by John Goolsby
A big home crowd got a preview of the 2022 Mounties last Thursday night as Shades Valley defeated Springville 28-7 at Frank Nix Stadium.
Shades Valley drew first blood with 6:57 remaining in the first quarter on a 47-yard touchdown run by Micah Thomas after a Springville fumble.
Springville then took over on offense and went on a 12-play, 70-yard drive that was capped off by a 26-yard touchdown strike to start the second quarter. The Tiger’s drive nearly ended on the first play. A backward pass that was deflected by senior linebacker Kordell Steele and recovered by the Mounties was missed by the officiating crew. The pass was ruled incomplete, and the scoring drive continued.
The two teams traded punts on their next series. The Mounties got the ball back after a big 10-yard sack on third down and went to work.
The Mountie offense took to a ground attack with their “thunder and lightning” stable of running backs. Braylen Hart’s hard pounding runs up the middle and Christian Thomas’ big gains on the perimeter had the Tiger defense searching for answers.
Unfortunately, the most exciting play of the night was negated because of a Mountie penalty. Christian Thomas electrified the home crowd by doing his best David Palmer impersonation by turning a short reception into a 60-yard score.
Junior quarterback Steve Brown showed his big-play ability with two long scrambles late in the drive. His 37-yard strike to a diving Christian Thomas, who came up with an acrobatic diving catch, for the score with 5:00 minutes remaining in the half put the Mounties back on top for good.
On the next Springville possession, Kordell Steele turned in an athletic defensive play with an interception of a Tiger pass. Steele returned it 57 yards for a Mountie score with 2:09 remaining in the half. However, a penalty nullified the play, and the two teams headed to the locker with Shades Valley leading 14-7.
The Mountie defense played well and appeared to be much improved. The linebacking corps looks to be strong and deep. The addition of standout junior Ethan Johnson is a significant addition.
The two teams finished out the second half by playing a large number of younger players with a running clock. Mountie backup quarterback Zay Bolden scored on a 23-yard scramble and a 10-yard pass. The Mountie defense held the Tigers scoreless in the second half, and the Mounties came away with a win by a cumulative score of 28-7.
2022 Schedule:
The RED & BLACK 