Vashon passes Poplar Bluff football

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Vashon quarterback Darren Fowlkes needed just five passes Friday night to forget a shaky start to his season.

Fowlkes, who came up empty in his first four attempts and was intercepted early in the second quarter, completed five straight touchdown passes as Vashon scored 34 unanswered points in a 54-12 win over Poplar Bluff.

A matchup of two playoff teams from a year ago started with a 54-yard touchdown run by Poplar Bluff's Pete Bryant for a 6-0 lead just 2:12 into the season.

After that, it was all Vashon and Fowlkes, who threw for over 2,800 yards last season.

Fowlkes finished with 337 yards on 11 of 19 passes and also ran for a touchdown. He completed his last seven passes after starting 4 for 12 with a pick in the end zone.

Kinnes Jackson caught two touchdown passes and finished with 104 yards receiving and 52 yards rushing. Marvin Stewart caught five passes, two for scores, for 153 yards while Provine Robins added a 39-yard touchdown catch and a 41-yard reception. Backup quarterback Darius Shannon ran for 58 yards and a touchdown while Tyler Lomax added a 5-yard interception return for a score and picked off another pass that set up Shannon's touchdown that set the final score.

Josh Freeman, making his first start as Poplar Bluff's quarterback, ran for 48 yards and threw for 73 on 4 of 8 attempts and an interception. Sophomore backup Kortez Ellis was intercepted three times. Bryant finished with 56 yards on 10 attempts while Vashon's defense held the Mules to 212 total yards.

Vashon, which totaled 458 yards of offense, turned the ball over twice early in the second quarter, missing chances to cash in good field position. However, the Wolverines kept the Mules from earning a first down both times and broke through when Fowlkes threw into a group players over the middle and Jackson ended up with a 53-yard touchdown catch that tied the game with 7:39 left in the half.

Fowlkes put Vashon up for good with 4:21 left when he hit Stewart for a 40-yard touchdown strike on third-and-23. On Vashon's next snap, Stewart made a leaping catch and ran 51 yards to put Vashon up 20-6 with 2:31 left in the half.

The Wolverines scored on their first two plays of the second half to go up 34-6 when Fowlkes threw 39-yard passes, the first to Jackson and the second to Robins.

Poplar Bluff scored on a 54-yard pass by Freeman to William Whitfield but the Mules turned the ball over four times over the final 13 minutes.

The teams combined for 19 penalties totaling 136 yards.

Poplar Bluff (0-1) travels to New Madrid Country Central on Friday.

First Quarter

PB -- Bryant 54 run (run fail), 9:48.

Second Quarter

VA -- Jackson 53 pass from Fowlkes (run fail), 7:39.

VA -- Stewart 40 pass from Fowlkes (Robins pass), 4:21.

VA -- Stewart 51 pass from Fowlkes (pass fail), 2:31.

Third Quarter

VA -- Jackson 39 pass from Fowlkes (pass fail), 9:34.

VA -- Robins 39 pass from Fowlkes (Jackson run), 7:00.

PB -- Whitfield 54 pass from Freeman (run fail), 4:48.

VA -- Fowlkes 1 run (Hemphill pass), 3:10.

Fourth Quarter

VA -- Lomax 5 interception return (run fail), 6:21.

VA -- Shannon 13 run (run fail), 3:22.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING -- Poplar Bluff, Bryant 10-56. Freeman 16-48. Patterson 5-16. D.Blackmon 1-3. Whitfield 1-(-1). Ellis 1-(-1). Vashon, Shannon 7-58. Jackson 10-52. Fowlkes 8-9. Stewart 1-7. Robins 1-(-5).

PASSING -- Poplar Bluff, Freeman 4-8-1 73. Ellis 1-5-3 18. Vashon, Fowlkes 11-19-1 337. Shannon 0-1-0 0.

RECEIVING -- Poplar Bluff, Whitfield 2-56. Vandover 1-20. Timothy 1-18. Bryant 1-(-3). Vashon, Stewart 5-153. Jackson 4-104. Robins 2-80.

Editor's Note: For a full boxscore and game story ready Sunday's edition of the Daily American Republic.