Entering Friday’s game at Ardrey Kell, the Titans are 1-1, having blown out Providence in their debut Aug. 19 and then falling to 2A power East Lincoln 39-24 last week. The offense was in a rhythm against Providence, but could not find one against the Mustangs.
“The highs of highs, the lows of lows, it’s high school football,” Hopewell coach David Johnson said following the loss to East Lincoln. “We’ll be fine.”
There were just too many mistakes against East. Hopewell turned the ball over five times and inexperienced receivers found gaps in the defense only to drop passes, which ultimately led to quick drives and short breaks for the defense.
“You have nights like this,” said Johnson. “We’re not going to be the only high school football team in America that has a bad night.”
East coach Mike Byus said Hopewell is a dangerous team that will give its opponents plenty of problems as the season wears on.
“They have everything they need in the place they need it,” said Byus. “They’ve got size and speed. When you watch them on film, they have no weaknesses schematically.”
Byus said Titan senior Denzel Heath was tough to contain. Heath ran for 195 yards on 16 carries and scored on second-half runs of 78 and 16 yards, providing the Titans’ lone touchdowns until the final seconds. He caught seven passes for 61 yards, ending the night with 256 total yards and two scores, while also contributing at linebacker, and he blocked the Mustangs’ first extra point kick attempt. Heath is a proven commodity, and after another star performance, Johnson is running out of words to describe him. And it’s only week three.
“Phenomenal,” said Johnson. “I don’t know if I’ve used that or not.”
Big-play Bubba
Denzel Heath wasn’t the only game-changer on the field last Friday. East Lincoln’s Bubba McDowell was also a one-man wrecking crew. He compiled 299 total yards and scored all four Mustang touchdowns after the half.
“He’s a special kid,” said Byus. “His strength is deceptive because he’s small.” The 5-foot-7 senior scored on passes of 50 and 60 yards from Garrett Young and on a 16-yard run that gave East its largest lead of the night, 32-8. His 87-yard gallop to the end zone with 2:42 remaining put the finishing touches on the win.
East held a 12-0 lead at halftime after a 3-yard touchdown run by Charlie Goss and a 32-yard pass from Young to Tyler Brock.
QB question
Through two games, the Titans are still working with a two-quarterback system, and it may be that way for a while, as much depends on who has the hot hand each night. Junior quarterback Tijuan Sifford played most of the second half against East, after Chandler Chase started under center. Chase was 11-of-15 and threw for 189 yards and three scores against Providence in
the opener, but was intercepted twice in the second half against East.
Chase finished the night 8-of-20 for 51 yards, while Sifford was 12-of-26 for 116 yards, with an interception and a late 10-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Hairston. The Titan signal callers relied heavily on dump-off passes to Heath, but also hit seven other targets.
PATs
Hopewell received a sideline warning during the Mustangs’ first drive, and the home sideline’s line judge was persistent in his warnings to the Titans throughout the contest. He flagged the Titans for a sideline violation on Hopewell’s first possession, then flagged Johnson for excessive celebration on Heath’s 78-yard score. That set up an 18-yard two-point conversion attempt, which the Titans converted when Chase shoveled a pass to Heath. ...Hopewell had a 21-11 advantage on first downs, but the
Mustangs— by way of McDowell — scored on all four of their first down conversions in the second half.
