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Another week, another rout for focused Caruthersville FB
Monday, November 4, 2024
The Caruthersville High School football squad gathers at midfield of Hopke Field to celebrate after beating Portageville on Friday in the opening round of the MSHSAA Class 2 District 1 Playoff in Caruthersville.
Tom Davis ~ Tdavis@semoball.com
CARUTHERSVILLE – Third-year Caruthersville High School football coach Dom Guglielmo entered this season wanting his young athletes to grasp the opportunity that lay ahead of them this fall, and here it is November, and there is little debate that the Tigers have done just that.
Caruthersville won for the ninth time in 10 outings this season on Friday, as it pounded Portageville 40-7 in the opening round of the MSHSAA Class 2 District 1 Playoff at Hopke Field.
“I think that our (pass) coverage was a little bit better,” Guglielmo said after beating the Bulldogs for the second time in three weeks. “I was proud of our kids for keeping their cool. I know that it is a tough environment, a playoff environment.”
Maintaining focus can be challenging when an athlete hasn’t played in a close game all season.
In the Tigers (9-1) victories, they have outscored the opposition (on average) 42.8 to 12.5.
“We’re not trying to look ahead,” Guglielmo said, “but when you are up by a lot, and you’ve got a crosstown rivalry thing going (with Portageville), you want to try and keep your cool.”
Three weeks ago, Portageville (4-6) played Caruthersville tight for the opening half, before Guglielmo’s kids tore off for a 55-20 win. On Friday, at least for a brief period, it appeared that a similar scene may unfold.
Bulldog sophomore Parker Laws sprinted 38 yards to the Tiger three-yard line less than two minutes into the game, and that was followed by a short scoring run by Portageville junior Antonio Hickenbottom to give his team a 7-0 advantage.
The Bulldogs recovered the ensuing kickoff after Caruthersville fumbled the ball away, but the Tiger defense held.
“We want to start fast,” Guglielmo said. “It takes a second for our defense a second, and our offense a second, to kind of settle in.”
Caruthersville senior star Jermonte Alexander “settled in” nicely, as he streaked for a 79-yard score which put his team ahead for good, 8-7 midway through the opening period.
A few minutes later, Tiger senior quarterback Ryan Guest hooked up with junior wide receiver Quawn McVay for a 52-yard touchdown that put the hosts up 14-7.
“I was proud of our offensive line,” Guglielmo said. “They did a good job.”
On the final play of the first quarter, Alexander ran for a 42-yard touchdown and a 22-7 advantage, and the rout was on.
The Bulldogs responded with a nice pass to inside the Caruthersville 10-yard line on the next series, but Tiger defensive back Keiston Clowers picked off a Bulldog throw in the end zone to crush that drive.
Alexander later picked off the first of his three interceptions (9th, 10th, and 11th of the season), which ultimately led to junior Sammy Bryant running for a 28-yard score to put his team ahead 28-7 late in the opening half.
Alexander scored three times on the ground and rushed for 176 yards while Bryant scored twice and ran for 100 yards.
Tiger senior linebacker Oscar Dominguez made an astonishing 21 defensive stops, which included three for a loss and a couple of quarterback sacks.
Caruthersville also got production from junior Jackson Napier (16 tackles), Ryland Harris (12 tackles), Tre’Sean Mays (10 tackles, three for a loss, 1 ½ sacks), and Kenyon Bogan (11 tackles, two for a loss).
The Tigers have matched their highest win total since 2019.
Caruthersville will host East Prairie (8-2) on Friday at 7 p.m. The Eagles have won six consecutive games and beat Scott City 49-29 to open their postseason last week.