Sports

Longhorns trample Chambers for first round win

November 7, 2013 Jeremy D. Smith AISA, Chambers Academy, football, High School Football, Longhorns, MA, Marengo, Marengo Academy, Marengo County, playoffs, prep sports, state playoffs

Shade Pritchett watches Ralph Langley (2) make a block to open a hole for a touchdown run.

LINDEN — Marengo Academy hung 26 points on the board in the first quarter and never looked back on the way to a 51-14 trouncing of Chambers Academy in AISA, Class A playoff action Thursday night.

Ralph Langley breaks away for a touchdown against Chambers Academy.

The Longhorns scored on their first play from scrimmage when tight end Shade Pritchett took a handoff on a sweep around the left side and went 56 yards for a touchdown.

On its second possession, Marengo covered 55 yards on five plays, scoring on a 2-yard run by Brant Lewis to push it to 13-0.

The Longhorns added another score in the opening quarter when Josh Holifield scored from two yards out to cap a 73-yard drive highlighted by a 45-yard throw from Hayden Huckabee to Landon Houlditch.

On the ensuing kickoff, Ralph Langley forced a fumble that found its way into the hands of Pritchett. The Longhorns made good on the opportunity when Langley scampered 30 yards on the next play to push the lead to 26-0 just 16 seconds after the previous MA score.

Chambers then used 13 plays to go 46 yards before watching the drive stall at the MA 17. Marengo answered by going 83 yards in six plays, stretching its lead on a 47-yard scoring run by Pritchett.

The Longhorns struck once more before half when Huckabee punched it in from four yards out to punctuate a four-play, 23-yard drive and push the halftime lead to 39-0.

Josh Holifield leaps over a would be Chambers tackler.

“We spread it around a little bit and I was proud of that,” Marengo Academy coach Robby James said of an effort that saw MA use seven ball carriers. “I thought our line blocked well because there were some great holes to run in. I mean, I might’ve could run it tonight with some of those holes.”

As the game moved to a running clock in the second half, Marengo continued its dominant run with a 55-yard drive to open the third quarter. The Longhorns used 10 plays to cover the distance, ending it with a 3-yard Lewis run to move the lead to 45-0.

Alston Dinning capped the Longhorns’ scoring just two plays later when he picked off a pass and returned it 40 yards for a score.

Chambers picked up its two touchdowns against the Longhorn reserve unit when Cord Dodgen hooked up with Q.D. Tinsley for scoring passes of 32 and 23 yards. Corey Bolt scored a conversion run to set the final tally.