Phoenix unbeaten, unscored on after first two
At this rate, the Sonoraville High School football team can’t lose.
Two games. Two wins ... and both were shutouts with no team having scored on them yet.
If the Phoenix keep that pace of play up the rest of the regular season, they’re not going to lose to anybody.
But while the thought of them playing 10 times and no one scoring on their defense is probably unrealistic, head coach Denver Pate and his staff are enjoying what they’re seeing as their rundown crew continues to come together early on.
“They’re always nice,” Sonoraville head football coach Denver Pate said. “For any defense, that’s always the bottom line, keeping the other team from scoring.
“When you’re playing quality teams, you’re going to give up some yards, you might even give up a big play here and there, but if you can keep the team from crossing the goal line, you’ve done your job and so far our defense has definitely done their job.”
They improved to 2-0 on the year with a 32-0 romp over Fannin County last Friday night at The Furnace. They are off this week before they begin AAA Region 6 action next Friday night against Rockmart back at Sonoraville High School.
In their win Friday night over FC, the Phoenix led just 6-0 at halftime but scored four touchdowns and 26 points in the game’s final 16-and-ahalf minutes to break it open.
“I did think we got better as the game went along,” Pate said. “Offensively, we were finally able to finish some drives. We had it going a couple of times in the first half but we stopped ourselves with mistakes but in that second half, even though it got a little sloppy real late there, we were able to finish drives.”
While they only scored once in the first half, it did seem like they were knocking on the visitors’ goal line a lot.
Taking the opening kickoff, the Phoenix moved the football right down the field and look like they were going to score but fumbled inside the
Fannin County 5.
Establishing junior running back Zach Lyles as a workhorse early (he got the ball the first five times they snapped it), the Phoenix used nine plays to travel from their own 25 to the Rebel 5 before giving it up. A Jaxon Pate 25yard pass to Nicholas Beddington and Lyles’ 27-yard tote the play before the fumble sparked the drive.
Taking over at their own 3 after the turnover, the Rebels were unable to pick up a first down and had to punt from their own end zone.
With a nice roll, the Phoenix took over at their own 48-yard line. Six plays later, after a terrific diving catch by senior Brant Bryant put them at the goal line, Pate called his own number for a 1-yard touchdown run and their first touchdown of the night.
After the teams exchanged punts, Fannin County responded with the longest drive the Sonoraville defense has surrendered this year.
Taking over at their 38 with under a minute remaining in the first period,