.

With time ticking away the Saints would not get the ball again. An onside kick was downed by the Owls at their own 47, and Smith kept to the ground, eating up valuable seconds. They would push down to the Saints 29, where a play resulted in a broken leg by one of the Owls.

After another 30 minute delay as an ambulance was again called to the field, the Owls decided they had had enough. Powell took a knee for the last two plays, running the clock out and giving Smith County the 34-14 victory.

The Saints are now 2-4 for the season, with their next game scheduled for Thursday night against Upperman Middle. Game time begins at 6:30.