Tigers topple No. 1 Miller

By Justin Schuver (Contact) | Andalusia Star-News

Published Saturday, October 17, 2009

Photo by Justin Schuver

Straughn’s Eric Samuel tries to break the tackle of a T.R. Miller defender while Giavann Nurse (51) looks for someone to block.

Straughn junior quarterback Josh Dewrell said his team’s 28-21 victory over No. 1 and previously undefeated T.R. Miller on Friday evening was like, “déjà vu all over again.”

“Straughn beat a No. 1-ranked T.R. Miller in our first year playing Class 3A (in 2002),” Dewrell said. “It’s been six years, and here we’ve done it again.”

Dewrell also ran for three touchdowns in the win, including the game-winning 8-yard score with 1:42 left in the contest. Straughn’s Riley Watson helped seal the victory when he picked off a Wil Riggs pass with 1:21 left, returning it to the Miller 26.

“It felt great,” Watson said of the interception. “I knew if we could just hang on to the ball on offense, we’d get the win.”

Straughn (5-3, 5-1 in Class 3A, Region 1) went out to a 14-6 lead at halftime, taking advantage of its ball-control offense to keep Miller’s defense on the field. In the first half, Straughn ran 31 plays for 176 yards while Miller (7-1, 5-1) ran just 15 plays for 75 yards.

“When you look at every game Miller has played this year, they’ve jumped out on their opponent,” said Straughn coach Trent Taylor. “We wanted to come out and show we were ready to play. We knew they’d try to hit us in the mouth, and we felt if we could survive that blow, we’d be all right.”

Straughn took a 6-0 lead when Dewrell scored from 2 yards out with 6:28 left in the first quarter. The drive included two fourth-down conversions.

On Miller’s next possession, Straughn appeared to have shifted momentum when Drew Jones recovered a fumble on the Miller 41.

But on the very next play, Dewrell threw an interception to Miller’s Terez Lane, who returned it 50 yards to the Straughn 30. Anthony Herbert then scored on a 30-yard touchdown run, but Miller missed the extra point and the score remained tied.

Straughn had a response of its own, putting together an eight-play, 65-yard drive that ended when Eric Samuel ran for a 6-yard touchdown. Samuel also ran for the two-point conversion to put Straughn up 14-6.

Photo by Justin Schuver

Straughn’s C.J. Christopher hauls in a pass from Josh Dewrell.

“You have to give Straughn credit,” Miller coach Jamie Riggs said. “They had a good plan and were very well prepared to play us.”

Miller tied the game with 6:49 left in the third quarter when Riggs ran for a 20-yard touchdown and then threw a two-point conversion pass to Lane. Straughn and Miller then exchanged scoring drives — Dewrell ran for a 4-yard touchdown and Riggs threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Kori Jackson.

With the game tied at 21-21 with 5:41 left, Miller elected to try an onside kick following Jackson’s touchdown. The visiting Tigers were flagged for illegal touching, and Straughn got the ball on midfield — setting up Dewrell’s game-winning drive.

Riggs said he felt the onside kick was a risk worth taking.

“(Straughn) was returning the ball to the 40 every time on our normal kickoff returns, anyway,” he said. “We thought maybe we could recover the kick, but unfortunately it didn’t work out for us.”

Taylor said he was proud of his players for believing they could pull off the victory.

“Back after we’d lost to Bayside and Opp, I think a lot of people wrote our guys off,” he said. “But these guys continued to believe in each other and knew they were a good football team. They just needed to get that confidence, and we got a lot of confidence tonight. Now we just need to keep it going.”

Straughn stays at home next Friday night to face Luverne in a game that could decide home-field advantage in the playoffs. Miller hosts Choctaw County for homecoming.