Demopolis thumps Gators for Homecoming win
Demopolis got five total touchdowns from Tyler Oates and the first 100-yard receiving game of Cortez Lewis’ career en route to a 49-7 win over Satsuma Friday.
The Tigers found their first score with 8:13 to play in the opening quarter. After punting in its first possession, DHS took the ball back one play into Satsuma’s opening drive when Demetrius Kemp hopped in front of a Gator pass, picked it off and got a foot down before going out of bounds to complete the interception.
Four plays later, Oates hit Lewis for a 20-yard touchdown pass to put Demopolis up 7-0.
Demopolis then covered 69 yards in 13 plays on its next possession, ending the march with a six-yard scoring run by Oates on the first play of the second quarter.
Oates found the end zone again with 6:41 left in the second quarter when he scored from two yards out on a play set up by a 65-yard run by Kemp.
Jacob Head gave Satsuma a chance to get some momentum with an interception returned to his own 46. However, the Satsuma threat ended when Lewis forced a fumble that Drew Jones recovered at the Tiger 32. Kemp covered the remaining 68 yards of real estate when he hauled in a scoring pass from Oates with 47.3 seconds left in the first half, sending the Tigers to the break with a 28-0 lead.
Satsuma showed signs of life on its first possession of the third quarter when it covered 65 yards in four plays, punctuating the drive with a seven-yard scoring run by Reid Rials.
Demopolis answered in kind with a 62-yard drive of its own on the ensuing possession. The Tigers needed six plays to add to the lead on a 13-yard touchdown run by Kemp.
“Those guys are very good. We’re just not quite there yet. Those guys play hard and compete and we weren’t competing every play like we needed to,” Satsuma coach Scott Rials said.
The Tigers sent their starters to the sidelines with 3:06 to play in the third when Oates connected on his third touchdown pass of the night, this time finding Lewis for a 32-yard scoring strike.
Freshman backup quarterback Logan McVay added to the lead with his first career touchdown when he scampered 32 yards for a score. Leif Midgorden connected on all seven of his extra point attempts in the win.
“I thought we played well. It’s good to be able to play with our guys again,” Demopolis coach Tom Causey said of an offensive unit that had all of its playmakers for one of the few times all season. I thought we executed well. It’s got to be something we build on and grow from. It can’t be just a rollercoaster again. It’s got to be something that’s better next week than it was this week and it’s got to be better Sunday than it was on Friday. I’m anxious to see how we come back next week.”
Lewis, a Northern Illinois commit, hauled in five passes for 123 yards and two scores for the Tigers. Kemp, a Southern Miss commit and Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game selection, had 146 yards from scrimmage and two scores on just three touches.
Peyton Pearson and Seth Lewis led the defense with seven total tackles each for Demopolis. Pearson also had a sack.
Demopolis is scheduled to host Jackson Thursday night while Satsuma hosts Selma.
