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October 17, 2009
In front of a national TV audience on a cold and windy night, Stephenson High School was looking to impress. And as the TV cameras rolled, Stephenson just got stronger, until Martin Luther King, Jr. could not move the ball down the field at all. Fifth-ranked Stephenson stopped sixth-ranked MLK again and again and the Lions never saw the endzone. The Jaguars, however, got in three times en route to a 20-0 win. The game got off to a slow start with neither team scoring in the first quarter. It looked like a defensive battle was unfolding in the Region 2-5A match-up. But 49 seconds into the second quarter Raymond Sanders took the ball 21 yards into the endzone. The run itself was a beautiful thing. Sanders followed a seam down the right side of the field and when two defenders came up to make the play, Sanders calmly nudged his way between them like a shopper nudging their way through people at the mall. That gave the Jaguars the first points of the game and a 7-0 lead that would hold until halftime. M.L. King's band came out and delivered a great Homecoming show. Then the Homecoming King and Queen were announced. Unfortunately, that was about the last time an MLK Lion won anything that night, because Sanders ran another one in less than three minutes into the second half. Sanders broke out on a nice 29-yard scamper to get down to the one. Then, on 3rd and goal, the Kentucky commit followed two fullbacks up the middle into the endzone for his second score of the night. Sanders would finish with about 130 yards and 2 TDs. Meanwhile, Stephenson's defense showed no signs of bending or breaking. Four-star Florida running back commit Mack Brown had a few nice carries, but the Jaguars were still able to hold him to about 100 yards rushing. Four-star athlete and M.L. King quarterback Cameron Myers had no such luck. Every time he dropped back to pass, two or more Jaguar defenders were in the backfield within seconds. When he had time to make a thrown, Myers would put a ball on the money, only to have one of Stephenson's D1 DBs stick a hand in to knock it down at the last second. Stephenson's signalcaller, Jordan Tarver, had an easier go at it, especially when his receivers would immediately get open. Kind of like when Tarver hit speedy Nathan Benford on a 36-yard strike at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Benford just flat out beat the DB, getting open and downfield in about four seconds. Tarver got the ball there just as Benford was crossing the goal line. The extra point attempt failed, but Stephenson still had a 20-0 lead with ten minutes left in the game. And the less time there was on the clock meant M.L. King's RB Brown was less and less valuable on the ground. Stephenson's defensive front and blitzing playmakers harassed Myers until the last snap, which was the biggest storyline of the game. The win puts Stephenson in the driver's seat for a region championship now. Though, an undefeated Union Grove still stands in their way. ESPNU televised the game nationally. A few observations: -Just as M.L. King's band started playing the Star-Spangled Banner, the sound of a low-flying helicopter drown out the music. The little red chopper circled the field once and landed on a soccer field about 100 yards from the locker rooms. University of Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin got out shortly after landing. It was no coincidence that Kiffin showed up (and left at halftime) in view of the two teams that have double-digit D1 prospects. -Jaguar running back Raymond Sanders may be small (5-foot-8), but he is strong. He rarely goes down on the first hit, spinning immediately. He looks like he's covered with Pam. Not to mention the speed and arsenal of moves he brings to the table. He might be the most underrated running back in the state. The Kentucky Wildcats will be getting a good one. -East Carolina-offered LB Jabari Johnson was making all sorts of plays for Stephenson all game, especially rushing the quarterback. He had some nice hits. -MLK running back Mack Brown is big, but fast. He did not break too many runs, but it was clear why he is heading D1 on one run in particular. On a play designed to go just off the right side of the line, Brown saw no opening and used his speed to get outside, getting around everyone on Stephenson's speedy defense. The run went for 15 yards. -Brown also never gets pushed backwards. His side of the pile always advances and he will run you over, period. -Stephenson's DBs are unreal. Chris Sharpe was all over the field, Jared Boyd was knocking balls down, and when MLK had no choice but to try for the big play, Kenny Ladler was there to make the stop. -Four-star Stephenson DL Mike Thornton was blowing up the offensive line the whole night. Double teams could not stop him. Running away from him could not stop him. He is one of the best defensive lineman in the state. He absolutely requires a double team. -Nathan Benford might be Stephenson's most underrated player. He can fly. He got behind MLK's defense several times. -Stephenson's defense is so athletic and fast, especially in the pass rush. They swarm to the ball and if a player makes one defender miss, there are two more to take his place. When MLK had no choice but to try to pass at the end of the game, Stephenson's front looked like the paddles in pong, bouncing the MLK QB around. All that was missing was the sound effects. -MLK DB Cory Phillips made some plays, but he played the run the best, making some nice plays at the line of scrimmage, like stopping RB Sanders at the goal line on one play. -Both teams employed the Wildcat formation early. -Both teams fumbled at inopportune times. Plus, M.L. King had two illegal procedures on 4th and 2s. -These teams are deep. For instance, Stephenson's Willie Davis came into the game at running back and instantly made some big plays. Davis, like most players on these teams, had a lot of speed. -Even though at Hallford Stadium, both teams had a home game, only M.L. King's band played at halftime because it was the Lions' Homecoming. They put on a great hip hop-themed show featuring a giant shell toe Adidas shoe in formation. Stephenson's band sounded good during the game, too.
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