MAY – In a rematch of last season’s thrilling 92-86 overtime state semifinal showdown between May and Blum, the only question regarding Thursday’s outcome was could the No. 1-ranked Tigers equal their playoff point total from a year ago – in just one half.
May’s Kaden Halk returned the opening kick 65 yards for a touchdown, and the Tigers put 70 points on the board in the first 15 minutes of action en route to a 77-14 home victory over the visiting Bobcats.
Asked if he was surprised at how well the unbeaten Tigers (5-0) have played to start the season, May 18th-year head coach Craig Steele said, “Maybe a little just with the nine kids we lost, but I knew we still had good talent left. They’ve just really bought into what we’re trying to do this year, not that last year’s team didn’t, things have just worked out right and we got the win against Sterling City early that we didn’t get last year at the same time. Our kids are playing good ball right now, I’m real happy with them.”
The Tigers continued their trend of scoring in all three phases of the game – offense, defense and special teams – as Halk also rushed for a 37-yard score and reached the end zone after a pair of fumble returns. As a team, May forced five turnovers and yielded just 164 yards – 112 through the air and 52 on the ground – to Blum (1-4).
“That’s five straight games with a defensive touchdown and that’s tough to do, even in six-man,” Steele said. “Coach (Chad) Dail has done a great job, our kids are doing a great job, and they have a defensive mindset that they want to score in every game and they’re trying to and doing a good job.”
Offensively, the Tigers finished with just 151 yards – 104 rushing and 47 passing – on a mere 13 snaps as most of their possessions began on Blum’s portion of the field. The average starting field position for May’s eight drives was the Blum 25, and only one possession began on May’s side of midfield.
“I thought our kids played pretty well,” Steele said. “Our young guys got a lot of experience tonight against a varsity team and that was good for them. I feel bad for Blum because the injury bug has hit them bad right now, and the injury bug had hit them last year when we played them in non-district. I expect them, when they get their kids back, to make another run again.”
After May took an 8-0 lead following the opening kick, Blum answered with a 33-yard scoring toss from Brandon Wilkins to Kaleb Bratcher, which was bobbled a few yards before being hauled in, as the Bobcats closed the gap to 8-6.
The Tigers responded with 48 unanswered points to stretch their cushion to 50 before the Bobcats managed their second and final touchdown.
Avery Williford scored on a 38-yard carry, Luke McKenzie hurled a 27-yard touchdown pass to Kaysen King, Blake Harrell found the end zone on a 3-yard run, Halk scooped and scored from 30 yards, and Braden Steele tossed a 13-yard touchdown pass to Ben Harrell as May led 48-6 after one quarter.
In the second period, Ben Harrell threw a 7-yard touchdown to Kross Kenyon, Halk tacked on his 37-yard scoring sprint, Damian Salinas scored from 5 yards out, and Halk returned another fumble 15 yards for the final touchdown.
Along with Halk’s two fumble recoveries, Salinas, Williford and Jackson Easterling pounced on loose balls. Leading tacklers for the Tigers included Blake Harrell (6 tackles, 2 caused fumbles, 2.5 tackles for loss), Steele (4 tackles, 1 caused fumble, 2 tackles for loss), Williford (3 tackles, 1 fumble recovery, 1.5 tackles for loss), Kenyon ( 3 tackles), Salinas (2 tackles, 1 fumble recovery), King (2 tackles, 1 tackle for loss), Easterling (1 tackle, and a fumble recovery), Ben Harrell (1 tackle), and Adam Blankinship (1 tackle).
Wilkins connected with Koleman Moore on a 32-yard scoring toss with 6:51 left to account for Blum’s final points.
May – which has outscored its five foes 360-116, with 80 points allowed in the win over Sterling City – hosts Newcastle (2-1), whose first three games were all decide by four points or less, next week for homecoming.
Regarding areas in which he’d like to see the Tigers improve, Steele said, “We keep having a defensive missed assignment from time to time, not a ton of them, but those need to be cleaned up. That’s how they got their first touchdown tonight, on a blown assignment, and we’ve got to clean that up. We’re still not blocking as good as I want, although we’re blocking better out of the backfield, but our line has to get better. But overall, I’m pretty happy.”
