By JOSH FRYE
News Sportswriter
Escambia County High’s Blue Devils are still in search of their first win of 2020 after being blanked 29-0 by T.R. Miller 29-0 last Friday, August 28, the second straight shutout suffered by ECHS.
Willie Banks led the Blue Devils in rushing with 27 carries for 86 yards, but despite those positive numbers, ECHS could not find a way into the endzone.
The Tigers took an 8-0 lead with just over six minutes left to play in the first quarter by way of a 3-yard touchdown run, followed by a successful two-point attempt.
ECHS attempted to fight back on the following drive with a series of runs from Banks but were shut down.
Then, with just over a minute left to go in the first half, the Tigers struck again on a 2-yard touchdown run and an extra-point kick, extending the lead to 15-0 at the half.
A promising third-quarter ECHS drive was cut short when TRM recovered a Blue Devils bobble with 10:04 left in the third quarter. The Tigers followed with a 6-yard touchdown drive and took a 21-0 lead.
With just over four minutes left to play in the third quarter, the Tigers broke free again, this time on a 45-yard punt return for a touchdown, bringing the final scoring tally to 29-0.
ECHS attempted to make some positive headway during the fourth quarter but were stood up by the strong Tigers defense.
Blue Devils quarterback Anthony McCants completed 4 of 15 pass attempts for 28 yards. ECHS wide receiver Jacobey James carried the ball twice for 7 yards.
“We are just a young team,” ECHS head coach Scott Mason said. “We made some good strives during this game and are getting better. It takes time. Our guys are really young, and with the COVID-19 situation, it is hard to get things going.”
According to Mason, at least two running backs are out of the lineup due to being on COVID quarantine. He said the unidentified players were exposed to the virus but did not have it and have not been in contact with the team since the time of exposure.
“We are just going to keep pushing forward and getting better every week,” Mason said. “This week we played better against T.R. Miller than we did last week against Bayside. It’s a constant forward motion from here.”
With the win, the Tigers evened their record at 1-1, while the Blue Devils are now in an 0-2 hole.
This Friday, ECHS will host a Mobile Christian team that last week posted a 25-24 overtime win that ended UMS-Wright’s state-longest win streak at 34 games.