Hargrave 1 – South Alabama 30
The Hargrave PG Football team made their way to Mobile, AL for their much anticipated showdown against the University of South Alabama Jaguars in the latter’s first ever game. The Jaguars delivered on their promise for much fanfare, and the crowd of nearly 45,000 was electric nearly the whole night. The game was tight for much of the first quarter, until a long touchdown pass was hauled in with 9 seconds to go in the first quarter by USA’s Courtney Smith. The Jaguars would add a Brandon Ross touchdown early in the second quarter and lead 13-0 at halftime.
Despite giving up an early touchdown in the third quarter, the Tigers came out fired up and quieted the radiant Jaguar crowd with a methodical 10 play, 80 yard drive that ended with running back Tahron Goods rushing 16 yards for the score. After a Jaguar field goal, Hargrave scored again, this time on an 11 play, 70 yard drive that resulted in wide receiver Sean Farr hauling in a 35 yard Evan Ingram pass for the touchdown. The Tiger defense got a stop, and Hargrave quickly drove the ball down the field. The drive fell short however, after an offensive miscommunication led to a Jaguar interception that preserved the win for South Alabama.
Quarterback Evan Ingram was tough facing immense pressure from the USA defense and completing 17 of his 27 passes for 202 yards and 1 touchdown. He also had 9 carries for 43 yards.
The aforementioned Goods, followed up his impressive Hargrave debut with 46 yards on just 7 rushes including a 16 yard touchdown.
The Hargrave passing game really began to click in the second half, and the biggest beneficiary of that was Sean Farr who grabbed 9 passes for 107 yards and a 35 yard touchdown. Washington D.C. native Deon Long caught 5 passes for 54 yards and Rob Fronk, Rashad Blackwell, and Omyn Newkirk each caught 2 passes. The Hargrave offensive line was solid considering the number of defensive pass rushers that South Alabama played. Dan Polaski, Johnnie Farms, and Tom Pizzurro all stood out and enabled the Tigers to develop a rhythm in the second half that will surely carry over the rest of the season.
Defensively, the Tigers faced an older, more experienced South Alabama offense, but still hung tight and made plays. On the defensive line, Josh Watson was an absolute beast collecting 6 tackles, including 4 tackles for loss. Ego Ferguson Jr led the team with 7 tackles and showed why he is one of the nation’s most heavily recruited players. Mobile, AL native Mike Thomas had a solid homecoming in which he made 5 tackles including a sack. Robert Kearney also had a sack.
Leading the linebackers was Jules Forney who added 6 more tackles and was stout all night long. Jimmie Lewis was also solid with 5 tackles.
Cornerback Ishmael Banks had the lone Hargrave interception, but it came at a crucial part of the second quarter as time ticked down until halftime. Calvin Tiggle finished second on the team with 6 tackles, and Richmond, VA native Theron Norman was all over the field finishing with 3 tackles, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. Ross Madison played another solid game and ended with 5 tackles and 2 pass break-ups.
Punter/Kicker Troy Krepich kicked the ball well, remaining calm in the face of a lot of defensive pressure from the Jaguars.
The Tigers feel good about their experience down in Mobile, and have certainly learned a lot about their football team. They get right back at it, Friday, September 11, in Annapolis, MD against the U.S. Naval Academy at 2:30 PM.
