Phil Campbell Bobcats dominate in opener
The Phil Campbell Bobcats established dominance along the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball Friday night, beating the Tharptown Wildcats 54-6.
Phil Campbell piled up 372 total yards of offense while holding Tharptown to just 59 total yards in the contest.
“I was proud of the way our guys came out the gate tonight,” said Bobcat Coach Ryan Swinney. “We were physical, we didn’t make a lot of mental mistakes, and we got after the football.”
“Getting a win in your opening game is big,” Swinney added. “We hope we can build on it and have a successful season.”
Phil Campbell wasted no time establishing control in the game with an 11-play, 77-yard opening drive. Peyton Thomas connected with Ben Williams for a 35-yard pass to get the Bobcats across midfield, and the drive was capped off with a seven-yard touchdown run by Imer Ordonez with 7:02 to in the first quarter. The point-after attempt was no good, giving the Bobcats a 6-0 lead.
Tharptown was unable to gain any ground on the ensuing drive and was forced to punt. The snap was fumbled deep in the Wildcats’ on territory and picked up at the ten-yard line by the Bobcats. Phil Campbell scored four plays later on an eight-yard run by Thomas, and the PAT by Ridge Raper was good, giving Phil Campbell a 13-0 lead with 3:11 to go in the first quarter.
Phil Campbell put together another solid scoring drive to start the second quarter. The drive went 68 yards in nine plays, ending in a 14-yard touchdown run by Brandon Thomas. The PAT by Daniel Smith was good, giving the Bobcats a 20-0 lead. Peyton Thomas had a 27-yard run to spark the drive.
Tharptown picked up their lone score in the game with 4:54 to go in the first half on a 23-yard touchdown pass from K.J. Hamilton to Carson Petree. The PAT failed, leaving the Wildcats trailing by 14 points 20-6.
The Bobcats answered on their next drive when Seth Brindley took the opening play 51 yards to paydirt. The PAT by Smith extended Phil Campbell’s lead to 34-6 with 2:57 to go in the half.
Phil Campbell scored three more times in the second half: Peyton Thomas hit Daniel Smith for 40-yard touchdown pass; Ridge Raper scored on a two-yard run; and the Bobcats’ final score came on a nine-yard run by Jason Mansell with 4:58 to go in the game.
Thomas completed seven of 10 passes for 101 yards and a touchdown. He also ran the ball for 68 yards and a touchdown.
Brindley ran the ball three times for 61 yards and a touchdown. Brindley also had two catches for 67 yards.
Phil Campbell will travel to Colbert Heights Friday night. Tharptown will host Red Bay.
