Friday sports: Gators top Patriots to open football season, roundup
Photo: Lake Cormorant’s Kejuan Williams runs for yardage against Lewisburg’s defense in the high school football game played Friday, Aug. 25 at Lake Cormorant. (Photo courtesy Matthew Dawley)
Lake Cormorant opened the high school football regular season with a 14-3 victory over Lewisburg Friday night, Aug. 25 at Lake Cormorant.
Jacorby Hopson Jr. accounted for all of the Gators’ points, scoring two touchdowns and adding a two-point run to propel Lake Cormorant to victory.
However, it was Lewisburg that got on the scoreboard first, after Kody Gilmore’s interception of a pass set the Patriots up in Lake Cormorant territory in the first quarter. Gilmore caught a pass tipped in the air to stop the Gators’ first drive of the football game.
The Patriots moved the ball after the interception, but the drive stalled and Robert Becker put points on the board with a short field goal giving Lewisburg a 3-0 lead with 4:28 remaining in the first quarter of play.
Lake Cormorant and Hopson took over after that, with Hopson finishing a drive with a three-yard for a 6-3 lead at the 11:16 mark of the second quarter. The extra point try was blocked, allowing the Patriots to keep themselves within a field goal difference going into halftime.
Hopson and the Gators took control of the game in the second half, as Hopson scored from 17 yards away in the third quarter with 8:56 left for a 12-3 lead. He then went over on the two-point conversion for the 14-3 lead that became the final score.
After a day that saw the hottest temperatures of the summer, the game was played in 95 degree heat at kickoff. Officials added extra water break timeouts during the contest as a precaution.
With the victory, Lake Cormorant now heads to DeSoto Central on Friday, Sept. 1 for its next game. Lewisburg, at the same time, will play at University High in Orlando, Florida.
Here are other scores from the first Friday night for regular season football for DeSoto County public schools and the second week of the season for Northpoint Christian:
Friday, Aug. 25
Northpoint Christian 48, Magnolia Heights 14
Notes: Northpoint’s Jack Patterson threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns. Patterson also ran for a touchdown. Grayson Alford caught six passes for 96 yards and a touchdown. Demontae Dillard ran for 73 yards and two scores.
Germantown, Tenn. 24, DeSoto Central 12
Hernando 41, Tunica Rosa Fort 26
Memphis Southwind 34, Horn Lake 0
Lake Cormorant 14, Lewisburg 3
Center Hill 64, Memphis Douglass 0
Olive Branch 49, Evangelical Christian, Tenn. 22
Notes: Kylan Rhodes ran for 292 yards and three touchdowns for Olive Branch. As a team, the Quistors broke a school record for rushing yardage in a game with 481 yards gained.
Saturday, Aug. 26
Tuscaloosa, Ala. Hillcrest 43, Southaven 0