Tigers fall prey to Panthers’ powerful offense in home loss
Ridgeland 38, Darlington 0
For a quarter and a half, Darlington and Ridgeland appeared headed toward a defensive struggle at Chris Hunter Stadium.
But little by little, big run after big run, the Panthers turned a close game into a blowout and wore down the home team.
Ridgeland rode behind running backs Markeith Montgomery and Jalyn Shelton while shutting down the Darlington offense from all angles in a 38-0 win Friday night at Darlington.
Tigers coach Tommy Atha was proud of his team battling all game, but still focused on the mistakes that led to a lopsided score.
“I think my biggest disappointment is the number of critical mistakes that we made,” Atha said. “We’ve always prided ourselves on executing and avoiding mistakes. And we have to go back and not only correct little mistakes, but big ones too.”
Ridgeland (3-0) finished with 239 rushing yards, with Markeith Montgomery getting 100 yards and Jalyn Shelton getting 98 and each scoring a touchdown. Quarterback Tanner Hill went 5-of-7 with 70 passing yards, including two touchdowns to Stephon Walker.
Darlington (1-1) only managed five first downs all game, with running back Tijai Whatley leading the team with 31 rushing yards and 13 receiving yards. Ridgeland’s defensive line got the Tigers out of their comfort zone, leading to four turnovers.
The game appeared to truly swing with a minute left in the first half, with Ridgeland up 7-0 and at the Darlington 33.
Hill rolled toward the sideline before heaving a deep ball near the goal line, only to see it tipped and caught by Walker to put Ridgeland up 14-0 at halftime.
It was a play that appeared to deflate the Darlington crowd and rolled momentum in the Panthers’ favor.
“That quarterback scrambled away and threw the ball up and made a play, and the ball bounced their way from there,” Atha said. “But I thought we were right there in the game that entire half.”
The second half saw Ridgeland stick to its run game, especially Shelton who recorded 87 yards in the final two quarters. The Tigers ran only six plays in the third quarter, as the Panthers simultaneously milked the clock and extended their lead.
Whether it was Shelton, Montgomery or Walker coming off jet sweeps, Darlington could not keep up and the holes only got bigger. The Panthers scored two touchdowns and a field goal in their first three secondhalf drives, putting the game out of reach.
“It’s a luxury with our backfield because the defense cannot focus on just one guy,” Ridgeland coach Wesley Tankersley said. “It definitely gives the defense a lot more options to prepare for and that can create big plays.”
Darlington got one more opportunity to break the shutout, but that too resulted in a critical mistake. Quarterback Griffin Brewster was unable to control the snap, and Ridgeland’s Jordan Blackwell snatched the ball and raced 63 yards for the final touchdown.
The Tigers’ non-region schedule continues to be tough as the season moves along, with a trip to Franklin next week to face Heard County. Atha only hopes that the team can learn from its mistakes that turned a close game Friday into a blowout.
“Ridgeland is certainly a good football team, but we are not going to make any excuses,” Atha said. “We got beat tonight. We did not help ourselves out, and now we have an opportunity to learn and grow from it. That’s what I’ll expect we’ll do.”