SENATOBIA — The Charleston High School Tigers shut out the previously unbeaten Senatobia Warriors 14-0 in a defensive slugfest here Friday night.
Charleston improved to 3-1 while Senatobia fell to 3-1.
Friday marked the first time since Aug. 26, 2016, that a Senatobia varsity football team had been held scoreless. They lost 17-0 at Harding Academy in Memphis.
On Monday, CHS head coach Scott Martin praised the effort of his defense.
“We played very well on defense,” Martin noted. “Anytime your defense pitches a shutout on the road, in somebody else’s stadium, and they are undefeated, you’re doing good.”
Charleston defensive coordinator LaDon Taylor said he is “really proud” of his unit’s performance at Senatobia.
“I am proud at how the defense came out and played really hard and executed the plan we put in to a T,” Taylor noted.
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The highlights were few and far between for the Warriors, who managed to scrape together only 58 yards of total offense, including 30 through the air and 28 on the ground — a 1.3-yard average per play.
The Tigers also found the sledding a little tougher than usual, compiling 218 yards of offense — 113 rushing and 105 passing — but they did find the end zone twice in the contest.
In the first quarter, Keyshun Cashaw scored on an 11-yard run. The conversion pass attempt was no good, but CHS took a 6-0 lead with 8:52 in the first quarter.
That score would hold up through the half, until the Tigers took the opening kickoff of the third quarter and quickly scored on a 55-yard pass from Chris Bradford to Kristian Gammage. Bradford also connected with Gammage for the two-point play that gave the visitors their final margin of victory.
“Our offense played good at times,” said Martin, withholding the superlatives for a unit that had averaged 21 points per game coming in.
While Senatobia converted only three of 12 third-down plays, Charleston gained a first on just two of their 14 third-down attempts, a 14.3% success rate. The Tigers did convert two of six fourth-down plays while preventing the Warriors from converting any of the three which they attempted.
Statistically, Bradford completed 8-of-17 passes for 105 yards.
Gammage had two catches for 66 yards, A.J. Wren two for 20, Markevious Prince two for 9, Alfernee Hankins one for 7 and Anytekus Drain one for 3.
On the ground, Gammage led CHS with 10 carries for 50 yards. Keyshun Cashaw had 13 totes for 38 yards, Prince eight for 22 and Wren one for 14.
Defensively, Jamar Taylor led in tackling with five individuals and one assist. Bradford tallied five solo stops and one interception. Enochius Harris had three solos, three assists and one sack. Prince racked up three individual stops and three assists. Hankins had three solos and two quarterback sacks.
Nathan Randolph and Dontavious Cashaw recorded one sack apiece in the contest. Quinterrius Suggs had one pass defensed.
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This week, the Tigers will take a little 2½ hour road trip to Forest to face the defending Class 2A state champion Scott Central Rebels, who are 3-1 on the campaign.
Since a season-opening 32-12 loss at Taylorsville, Scott Central has reeled off three straight wins, beating Morton 49-0, Pelahatchie 35-7 and, last week, Florence 33-6.
Martin said Scott Central, one year removed from their 15-1 state title run, are a formidable opponent.
“They love to run the ball,” he noted. “They’re more of a running team than they are a throwing team. They fly to the ball on defense, running a 3-3 stack and getting to the ball fast.”
While some have circled this date on their calendars to see how the former Class 3A contending CHS Tigers, now a Class 2A program, will stack up against the defending 2A state champs.
Aside from expressing his pleasure at finally getting to play a South Mississippi team during the regular season — “I’ve always wanted to play a team from the South, but it never worked out,” he noted — Martin said he views this as “just a game.”
“Of course, you want to play well,” he added.
The Tigers could be without two playmakers Friday night. Hankins, who suffered a knee injury last week, and Tyler Tellis, who injured an ankle, will be game-day decisions, Martin noted.
