The DeKalb Middle School Saints football team took to the field last week to open their season with something that haven’t accomplished in a long while, they came away with a shutout to start the season off right. The crowds were out in force, cheering on the young team at their home, and season, opener.
The Saints faced off with Prescott Middle School, and wasted no time to get on the board. The Saints defense held Prescott to only five plays on their opening drive, forcing them to punt.
DeKalb recovered on their own 33, then mounted a three-play drive that would take them to the end zone. DeKalb’s Tyler Bundy was handed the ball each time, taking the ball to the 39, then the 50, then a long run into the end zone for six. A two-point conversion run by Bundy was stopped, but the Saints were on the board 6-0 with 4:36 left in the first quarter.
On Prescott’s next possession, the Saints’ D took over where they had left off. Prescott went three-and-out with three incompletes and no yards gained. The resulting punt would give DeKalb the ball at the DeKalb 46. QB Colter Norris threw to Luke Bryant for a first down at the Prescott 44, then another pass to Bryant put the Saints in the end zone again. Another two-point run by Bundy was stuffed, but the Saints were up 12-0 with 3:06 left in the quarter.
The kickoff gave Prescott the ball on their own 38, and the Saints’ D were given a dose of the running game. The defense would again hold in three plays, including an illegal procedure penalty on Prescott, and again force a punt.
DeKalb fielded the ball at their own 33, and for the first time the Saints had some trouble. A run by Tanner Poss moved them to the 35, then a pass to Nathan Atkins fell incomplete. The next play, a snap flew over Norris’ head and was recovered by Prescott on DeKalb’s 23.
For the first time it looked as if Prescott might put points on the board, with a pass taking them to DeKalb’s 11 yard line. Then the defense again stepped up. A running play resulted in a loss, pushing Prescott back to the 16. Another run resulted in another three-yard loss, then a pass fell incomplete. Going for it on fourth down, a Prescott pass play was intercepted by Grayson Redmon, giving DeKalb the ball at their own three yard line.
The Saints offense pushed to midfield in eight plays, then stalled and had to punt. Prescott would take to the air again, managing a first down on their next drive, but then being forced to punt again.
The Saints took over on their own 45, then a Norris pass was intercepted and Prescott took over at their own 26. The defense was strong, holding Prescott to a three-and-out, and allowing the Saints to run the time out to halftime.
The Saints fielded the second half kickoff to the 37, where they looked to mount another scoring drive. A mix of runs by Bryant and Isaac Hall, combined with passes to Poss, moved the Saints down to the Prescott 33, but a fumbled handoff resulted in Prescott recovering.
Prescott moved the ball four plays down to their own 44, where Isaac Hall made an interception and ran it back to give the Saints six more. This time a two-point run by Bryant was good, and DeKalb was up 20-0 with 2:59 left in the third.
Prescott’s next drive would only add insult to injury as on third down on their own 35 the Saints recovered a fumbled snap. DeKalb would make them pay for it too, with the next play seeing Hall with a run in for six. A pass to Nathan Atkins was good for two points, and the Saints were up 28-0.
The Saints D never let up and held Prescott’s next drive to a three-and-out. The Saints would then go three-and-out themselves, but on the punt the ball was touched by Prescott and DeKalb recovered at the Prescott 32.
DeKalb’s next drive would be backed up by a holding penalty, but the Saints were now playing the clock. With 2:18 left in the game, DeKalb went for it on fourth and 13 from Prescott’s 35. The run netted five yards and Prescott took over on downs.
Prescott’s last drive was about trying to avoid the shutout. A pass took them into DeKalb territory, giving them a first down on the 35-yard-line. Aided by an off sides penalty, Prescott was set up with a second and five from the 30, then a fumbled snap and a two-yard run gave them a fourth and three on the DeKalb 28. The D-line held on the next running play for no gain. The Saints took over with 31 seconds left in the game, taking them to a 28-0 victory.
Coach Tad Webb was pleased with his team’s performance. "This was a good opportunity for us to get started," Webb told the Review. "They played hard, and they left it out there. I’m not disappointed in any manner as far as their effort. Their effort was top-notch. We’ve got some things we’ve got to work on, but we always have things we can improve. We had some miscommunications out there, but being early in the season, we’ve got some time to work on it and fix it. It’s nice to keep them off the board though."
The Saints next game will be Thursday, in Lebanon against Southside. Game time is at 6:30 p.m.
