Demopolis throttles Charles Henderson

November 5, 2015November 6, 2015 Jeremy D. Smith AHSAA, demopolis high school, DHS, football, prep sports, Tigers

11-5-2015 - Demopolis, Ala. - Demopolis' Rahmeel Cook brings down the Charles Henderson quarterback for a sack as Travares Hall closes in. — 11-5-2015 – Demopolis, Ala. – Demopolis’ Rahmeel Cook brings down the Charles Henderson quarterback for a sack as Travares Hall closes in.

Demopolis got its first playoff win since 2012 Thursday night, throttling Charles Henderson 48-13 in the first round of the Class 5A bracket.

11-5-2015 - Demopolis, Ala. - Demopolis' Jay Craig fights for yardage against Charles Henderson. Craig ended up with 217 yards rushing on the night. — 11-5-2015 – Demopolis, Ala. – Demopolis’ Jay Craig fights for yardage against Charles Henderson. Craig ended up with 217 yards rushing on the night.

“That was big for us and I want them to enjoy it,” Demopolis coach Stacy Luker said of his players, who will now get an extra day of rest ahead of the round two showdown against a yet determined opponent. “We’ve got kids that need it and I think a day off will not hurt them or the coaches. A good, long weekend will be good for us.”

The Tigers incurred nine penalties for 100 yards in the first half, allowing Charles Henderson to keep it close with a 2-yard touchdown run by Jay Smith and a pair of field goals from Baylor Barnes. One of those penalties by the Tigers negated a 95-yard punt return score by A.J. Collier.

11-5-2015 - Demopolis, Ala. - Demopolis' Keishaun Scott runs in the open field against Charles Henderson. Scott had 100 yards rushing on the night. — 11-5-2015 – Demopolis, Ala. – Demopolis’ Keishaun Scott runs in the open field against Charles Henderson. Scott had 100 yards rushing on the night.

Jay Craig opened the scoring for the Tigers on a 59-yard sprint before Keishaun Scott had a 3-yard touchdown run. Craig added another touchdown run from 8 yards out just before half.

In the second half, Demopolis limited Henderson to 23 yards of total offense and piled up yardage on the ground. Jamarcus Ezell scored from a yard out before Demopolis added three more TDs in the fourth quarter.

“We felt like, coming out after halftime, that first drive was huge for us to get in the end zone and give our defense a little cushion,” Luker said. “They made great adjustments in the second half.”

Drew Jones scored on a 3-yard run. William Wilkins bolted in from 27 yards out and A.J. Jackson scored on a 17-yard dash.

Demopolis amassed 442 yards on 61 carries while allowing the Trojans only 54 yards on 25 carries.

11-5-2015 - Demopolis, Ala. - Demopolis' William Wilkins breaks free for a touchdown run against Charles Henderson. — 11-5-2015 – Demopolis, Ala. – Demopolis’ William Wilkins breaks free for a touchdown run against Charles Henderson.

Craig led Demopolis with 217 yards on 26 carries. Scott added 100 yards on 13 rushes. Demetrius Davis had six tackles on defense to go along with three pass breakups, a fumble recovery and an interception. Rahmeel Cook had seven total tackles to go along with a sack and a pair of pass deflections.

Demopolis (9-2) moves to round two where it will face the winner of Clay-Central and Vigor. Charles Henderson ends its season at 5-6.

“That punt return A.J. made and it got called back, we made a lot of mistakes in the first half on that part.”