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Bluejays baffle young Indians
CHARLESTON -- After going five-straight quarters without an offensive touchdown to start the season it took the Charleston Bluejays less than a minute to put their first two on the board against Hayti.
With a little help from their defense, the Bluejays' rushing attacked combined for 22 second-quarter points against the Indians Friday en rout to a 34-6 win.
"I was worried how we would respond after last week," Charleston head coach Brett Blackman said, referring to his team's 24-6 loss to Sikeston. "Not only was it a loss on the scoreboard, but it was an emotional loss for us too. The kids kept their heads down and moved forward this week.
"We were able to do things offensively. It took us awhile to get going, but we were able to move the ball and our defense stepped up and played well."
Things didn't look too great for the Bluejays early with Hayti completing five of their first eight passes for 90 yards on their way to a 6-0 lead entering the second quarter. Following their hot start through the air, however, the Bluejays went on to lock down Hayti's passing game the rest of the way.
Of the Indians final 20 passes they completed only one, for one yard while getting picked off three times.
Though the Bluejays' rushing game stalled much of the first half they got a boost when their defense stopped a Hayti drive inside their own 20-yard line. Charleston took over just 15-yards from the endzone. Soon after, a four-yard run by Robert Bogan put the Bluejays on the board, 8-6, with 7:21 left in the half.
It wasn't long after Hayti got the ball back that Charleston defensive back Delfincko Bogan picked off the first of two passes on the night, running it back 25 yards to the Indians' nine-yard line.
Rontavious Clark opened the ensuing drive with two-straight carries, finding the end zone on the second to extend Charleston's lead, 14-6, with 6:25 left before the break.
"(Our defense) is suppose to put us in a position to get us in the endzone and they did that tonight," Blackman said. "It's rare I sit here and tell you I was happy with all three phases of the game since I've been here, but tonight is one of those times."
Before the teams headed to the locker room, Charleston found time to add another unanswered touchdown when Clark broke free for a 28-yard score, making it 22-6 after the two-point conversion.
After a quiet third quarter the Bluejays added two final scores on a one-yard run from Clark and a 55-yard interception return for a touchdown by Delfincko Bogan to seal their first win of the season.
With only 67 yards on the ground last week against Sikeston, Charleston (1-1) took another step forward amassing 146 yards on 58 carries and four touchdowns against Hayti. Clark led the way carrying the ball 17 times for 66 yards and three scores.
On the other side, the Indians (0-2) struggled to get anything going from the second quarter on with their two quarterbacks going a combined 6 of 26 for 91 yards and a touchdown while throwing three interceptions. On the ground the Indians ran 26 times for 48 yards with Dylan Riddick leading the way with 36 yards on 11 attempts.
"We're staring four freshman," said Hayti head coach Neal Cruce, who's in his first year running the program. "Some routs were ran incorrectly that could have been big plays and our offensive line had a couple breakdowns in the quarterback's face as he released.
"It's little things. We have to get the culture turned around and its slowly coming."
The road doesn't get any easier for the Bluejays with their next test coming in the form of district rival Caruthersville on Friday.
| HHS | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -- | 6 |
| CHS | 0 | 22 | 0 | 12 | -- | 34 |
First Quarter
H -- Maurice Farr 30 pass to Dayton Moore (Demetrius Luster kick missed), 5:55
Second Quarter
C -- Robert Bogan 5 run (Mike Kellum pass to Robert Bogan good), 7:21
C -- Rontavious Clark 4 run (Mike Kellum run bad), 6:25
C -- Rontavious Clark 28 run (Mike Kellum pass to Corey Adams good), 3:00
Fourth Quarter
C -- Rontavious Clark 1 run (Mike Kellum pass bad), 4:38
C -- Delfincko Bogan 55 interception return (Rontavious Clark run bad), 0:51
| Team Stats | H | C |
| Total Yards | 139 | 186 |
| Rushes-yards | 26-48 | 58-146 |
| Passing yards | 91 | 40 |
| Comp.-Att.-Int. | 6-26-3 | 2-5-0 |
Individual Stats
Rushing -- Hayti, Maurice Farr 4-(-14), Dylan Riddick 11-36, Jamal Brooks 1-3, Elijah Jones 6-21, Cedric Fields 1-(-4), Jamerial Cody 1-(-5), Austin Neisler 2-11; Charleston, Delfincko Bogan 4-10, Robert Bogan 14-36, Rontavious Clark 17-66, Mike Kellum 12-(-12), Demontrail Clark 11-46.
Passing -- Hayti, Maurice Farr 6-17-1 91, Austin Neisler 0-9-2 0; Charleston, Mike Kellum 2-5-0 40.
Receiving -- Hayti, Reginold Ford 1-15, Jamal Brooks 2-42, Dayon Moore 2-42, Demetrius Luster 1-2; Charleston, Mike Kellum Corey Adams 1-21, Timontrail Horton 1-19.