Trojans too strong for Leopards
Big chunk plays and stout defense led Hot Springs past Dequeen 50-0 in a game the Trojans took control of in the first quarter at Tommy Holt Memorial Field Friday night.
Hot Springs (4-2, 2-0) earned its second consecutive win and remained perfect in the 5A-south with the victory over Dequeen (1-5, 0-2).
Hot Springs head coach Darrell Burnett said his team played hard and took care of business against the Leopards.
“We didn’t try to put too much pressure on them,” he said. “We just wanted them to come out here and play hard, execute and play for one anoth- er, and that’s what they did. It’s always good to get a convincing win. The score don’t resemble it, man, but (Dequeen) plays hard, and they have a good run- ning back. Actually a running back that went for over a hundred yards over us last year. For our kids to come out, do what they did — offense, defense and special teams — it was really good.”
The Trojans used a plethora of offensive weapons to outgain Dequeen 374-31.
After missing most of the season on the offensive side of the ball, Pierce Smalley has started playing more special teams and getting more snaps in the backfield. Smalley opened the scoring early in the first quarter with a 72-yard punt return for a touchdown to set the tone and put the Trojans ahead 7-0 after a Juan Martinez extra point.
“That’s huge,” Burnett said. “It’s huge. We haven’t been playing Pierce that much on anything but defense, so he’s finally getting back healthy. It’s showing on all three phases. It showed last week at running back and D-back. It showed this week at punt returner, running back and safety. He’s a big time player, and there’s a reason why he’s got D1 offers.”
Throughout the season Burnett has emphasized the need for his defense to force turnovers and then the need for his team to get points off those turnovers. Hot Springs registered one interception and one fumble recovery against the Leopards, and the Trojan offense was able to score touchdowns after both takeaways.
“That’s the biggest thing,” Burnett said. “We either want to score off of them on defense, or we want to make sure our offense converts, so either or, it’s perfect. As long as we get some points off turnovers, I’m pleased with it, so it was impressive.”
Hot Springs quarterback Isaac Shelor went 9-for-12 passing for 194 yards and three touchdowns while Akeem Dorsey led the rushing attack with 82 yards and one score on just two carries. Dorsey’s only gained yards actually came on just one of his carries, an 82-yard touchdown run.
“That’s what we need, man; we need those big plays,” Burnett said. “We’re going to play some talented teams coming up. We moved some guys around for that reason. Akeem has been playing good. We got Pierce back rolling. Not only that, we’ve got some of those big receivers that started out slow, they’re rolling.”
Really, the only negative on the night for the Trojans was the team’s 11 penalties for 109 yards.
“Too much talking,” Burnett said. “Too much talking, just let your pads do the talking for you. It got a little chippy with some of the extra stuff after the whistle. You know, the pushing and shoving. As long as it’s a penalty with you playing hard, full speed, and you’re trying to be physical as possible, I’m for it, but I’m not for any foolish penalties, so that’s some things
we have to correct.”
On the other side, Dequeen really struggled to get anything going against the Hot Springs defense.
“We just have to keep finding ways to improve as a football program,” Dequeen head coach Brad Chesshir said. “Keep finding ways to change everything about who we are. We played a lot of young guys tonight and a lot of guys touched the field more tonight than they ever have. I’m proud of them guys for competing, especially in the second half. That’s one thing about our team, as bad as it looks on the scoreboard, our kids never quit fighting.”
After Smalley’s touchdown return, Dequeen went threeand-out on the ensuing drive. Edwin Baltazar’s punt gave the Trojans excellent field position at the Dequeen 24-yard line.
From the 18, Smalley evaded defenders for another touchdown. During the extra point attempt, Shelor bobbled the snap and was forced to improvise. After picking up the football, he scrambled to the right and while getting hit as he threw, Shelor found Steve Robinson in the end zone to complete the unconventional 2-point conversion and to give Hot Springs a 15-0 advantage.
Before the first quarter ended, Dorsey struck on his 82-yard house call to give the Trojans a 22-0 edge.
In the second quarter and after a measurement gave Hot Springs a first down at the Leopard 2-yard line, Shelor kept the ball on an option play and spun into the end zone for a 29-0 lead.
Dequeen had a chance on the following drive when quarterback Garrett Matthews targeted a wide open Kaden Ahumada down the field. The ball bounced off the receiver’s fingertips and onto the turf.
Following the missed big play, Matthews attempted another pass that Devren Brown picked off.
Just three plays after Brown’s interception, Shelor found Blake Mclelland for an 11-yard touchdown pass to make it 36-0.
On the ensuing drive with time winding down in the first half, Matthews threw a backward pass that was dropped, and the Trojans were quick to fall on the loose ball with just a single second remaining on the clock.
With time for just one heave toward the goal line, Shelor struck gold with T.J. Brogdon for a 28-yard touchdown pass as time expired in the half. The Trojans took a 43-0 lead into the break.
On the first drive after half time, Shelor set the final when he found Tyrell Lambert for a 60-yard score.
After scoring on the opening drive of the half, Burnett elected to put in his second string players to finish the game.
Hot Springs continues 5A-south play at Magnolia Friday, and Dequeen travels to Camden Fairview.