Published: September 01, 2007 01:12 am      

Montcalm blacked out in debut of lights

MONTCALM — The Montcalm Generals turned the lights on Friday night, but the visiting Wolfpack from Williamson turned them back off again, except for on the scoreboard where they blanked the Generals 62-0 in the historic first game under the lights at Prudich Field.

“The game might not be going as everyone anticipated, but this field is something that is very special,” Chucky Ray Lilly said over the Prudich Field public address system at half-time. “A lot of people are trying to make this a happy experience for the high school students.”

While Lilly expressed the community’s thanks to CNX Gas, Matney Construction, Nickels Construction and State Electric for their help with installing the lights and the new scoreboard, Montcalm High School Principal Brenda Ash presented plaques of appreciation to Steve and Kay Robinson and Glen Thompson for their help on the project.

The game was close through the first quarter with the Generals holding the high-powered Wolfpack to one touchdown on an 8-yard zig-zag run by junior tailback Mike Davidson, but the Mingo County scoring machine got untracked in the second quarter and posted two touchdowns in a 24-second time span on a 19-yard dash by Davidson with 9:40 left in the quarter, and on a 43-yard interception return for a touchdown by Williamson High School sophomore speedster, Malcolm Griffin at the 9:16 mark in the quarter.

Williamson followed the four-TD second with an incredible string of three TDs in a span of four plays from scrimmage in the third quarter, starting with Davidson’s 63-yard interception run-back for a touchdown with 8:38 left in the third, Davidson’s 59-yard quick inside run left, that he saw daylight and ran right at the 5:05 mark and Griffin’s 46-yard sprint up the middle for a TD with 2:19 left in the third.

“We’ve got a lot of young kids across the line, and none of them started before this year,” Craig Havens, Montcalm head coach said. “I don’t want to take anything away from Williamson. They came in here with some very athletic players. Hopefully, we’ll get better as the year goes on.”

Williamson Coach Doug Ward said his team “sputtered when we got off the bus,” when Montcalm’s Matthew Sisk knocked the ball out of Griffin’s hands as he was about to cross the goal line for the game’s first score at the 8:36 mark in the first quarter. Sisk recovered the fumble and drove the Generals from the shadows of its own goal post, but Davidson returned Sisk’s punt to the General 38, and eight plays later, Davidson scored. The drive included a 17-yard, fourth-down Josh Stacy to Andy West aerial hook-up that kept the drive alive when it appeared as though Montcalm had held.

“I’ve only got 19 kids, and we’ve got to do a better job blocking if we want to have a successful season,” Ward said. “I’ve been where Coach Havens is now. We were 1-9 two years ago. But our kids have made a commitment to our off-season weight-lifting and conditioning program and I think it shows. Sometimes we make this game too hard. We need to stress the fundamentals of blocking, tackling and running the ball.”

Both teams agreed to an abbreviated, 8-minute fourth quarter, and Dustin Wilkerson closed out the night’s scoring on a 53-yard sweep right with 1:22 left in the game. West took the center snap on the conversion attempt and took a knee. Both 19-player teams joined together at mid-field for a few moments of fellowship together before heading to the showers.

The 1-0 Wolfpack entertains Matewan next Friday while the 0-1 Generals travel to Hurley for a showdown with the Rebels.



At Montcalm High School

Montcalm...........................0 0 0 0 — 0

Williamson.........................6 30 19 6 — 62

First Quarter

Williamson — M. Davidson 8 run (Kick failed), 2:26

Second Quarter

Williamson — M. Davidson 19 run (M. Griffin run), 9:40

Williamson — M. Griffin 43 interception return (A. West pass from J. Stacy), 9:16

Williamson — C. Ooten 3 run (J. Belcher run), 3:06

Williamson — A. West 18 pass from J. Stacy (Run failed), :14

Third Quarter

Williamson — M. Davidson 63 interception return (Kick failed), 8:38

Williamson — M. Davidson 59 run (C. Ooten run), 5:05

Williamson — M. Griffin 46 run (Run failed), 2:19

Fourth Quarter

Williamson — D. Wilkerson 53 run (Run failed), 1:22