Mayor’s Trophy on the line as Patriots outlast the Colonels 27-19
Merrill Gainer Field, Roanoke, VA – An early 5:30 pm kickoff made for some early fireworks. William Fleming looked the opening kick off, botched a snap to their punter, and Notre Dame bound 9 Bodie Kahoun turned it into six points.
PH led 7-0. Both teams settled in after that. Fleming looked to turn an interception by Junior DB 9 K-Ron Ferguson of a PH QB Joey Beasley pass, but Fleming gave it right back on a pick by Patriot DB 13 Tequan Martin. From there PH put together a 12 play drive ending in a RB 7 Marcel Murray TD from eight yards out, putting PH up 14-0. The Colonels battled back.
QB 4 Jycer Preston threw a 51 yard laser to WR 7 Omarza Gray closing the gap to 14-7. PH made it 17-14 at the half with K 3 Sam Dowdy’s 26-yard FG making it 17-7. Quarter three saw sensational Colonel RB 3 Malachi Coleman score from 11 yards out but the PAT was missed, 17-13 PH.
Fleming got it right back on a Marcel Murray fumble. That led to an 11-yard score capped off by a RB 5 Tejaun Preston taking it in. Fleming went for two, but it was no good and the Colonels enjoyed their first lead of the night, 19-17. The two clubs trade possessions before QB 12 Joey Beasley connected with WR 10 Julius Davis on a perfectly thrown 67-yard pass and run that put the Patriots back up 23-19.
The Patriots followed that up with a recovery of a fumble on the kickoff. Ten plays later, K 3 Dowdy hit a 28-yard field goal putting them up 27-19 with 2:46 left in the game. The Colonels drove the ball to the Patriots 14 yard line with the help of an unsportsmanlike penalty, but back to back incompletions by QB 4 Preston ended the fray and gave PH the Noel C. Taylor Mayor’s Cup. – Dylan James
