LELAND — The Charleston High School Tigers opened Region 3-2A play Friday night with a 38-8 win over the Leland High Cubs.
The Tigers, who led 32-0 at the half, improved to 3-2 on the season while the Cubs slipped to 4-4.
CHS head coach Rasheed DeBerry said he was “pretty pleased” with his team in the region opener.
“I was concerned with us having that week off after the loss to DeSoto Central (49-14 on Sept. 26),” noted DeBerry. “You face the possibility of being out of rhythm or starting off a little sluggish after you’ve been off, or losing a little confidence after a loss to a bigger school like DeSoto Central. I was pretty glad to see them shake that off, come back and be motivated and efficient with our play.”
Several Tigers had monster games, including senior stalwarts like quarterback Devon Olive and the bruising running back, Marcus “Deuce” Flowers.
Olive completed 8-of-8 pass attempts for 241 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran three times for 32 yards.
DeBerry said Olive was “extremely efficient with no turnovers and made some really good decisions. I was glad to see him play a relatively smart, clean game.”
Flowers had 15 carries for 160 yards and rushed for two touchdowns from inside the 10-yard line. He also had one pass reception for 21 yards.
“Deuce is pretty consistent and, thank God, he has been a staple for years, week in and week out,” said DeBerry. “Devon has kinda been right there, too. But we were extremely glad to see Demarion Johnson get it going. He’s one of those guys who hasn’t played as much football as the other two.”
Johnson, a 6-foot, 158-pound junior receiver, caught three passes for 158 yards, including for touchdowns of 87 and 75 yards.
“He’s a first-love basketball guy who we got out on the football field for the first time last year,” DeBerry said of Johnson. “He doesn’t have the confidence that Deuce or Devon have, as they’ve been playing football since they were in youth league. Just to see a glimpse of what he could be, or how much of a staple he can be, we were real excited for that. It was good to see No. 7 get it going on.”
Senior wide receiver P.J. Goliday caught one pass for a 12-yard touchdown.
Josh Hardiman caught a pair of balls for two-point conversions while Quay Kimble had one reception for another. Olive picked up one conversion on a run.
Leland took advantage of a Charleston fumble midway through the fourth quarter to mount a drive for the Cubs’ only score of the night. They ran for the touchdown and two-point conversion.
The Tigers’ Lazelrick Taylor had one rush for 3 yards in the game.
Other receivers catching balls for CHS at Leland were Tyler Kuykendall, one for 27 yards; Quentin Carter, one for 22 yards; Hardiman, one for 13 yards; and Elijah Gipson, one for 7 yards.
DeBerry said he was glad to be able to work in some of the team’s younger junior varsity players, like JV quarterback Laryce Bradley, who attempted and completed one pass for 7 yards.
“I like for our JV guys to get in and get a feel for playing a little early so they can get ready for next year,” the coach noted.
This Friday, the Tigers will travel to play the 2-5 J.Z. George High School Jaguars in North Carrollton to complete a three-game road trip.
During their unexpected open date last Friday night, DeBerry said some Charleston coaches actually went to North Carrollton to watch J.Z. George host the undefeated Northside Gators.
The Gators gobbled up the Jaguars to the tune of 44-0.
“We don’t want to overlook [J.Z. George], but it should be a game where we can get some more guys going,” said DeBerry. “We want to keep our guys motivated, work on their fundamentals, and not play down to the competition, if I can say that respectfully.”
On paper, it appears the Tigers may get the opportunity to rest some starters later in the game and give younger guys more experience.
“It should be one of those games where we can put some film on some of those ninth-graders and 10th-graders and let them get in and showcase what they can do in the future,” DeBerry noted.
