Trojan rally falls short against Covington in region opener

Dyersburg defender Quincy Terry wraps up Charger quarterback Walker Davis, in the process jarring the ball loose during the Trojans' loss to Covington on Friday night on the road. The play was whistled dead as officials ruled Davis was down before the ball came loose.

Photo/Jason Peevyhouse

By JASON PEEVYHOUSE

Sports Editor

Dyersburg trailed by ten at half but cut into the Charger lead early in the third quarter before the Chargers pulled away late to take a 30-15 win over the Trojans on Friday night in Covington in the Region 7-3A opener for both teams.

Dyersburg receiver Ty Seaton fights forward for extra yardage on a catch during the Trojan loss.

Photo/Jason Peevyhouse

Despite the loss, Dyersburg Head Coach Bart Stowe agreed the Trojans got better during their second loss of the season.

“I am very proud of our guys – how we fought and everything,” Stowe said following the loss. “The coaches worked hard all week to get the guys prepared. It showed tonight because the guys came out and played.

“Our guys stepped up, Trojaned up and fought hard. We didn't win but we definitely got better against a good football team that hadn't been scored on all year.”

In fact, Dyersburg brought the Charger defense's 10-quarter scoreless streak to a quick end in the third quarter.

Trailing 10-0 after a tight first half, Dyersburg was able to get things going the third quarter as an 18-yard run from AJ Higgins got the Trojans offense moving. A pass from Logston Morgan to Peyton Hill was followed by a pair of costly penalties by the Chargers – each of the 15-yard variety. With the ball on the Covington 21-yard line following the second infraction, runs by Hill and Necaria Hall took the Trojans inside the 10-yard line to the Covington 5. From there, a pair of keepers by Morgan capped the drive and put Dyersburg on the board with 8:38 left in the frame. The extra point failed leaving Dyersburg trailing 10-6.

Covington had an answer. With runs from Sklyan Smith as well as some well-placed passes from quarterback Walker Davis, the Chargers marched down the field over 11 plays, 72 yards and, more importantly, five minutes of clock time. A touchdown from Davis to Smith was called back after a penalty but the Chargers were able to get into the end zone through the air with Davis hit Chris Radd for a five-yard score. The extra point extended the Covington lead to 17-6 with 3:20 left in the frame.

The Trojans were able to fight back and get more points themselves on the next drive. Another pass interference penalty helped the Trojan drive and was followed by a 29-yard run by Hall across midfield. Elian Gonzalez then picked up another fresh set of downs on an end-around to to the Charger 24-yard line. Though the Dyersburg drive stalled there, Gonzalez, who had missed the extra point earlier in the quarter, earned redemption as he hit a 41-yard field goal to cut the Covington lead back to 17-9 with seconds left in the quarter.

Stowe praised his players for being able to answer the blows the Chargers dealt them.

“The guys kept fighting back and coming back,” Stowe added. “They know us and we know them. We've been fortunate. We've played Covington two times a year for a while now. That's going to be one of our goals – to get back and see them again.”

But, Covington's big gun in the backfield showed why he's garnered attention across the state, scoring on a 37-yard run on the third play of the the next Covington drive. The extra point pushed the Charger lead to 24-9 with 11:11 left in the game.

After both teams swapped punts, Dyersburg took the ball with six minutes left in the game. In a pattern which continued to haunt the Charger defense, a pass interference penalty gave Dyersburg a fresh set of downs and the ball in Covington territory. A Quincy Terry run was aided by a penalty to take the Trojans to the Covington 21-yard line. From there, Hill and Morgan took the lead before another Terry run set up a touchdown pass from Morgan to Breydan Turnage late in the fourth quarter. Dyersburg went for two as Hill looked to break to plane but officials ruled the attempt no good to leave the Trojans trailing 24-15.

Dyersburg's hopes of a comeback then ended on the second play of the ensuing Covington drive as Smith broke free for a 53-yard touchdown run. The two-point attempt failed but the Chargers held the 30-15 lead to get the win.

The Trojan head coach said Dyersburg's team wants to keep getting better through the coming weeks.

“You can get better off a game like this,” Stowe explained. “There's no victory in a loss but, hey, we've got to be smart about this and know that we definitely got better.”

Neither team could get much offense going as the first six drives ended on punts. On the second drive of the game for the Chargers, Dyersburg appeared to make a big defensive play as Terry sacked the Covington quarterback but also appeared to cause a fumble which Trojan teammate Kalen Edwards fell on in Charger territory. However, officials ruled Covington's Davis down on the play, negating the apparent turnover. Covington punted on the next play.

Smith scored the first of his three touchdowns with 5:18 left in the first half on a 14-yard run. The extra point gave Covington a 7-0 lead.

The Chargers tacked on a late 27-yard field goal to go up 10-0 at the half.

“We've got to keep moving forward and be better each Friday night,” Stowe added. “We got better tonight than we were last Friday night. And, better than we were the first week. That's what we're going to do – stay the course and keep getting better.”

The Dyersburg defense held Covington just to 204 yards on the ground and 110 through the air in the loss. But, the Trojan offense was held to just 116 yards on the ground and 18 yards passing during the loss.

Hill led the way for the Trojans on the ground with 12 carries for 50 yards while Hall added six carries for 38 yards. The difference-maker of the game was Covington's Skylan Smith, who carried the ball 18 times for 175 yards and scored three times.

Prior to Dyersburg's third-quarter score, Covington had outscored its opponents 71-0 in two games.

Dyersburg will look to bounce back on Friday night as the Trojans remain in region play. The black and gold will be at home for the first time this season as Dyersburg hosts Bolivar at 7 p.m. at J.C. Sawyers Stadium.