On what turned out to be a beautiful night for homecoming ceremonies, the Many High School Tigers football team shut out the Winnfield Tigers 50-0 Friday at John W. Curtis Field.
Many jumped to a quick lead and never looked back as senior running back London Williams scored four touchdowns. A very large homecoming crowd watched the Tigers manhandle Winnfield, as Many gained 336 total yards to only 48 by the visitors.
It was the fifth straight win for the Tigers, 5-1 overall and 2-0 in District 3-2A. Many, the defending state champion, is ranked No. 1 in the Louisiana Sports Writers Association state 2A top 10 poll and is third in the LHSAA power points rankings, according to GeauxPreps.com. Winnfield lost its third straight, all district games, and fell to 3-3 overall.
Trevor McLendon returned the opening kickoff to the 44-yard line and the onslaught was underway. Tackett Curtis completed a 35-yard pass to Jack Deville to get the Tigers down close to the end zone. The 56-yard drive culminated with a 5-yard touchdown run by Jeremiah James. Although the conversion failed, the Tigers were out front 6-0.
Winnfield fumbled on its first play from scrimmage. Swayze Carheel recovered for the Tigers. From there, James took it to paydirt, scoring on a 16-yard run. London Williams added the two-point conversion to bring the score to 14-0.
Winnfield went three-and-out, punting to Curtis who returned the punt 49 yards, but it was brought back by a penalty. The Tiger possession ended on an interception thrown by Curtis. Winnfield’s next series ended on a big Garet Culverson hit behind the line of scrimmage.
Many took over on a short field and Williams scored from 33 yards out. After a missed conversion, the Tigers were in front 20-0 with 1:03 left in the first quarter.
Carheel ended Winnfield’s next two possessions with tackles for loss, a huge hit behind the line, and a sack. In between, Curtis again had a long punt return, a 57-yarder, nullified by a penalty.
Curtis showed he couldn’t be contained when he took back Winnfield’s next punt 69 yards. It was the last time Winnfield punted to Curtis, with coach Jay Watson electing to punt out of bounds the rest of the game.
Shortly after the return, Williams lit up the scoreboard on a 23-yard scamper. James added the conversion for a 28-0 lead. After a very short punt giving the Tigers great field position, Williams crossed the goalline again, from 2 yards out. He also added the two-point conversion, raising the lead to 36-0 headed into halftime.
McLendon again made a big special teams play, recovering a loose ball on the kickoff starting the second half, giving the Tigers a short field. Trent Williams capped the drive by scoring on a 4-yard run. Deacon Lafollette added an extra point kick that brought the score to 43-0.
The Tigers defense continued to dominate, providing another stop and short punt. Williams started and ended the series in one play with a 53-yard touchdown run. Lafollette’s kick was good for a 50-0 advantage with 5:45 left in the third quarter.
The rest of the game featured alternating possessions with the Tigers subbing frequently on the offensive side of the ball. A running clock in the fourth quarter helped end the misery quickly for Winnfield.
Scoring Summary:
1st Quarter
8:19 – Jeremiah James 5 run, conversion missed – 6-0
7:56 – James 16 run, London Williams conversion run – 14-0
1:03 – Williams 33 run, conversion missed – 20-0
2nd Quarter
4:40 – Williams 23 run, James conversion run – 28-0
2:34 – Williams 2 run, Williams conversion run – 36-0
3rd Quarter
8:43 = Trent Williams run, Deacon Lafollete kick – 43-0
5:45 – L. Williams 53 run, Lafollette kick – 50-0
Player Stats
Passing
M – Curtis 2-5-0, 47 yards; Yount 0-2-0
W – 2-4-0, 30 yards
Rushing
M – London Williams 14-156, 4 TD’s; James 7-77, 2 TD’s; Garner 3-51; Maxie 3-7; Trent Williams 2-6, 1 TD; Yount 1-3; Aldredge 1-minus 2; Higginbotham 1-minus 9
W – 36 carries, 18 net yards
Receiving
M – Deville 1-35, L. Williams 1 -12
W – 2 for 30 yards
Tackles
M – Carheel 5, Singleton 5, Culverson 4
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