From STAFF REPORTS
Xavier Pippen electrified the home crowd with a 79-yard kickoff return to begin the second half as Sardis cruised to a 48-6 win over Crossville.
Sardis improves to 1-2 on the year. Crossville falls to 1-3.
The homestanding Lions added two more touchdowns in the second half as they capitalized several times on field position and a stingy defense.
Coach Wes Tidwell said he was encouraged by his team’s performance.
“Our kids needed a win,” he said. “The community needed a win. We’ve got a lot of stuff to clean up, and we know that, but we thought that would be the case coming in. Our kids are playing hard. We’ve got to fix some stuff, and not make the mistakes, but it’s good to get a win.
Sardis scored on its first possession after Pippen returned a punt from the Crossville 39 to the 20. Five plays later, Lane Bankston took it in from seven yards out. Jay Sickles’ point-after gave the Lions a 7-0 advantage.
Sardis added to its lead in the second, when Joseph Gramajo raced 47 yards for a touchdown. Sickles’ PAT gave Sardis a two-touchdown lead.
Then, on the ensuing kickoff, Nathan Bledsoe recovered a fumble and set Sardis up on the Crossville 26. From there, it only took four plays before Wilin Gomez scored on a three-yard touchdown run. Sickles added the PAT, and Sardis was firmly in command, 21-0.
Crossville’s next possession resulted in its only score score. The visiting Lions put together a 12-play, 65-yard drive, eating up 5:50 in clocktime. On the eighth play of the drive, Crossville went to Noah Causey at quarterback, and he sparked the Lions with a 39-yard scamper down to the Sardis 12. Four plays later, Causey scored from the four yard line with 3:31 left in the half. The point-after attempt was blocked by Kaden Berry.
Sardis got the ball back at its own 48, and drove to the 35 before Pippen’s pass was intercepted with 31 seconds left in the half.
After Pippen’s kickoff return, the home field Lions scored on a 45-yard pass from Lane Bankston to Sickles. Bankston added a two-point conversion, and Sardis led 35-6.
Colt Wallace came in for a few series, and found Branson Mathis for a 13-yard touchdown pass with 4:44 left in the third quarter. The point-after attempt was no good.
Sardis’ final touchdown came on a five-yard run by M.J. Jones, with Sickles adding the point-after.
“The defense played pretty well at times, and we did some dumb crap at times,” Tidwell said. “We gave up some leverage on a couple of outside plays. Field position is going to help us.”
Sardis faces Fairview, while Crossville hosts Good Hope.
