WEBB — The West Tallahatchie Choctaws lost 70-6 to the Hollandale Simmons Blue Devils here in a game played on Thursday night, Oct. 21.
West Tally fell to 3-5 while Simmons rose to 8-0.
The 70 points were the most scored against a West Tally team since a 76-0 loss to Broad Street in October 1996, and the 64-point gap represents the largest margin of defeat since a 66-0 loss to East Side in August 2010.
However, head coach Shane Hargett knew this game, and the one before — a 44-0 loss to South Delta — would be like running the gauntlet against two of the best Class 1A varsity football teams in the state.
“We knew that we had to play pretty much flawlessly to give ourselves a chance, and we just couldn’t do that,” he said.
In the loss to Simmons, Hargett said the Blue Devils scored about 30 points “directly off” West Tally turnovers.
“That’s stuff we’ve got to clean up,” he noted.
The Choctaws scored on a 9-yard JaQuarius McGee run in the first quarter that was set up by a 45-yard kick return by Issac Day. A five-play, 30-yard drive followed.
“Actually, when we didn’t turn the ball over, we moved the ball very well two, three or four times,” said Hargett. “Of course, the stats are going to be deceiving, because when you start running the clock you don’t get a whole lot of touches.”
Avoiding costly errors will be key to the Choctaws’ success in the final two games of the regular season — Friday night, Oct. 29, at McAdams in Attala County and Thursday night, Nov. 4, at home against Coffeeville, stressed Hargett.
In these last two opponents, Hargett said the Choctaws will be “playing somebody in our own weight class.”
The McAdams Bulldogs are 1-8 on the season and Coffeeville is 4-4.
Despite the recent hard knocks, West Tally sits at No. 5 in the eight-team Region 2-1A. The top four finishers in each region earn a state playoff berth.
Coffeeville, 3-2 in the region, presently occupies the fourth slot ahead of West Tally, which is 2-3 in region play.
“Basically, what this comes down to is pretty straightforward,” began Hargett. “If we win at McAdams and South Delta beats Coffeeville Friday night, we [West Tally and Coffeeville] will both be 3-3 in the region and will play for a spot in the playoffs next Thursday at West Tally during senior night. If we take care of our business, that [Nov. 4] game will be for the last playoff spot.”
