Panthers pounce on Hornets
C.E. King gave current and former members of the community plenty of cause to celebrate the school’s homecoming.
Huntsville couldn’t head home fast enough.
The Panthers turned two early turnovers into touchdowns and had two 100-yard rushers before halftime, and they never allowed the Hornets to get comfortable in their 49-6 non-district rout Friday at Panther Stadium.
“You want a big win when it’s homecoming,” King coach Derek Fitzhenry said. “You certainly don’t want to get your butt kicked.”
King, No. 8 in the area 6A media poll, improved to 4-0 heading into district.
Huntsville, No. 4 in 5A, dropped to 2-1.
The Panthers finished with four takeaways, and they turned three into touchdowns. The fourth takeaway, an interception in the end zone by defensive back Will Hicks, ended a scoring threat late in the third.
“Our kids are physical and that creates turnovers,” Fitzhenry said. “Last year we led the district in defensive turnovers, and last year we went into (this game) and won the turnover differential but lost (the game 17-12). This year, we won the turnover battle again, and we won, and that’s what you expect.”
The first takeaway came on the game’s opening possession.
That drive started with a trick play that didn’t work, and ended with QB A.J. Wilson fumbling. Jamar Kelly recovered the loose ball for King, and three offensive plays later, running back Jerrell Wimbely broke loose for a 38yard touchdown run. And Wimbely, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound senior, was just getting started.
After Ja’Kobe Crawford’s pick later in the first quarter, Wimbely took off again, this time for a 36yard touchdown and 14-0 lead.
Fellow running back D.K. Hammond took over from there.
On King’s subsequent series, he sprinted through a hole for a 77-yard gain, then made it 21-0 with a 4-yard run on the next play.
Both running backs surpassed 100 yards rushing before halftime.
Wimbely finished with 109 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries, and Hammond had 155 yards and two scores on the same number of rushes.
“Our kids got it done,” Fitzhenry said.
Hammond’s 42-yard touchdown run made it 42-6 early in the third.
Huntsville fumbled away the ensuing kickoff, leading to a 1yard touchdown run by Tyrone Scyrus that allowed King’s starters to relax on the sideline the rest of the way
“We wanted to play a really good football team, and they had a great defense, and a great offense,” Fitzhenry said. “I think they had eight players coming back on offense, and a great quarterback who’s explosive, and we wanted to play a team like that before we go into this district, and the kids rose to the occasion. We got better from last week, we eliminated some mistakes, so all in all I’m really happy with the win.”
King amassed 439 yards and 17 first downs. It had 304 yards at halftime.
Quarterback Nehemiah Brousard led the way with two touchdowns and 137 yards on 9-of-14 passing.
Huntsville managed only 154 total yards, including 44 on 29 rushes. Quarterback A.J. Wilson threw one touchdown pass and two interceptions, and backup quarterback Travis Tester, who played for most of the second half, finished 0-of-8 passing.
“They’re a lot better than we are,” Huntsville coach Rodney Southern said. “Derek and I went to college together, and when we scheduled them a year ago I knew they were going to be senior heavy this year, with 6A numbers. But they’re also extremely talented, and they physically whipped us on both lines of scrimmage.”