Overton pleased with offense

By Staff
Mike Self FCT Sports Editor
Tharptown football coach Dale Overton liked what he saw from his team's offense in Friday night's game at St. Bernard.
The Wildcats lost 42-28, but they finished with 438 total yards.
"We're starting to figure out what we do best, and the kids are doing a really good job with it," Overton said. "We've come a long way on offense."
Sophomore quarterback Tyler Cagle completed 9-of-11 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown against St. Bernard while also rushing for 106 yards and a score.
Eighth-graders Trevor Hallmark and Manny Ricardo also had big games for the Wildcats. Hallmark rushed for 110 yards and two touchdowns, and Ricardo caught six passes for 140 yards and a score.
Tharptown trailed St. Bernard 35-28 late in the game before the home team scored a final touchdown to seal the win.
"We hung in there with them and were competitive until the end," Overton said. "They had 14 seniors, and they had three big running backs. Our offense moved the ball really well, but we just had trouble stopping them.
"Our starting tailback [Clay Scott] got hurt in the first quarter, and that really killed us. He gutted it out in the second half, but if he had been at full-strength I think we would have been able to control the clock a little more and keep the ball away from them."
Tharptown was scheduled to play a junior varsity game at Shoals Christian on Tuesday.
"The effort we're getting from these kids is amazing," Overton said. "You can't measure what we're doing in wins and losses, but we've got five games left and I think we've got a chance to win them all."