Demopolis ground attack punishes Falcons
TUSCALOOSA—Demopolis imposed its will early and often Friday night, answering the Stacy Luker call for physicality with a suffocating ground game that amassed 446 yards on 56 carries.
Demopolis held Central to a pair of three-and-outs to open the game, each time answering with tone-setting touchdown drives
that moved the ball, bullied the opposing defense and milked the clock. Demopolis covered 75 yards in eight plays on its first such march, capping it with a 7-yard touchdown run by A.J. Jackson. The second Demopolis possession accounted for 57 yards on eight plays and culminated in a 17-yard Jackson score.
“I said before the game he was just going to get better with every carry. I thought he was sharp tonight, explosive looking,” Luker said of Jackson, who ended his night after a single second-half carry. “Antonio (Besteder) made some explosive runs. I think we’re just getting better up front.”
Jackson scored twice more in the opening half, crossing the goal line on runs of 4 and 2 yards respectively before R.J. Cox dropped a Falcon ball carrier in the end zone for a safety and a 30-0 halftime lead. Demopolis continued to pour it on in the third with Logan McVay touchdown runs of 70 yards and 1 yard.
The Tigers wasted no time scoring in the second half as Logan McVay darted for a 70-yard touchdown run. The Tigers then used a 45-yard Dez Jackson run to set up a 1-yard plunge by McVay to cap the scoring.
“We were a lot better football team tonight than what we’ve been. I’m tickled at how we played. I’m so pleased,” Luker said. “I thought we came out fast and were pretty physical up front on both sides. It’s great getting a shutout.”
Jackson finished with 136 yards and four touchdowns on 16 carries. McVay had five carries for 101 yards and two scores.
Besteder had 77 yards on 14 carries. Cox added a fumble recovery to his safety to lead the defense.
Demopolis had 465 yards of total offense on 61 plays while holding Central to 122 yards.
The Tigers (2-1, 1-0) host Marbury next week in the first matchup of the two programs. It is a region contest.
