Distracted Tigers eventually run away from Bulldogs in 55-20 rout

Caruthersville junior runner Sammy Bryant breaks free from the grasp of a Portageville defender en route to scoring one of his six touchdowns on Saturday at Hopke Field in Caruthersville.

Tom Davis ~ Tdavis@semoball.com

CARUTHERSVILLE – Just minutes before the kickoff of the Caruthersville vs. Portageville football game on Saturday at Hopke Field, something was amiss with the Tigers.

While first-year Portageville coach Luke Rayfield had his team and coaching staff gathered in their usual secluded manner back in the locker room, third-year Tiger coach Dom Guglielmo paced back and forth near the end zone watching several of his players be recognized, pose for photos, etc. during Homecoming festivities.

That distraction didn’t quite cease once the game began.

“Anytime you adjust your routine,” Guglielmo said, “and you get the nerves of Homecoming, I think every head coach in America dislikes the process of Homecoming.”

In the end, the Tiger fans – and Guglielmo – enjoyed the day because Caruthersville dominated the final 30 minutes of play and earned a 55-20 victory.

“Once they finally settled back into (football mode),” Guglielmo said, “we started to get back to playing Caruthersville football and we hit the gas after that.”

BUT, it did take a while against the pesky Bulldogs.

The Class 2 No. 7-ranked Tigers (7-1, 5-0 SEMO Conference South Division) ran the table in the conference but looked far from perfect early in Saturday’s game.

Both teams had several ill-timed penalties early in the action. Tiger senior quarterback Ryan Guest had an interception credited to him that bounced off a receiver’s hands into the waiting arms of Portageville senior defender Xayvion Bogan.

It was a family affair for the Bogans, as Xayvion’s twin brother, Jayquan, is a senior two-way starter for the Bulldogs, and another brother, Kenyon Bogan, is a two-way starter for Caruthersville.

The Bulldogs took advantage of a Caruthersville penalty and started the drive on the Tiger 15-yard line.

Portageville senior quarterback Rylan Partin hit HIS twin brother, Huston Partin, for five-yard score and a 6-0 Portageville lead.

The visiting euphoria didn’t last long, though.

Caruthersville junior runner Sammy Bryant tore off on a 30-yard run early in the following offensive series and senior Jermonte Alexander capped the drive with a 10-yard scoring run.

Portageville senior Alex Hawks blocked the extra point for a tie game at six.

With 4:49 remaining in the opening period, Portageville (4-4, 2-3 SEMO Conference South Division) jumped ahead 12-6 on a 43-yard sprint score from junior Antonio Hickenbottom.

Caruthersville answered with a 14-yard rush from Bryant less than two minutes later and claimed a 14-12 advantage.

“Penalties and scraping linebackers,” Guglielmo said of what could contain the Caruthersville rushing attack. “But the thing about our run game is that we have started to get really efficient in keeping the ball secure.”

The Tigers’ enthusiasm following Braynt’s touchdown lasted about 12 seconds, which is how long it took Xayvion Bogan to haul in the ensuing kickoff and race through the Tiger coverage for an 85-yard scoring return and a 20-14 Portageville lead.

That proved to be the end of the Bulldog highlights, as Bryant added scores from four, 27, 35, 11, and 15 yards over the remainder of the game.

Alexander ran for a 48-yard touchdown in the final quarter for the final margin.

“We’ve started to get really efficient in our misdirection,” Guglielmo continued. “The offensive line sticks to their blocks and the blockers run their feet better.

“The combination of all of those things makes the run game better, and when you have Sammy and Jermonte right next to each other, it makes a huge difference.”

Alexander tallied 195 yards on the ground and 30 through the air.

Bryant ran for 238 yards and scored six times.

Guest had 28 yards gained on the ground and passed for another 37 on four completions.

Defensively, senior linebacker Oscar Dominguez paced the Tigers with 17 tackles, including four for a loss while Alexander (11 tackles), junior Jackson Napier (12 tackles, five for a loss), sophomore Ryland Harris (11 tackles, one sack), junior Jermaine Caruthers (10 tackles, five for a loss), and Kenyon Bogan (10 tackles, three for a loss) were also productive.

The Tigers will host Ste. Genevieve (5-3) on Friday at 7 p.m. A victory would be the eighth for Caruthersville this fall, which would be the most since a nine-win season in 2019.

Portageville will visit New Madrid County Central (3-5, 2-3 SEMO Conference Central Division) on Thursday at 7 p.m.