Smith-Cotton football found itself playing catch-up almost immediately against Hickman.
The Kewpies scored on the opening play from scrimmage, triggering a 28-point first quarter that led to a 48-7 Tigers loss on Friday, Sept. 25, at Jennie Jaynes Stadium.
“We just got to respond to adversity better,” S-C head coach Mike Franklin said. “Our immediate response when things don’t go our way is to quit or to cower away instead of attacking adversity head-on. Until we fix our mindset, until we continue to fight when things are hard, then we’re going to continue to struggle.”
Hickman (4-1, 3-1 CMAC) won the coin toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff. Senior Prince Collins then took the first offensive snap 80 yards for a touchdown that put Smith-Cotton (1-4, 1-3 CMAC) in a 7-0 hole 14 seconds into the game.
After a three-and-out by the Tigers, the Kewpies used a seven-play, 70-yard drive — capped by a 24-yard catch-and-run touchdown from senior Owen Weathers — to double their lead to 14-0.
An interception ended S-C’s next possession, but junior Max Smith intercepted a pass of his own on the ensuing Hickman possession and returned it 56 yards for a touchdown to get the Tigers on the board.
Hickman answered with a 32-yard touchdown run by Collins on its next possession, and after a Smith-Cotton turnover on downs, a 62-yard touchdown run by senior Kason Conyers to take a 28-7 lead.
“I’m always going to take 100% of the blame for every single loss,” Franklin said. “Obviously, we didn’t have our guys prepared enough, so it’s just one of those things where we have to do better as coaches.”
The Kewpies added an 8-yard touchdown run by Conyers early in the second quarter to take a 35-7 lead — an advantage they maintained to halftime.
Smith-Cotton’s final three possessions of the first half all ended with punts.
“It was just a lack of execution,” Franklin said. “We had a lot of misassignments. We had a lot of guys aligned the wrong way offensively. We had guys not lining up correctly, not blocking the right guy. Quarterback missing reads. But it’s just part of the game. We have to be able to adjust when things get hard. We have to be able to overcome those mistakes.”
Hickman scored on its first two possessions of the second half to extend its lead to 48-7 with 3:09 remaining in the third quarter.
The Tigers turned the ball over on downs three times and punted once in the second half.
“They’re really strong up front,” Franklin said of the Kewpies defense, which has allowed more than 14 points just once this season. “We couldn’t really get our run game going, and that’s the strongest part of our offense. They did a good job of taking Asher [Cason] away [in the passing game]. We have to be able to get the ball to other receivers … We’re going to get back to it. We’re going to get back to the drawing board.”
Previous
Next
Smith-Cotton junior David Gerasimchuk throws the ball during a game against Hickman on Friday, Sept. 25, at Jennie Jaynes Stadium.
A group of Smith-Cotton defenders, led by junior Jesse Cogdill (40), tackle a Hickman players during a game on Friday, Sept. 25, at Jennie Jaynes Stadium.
Smith-Cotton senior Rylon Curry calls to a teammate during a game against Hickman on Friday, Sept. 25, at Jennie Jaynes Stadium.
The Smith-Cotton offensive line gets set during a game against Hickman on Friday, Sept. 25, at Jennie Jaynes Stadium.
Smith-Cotton senior Alex McDonald (4) carries the ball during a game against Hickman on Friday, Sept. 25, at Jennie Jaynes Stadium.
Smith-Cotton junior Max Smith engages with a Hickman player during a game on Friday, Sept. 25, at Jennie Jaynes Stadium.
The Tigers will look to bounce back on the road against winless Battle on Friday, Oct. 2. Their next home game is a homecoming game against Capital City on Oct. 9.
“If we play like we did tonight, we’re not going to beat anybody,” Franklin said. “How are we going to respond after taking a loss like this? Are we going to continue to fight or are we going to lay down? It’s just one of those things. We have to come to practice locked in and ready to go. Everyone has to be focused on getting better, and if we attack the week and grow, we have a good chance to turn this thing around.”
CMAC SCOREBOARD
Camdenton 42, Battle 0
Jefferson City 35, Capital City 28
Helias Catholic 28, Rock Bridge 7
AREA SCOREBOARD
Cole Camp 15, Lone Jack with Kingsville 7
Tipton 54, South Callaway 0
Adrian 33, Windsor 16
Northwest 8-man 46, Braymer with Southwest Livingston County 8
Lockwood with Golden City 69, Lincoln 8-man 8
Sports editor Jack Denebeim can be reached at 660-530-0142.
