Red Devils roll over Dierks on road
DIERKS — Collin Smith combined for 267 of Mountain Pine’s 412 offensive yards, leading the Red Devils to a 48-13 win over Dierks Friday night at Ayers Field.
Smith accounted for four touchdowns in the game, one on a pass and three on carries. The junior completed 5 of 10 passes for 123 yards, and he had 11 carries for 144.
“He played defense and offense the first game,” said Mountain Pine head coach Sam Counce Saturday. “We kind of felt like he was dividing his time a little bit, and it was taking away from one side of the ball. Quarterback is where he’s most productive for us.
“We put him over there, and he really stepped up last night. He led the team. He did a good job at the line of scrimmage with his plays and recognizing what was in front of him. This is really his third year. He know what we try to do, and he does an exceptional job right there for us.”
The Red Devils (1-1) took a 13-0 lead early in the game.
“We scored two touchdowns real quick,” Counce said. “We drove down and scored, and we took a pitch and Josh Walpole scored… Most of our scoring was in the second quarter. We kind of got our footing pretty good in the second quarter, moving the ball around.”
Dierks (0-2) finally got on the scoreboard in the second period, scoring its second touchdown near the end of the game.
“It seemed like we got a little tired,” Counce said. “They were able to move the ball a little on us. They ran outside on us a little bit.”
Elijah Browning also had a strong performance for the Red Devils, carrying 15 times for 90 yards and a touchdown.
“Elijah is also kind of like (Smith),” Counce said. “He was at defensive end the first game and running back, so we put him on one side of the ball. Not that either one of them won’t go back on defense on occasion, but early in the year when it’s so hot and you’re trying to make it through, … we felt like we were sacrificing them a little bit. … Elijah runs tough, and he’s our go-to guy when we need yardage.”
Counce said that while the team had a strong performance after last week’s 41-12 loss at Mineral Springs, there are still things it needs to work on.
“I think our kicking game has got to get better for us,” he said. “Offensively and defensively, we’re getting better. We swarm to the ball on defense on several occasions, but at times, we could go a little harder. I feel like we had the game we needed to have for us as far as a team. We needed some confidence, and we needed some success, and against Dierks, that’s what happened for us.”
With the Red Devils forcing the mercy rule in the fourth quarter, Counce was able to get many of his younger and more inexperienced players in the game.
“Everybody got to play last night in the fourth quarter,” he said. “We invoked the mercy rule in the fourth quarter, and everybody got to play. It was good for us as far as a team. You go through the summer and work hard and beat on each other. We go down to Mineral Springs, and it doesn’t go the way we want it to. … Last night, we were able to move the ball. We were able to play defense, and everybody got to get in the game.”
The Red Devils host Centerpoint (1-1) Friday at Stanley May Field.
“I know they are a 3A school,” Counce said. “We’ll meet tomorrow morning at 9, and we’ll get us a gameplan on them. But I don’t really know much about them. It’s going to be a challenge. I know that. They’re a bigger school, and anytime you step up in a class, they’ve got more depth and things like that. It’ll be a challenge for us, I know that, regardless of what they run and do.”