This Friday night’s football game between Gentry High School and Ruleville High School is officially called the Unity Bowl.
However, the sport is football and once the whistle blows, each team’s primary concern for unity will be that they are indeed playing as one.
Such is the case when Friday night’s 7 p.m. kickoff features two teams which reside within the Sunflower County Consolidated School District – and with both having recently won their first victory of the new season.
Riding last Friday’s 28-20 victory over Port Gibson High, which awarded new Head Coach Mario Young his first victory at the school, the Rams are bringing a 1-1 record into the game.
“It was a pretty emotional night”, said Young. “Getting that first win was big for the kids as well as our coaching staff.”
“I was so proud of the kids”, continued Young, “for the second week in a row they fought to the end to win this game. This week they found a way to finish the game and I am so proud of their effort.”
Meanwhile, the Tigers from the north end of Sunflower County will come to Gentry High this Friday possessing a 1-0 record.
In what turned out to be their first official game of the season last Friday night, the Tigers handed North Side High of Shelby a 26-14 home-field loss.
“Ruleville is a pretty athletic team and has a good receiving corps”, noted Coach Young. “This is always a very competitive game and there is always a big fan turnout for the game.”
With their new season’s opening win now behind them, the Tigers will no doubt be coming to Gentry High’s field this Friday hoping to avenge last year’s 22-8 loss the Rams inflicted on them.
However, the Tigers would move past that early season loss to finish the season strong and post a 5-7 record in the books, as well as a second round appearance in the state 3A playoffs.
Historically, since 2004 the Rams own an 11-3 series advantage over the Tigers.
As for last Friday’s win over Porter’s Chapel, the Rams spotted the Blue Wave a 12-6 halftime lead before staging a come-back in the second half of play.
Coupled with an offense which scored 22 second half points and a defense which allowed Port Gibson High only a late fourth quarter touchdown, the Rams earned their eight point non-regional victory.
It would be the Rams who scored first in this game as on their first possession of the game when quarterback Joshujuan Townsend finished off a 65-yard drive by finding Markevious Frazier open with a 41-yard touchdown pass.
However, the Blue Wave would respond with an unanswered touchdown in each of the first two quarters to take their six point lead to the dressing room at intermission.
This narrow lead would prove to be Port Gibson’s last, however, as the Rams posted 14 points on the board in the third quarter. Meanwhile, the Gentry High defense did its part in retaking the lead by rising up to render the Blue Wave scoreless in that third stanza.
Opening the scoring for the Rams during this Gentry High come-back would be Tyler Edwards, whose four yard scoring run knotted the score at a dozen points each.
The lead then changed hands as a result of Townsend’s second TD pass of the night, on this occasion covering eight yards, to wide receiver Sharmarvious Hodges.
This score was followed by a successful two point conversion run by Kylon Bush which gave the Rams a 20-12 lead as the game entered the fourth quarter of play.
The Rams would effectively put the game out of reach midway through the final period when Armani Bell followed his offensive line five yards into the endzone.
Bush then added another two point conversion run, and despite a late-game Port Gibson touchdown, the Rams earned their initial victory of the season.
Offensively in this game, the Rams accumulated 278 total yards with 168 of those being earned by way of 31 rushes into the line.
Leading this portion of their attack was Townsend, whose 13 carries netted 88 yards.
Through the air, Townsend completed six of his 11 passes for 110 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Leading the receiving corps for Gentry High in this contest was Hodges, who gathered in three passes for 28 yards and a touchdown.
Frazier also made his lone catch pay off with his 41 yard TD reception.
Leading the Rams’ defensive resistance this night was Edwards with 10 tackles while Bush’s impressive night of play included seven tackles and two quarterback sacks.
Rounding out the defensive leaders was Robert Bell, who completed the game with six tackles.
