[ontopofthewest]

Mayfield defense rules Tilghman
by By Joey Fosko [email]jfosko@paducahsun.com[/email] The Paducah Sun
Sep 03, 2011 | 228 views | 0 | 3 | |

slideshow

slideshow

slideshow

slideshow

slideshow

slideshow For Mayfield’s football program, the sixth consecutive win over archrival Paducah Tilghman came with a stunning statement.

The Cardinals’ defense, overshadowed last season by the most explosive offense in school history, is for real.

Sparked by standout performances from defensive end LaBront Scott, linebacker Jonathan Jackson and cornerback William Higginson, Mayfield led almost from start to finish, swamping the Tornado 24-6 in front of close to a packed house at McRight Field on Friday night to extend its winning streak in the century-old series to a half-dozen games.

“There’s no telling how many tackles (Scott) made, and Jackson was everywhere,” Mayfield coach Joe Morris said. “And Higginson did such a great job containing (Tilghman receiver) J.D. Harmon. Guys like that make you look like pretty good coaches. We knew this team would be tough to score on, and these guys have really taken it to another level.”

And the Cardinals (3-0) showed a hint of the high-powered passing attack that characterized last season in racing to a 17-6 halftime lead, with sophomore quarterback Luke Guhy channeling the nearly flawless play of his older brother, Jake Guhy, who rewrote the school record book before graduating last spring.

Guhy was 8-for-12 for 144 yards in the first half with two touchdown passes to Higginson, surprising a Tilghman defense that was expecting the Cardinals to try and establish the ground attack.

“I didn’t know whether it was Luke or Jake out there,” Morris said. “We knew they were coming with pressure a lot, but our six were able to block their six, Jake hung in there against the pressure and we feel like our receivers are pretty good against man-to-man coverage.”

Guhy didn’t fare as well in the second half, going 0-for-6 with an interception on the goal line, but the damage had been done.

“Our (defensive backs) just got burnt,” Tilghman coach Randy Wyatt said. “We got exposed back there.”

The Cardinals — Class A’s top-ranked team — eventually took complete command with a short-field drive set up by a Shain Ross interception late in the third quarter. Jackson (13 carries, 73 yards) scored from 10 yards out with 14 seconds left in the period, putting Mayfield ahead by three scores.

Mayfield’s vaunted defense did the rest, holding the Tornado (1-2) to just 38 yards rushing and forcing six fumbles and four turnovers. Jackson’s punishing hit on scrambling Tilghman quarterback Tyler Presnell late in the half knocked Presnell out of the contest, forcing backup Jordan Tyler to play the entire second half.

And Higginson, whose primary job was to cover Harmon, acquitted himself well despite giving up about 6 inches in height. Harmon caught five passes for 90 yards but wasn’t able to generate as many yards after the catch as he had done in stellar performances against Lone Oak and Indiana power Evansville Reitz.

“He’s the most underrated cornerback in the nation — well, maybe the state,” Jackson said of Higginson, his teammate. “He’s not as big as Harmon or anything, but he’s got heart.”

Higginson was a bit more modest, maintaining that he was simply doing his job. He did get some occasional help from Ross, but Morris said “there were times we left him out there with Harmon one-on-one.”

And Higginson provided the big plays on offense, too, catching five passes for 147 yards, including touchdown strikes of 58 and 26 yards.

“We’ve got total confidence in (Guhy) that he’s going to get the job done,” Higginson said, “and our defense was great. Harmon is tough — he’s 6-3 and can jump out of the gym — and he’s going to make some catches. We just didn’t want to let him break a big play on us.”

Mayfield’s defense also came up big twice in the red zone, holding Tilghman to a pair of Miles Butler field goals in the second quarter. On the second drive, the Tornado had first-and-goal at the 5, but two runs and an incomplete pass to Harmon that went off his fingertips in the back of the end zone kept Mayfield in the lead and with the momentum.

“Down there, that close to the end zone — those are want-to plays, and we didn’t get it in,” Wyatt said. “We’ve got to get more of a push than that. Mayfield’s got something on us.”

–––

Mayfield 24, Tilghman 6

SCORING

First Quarter

M — Luke Wynstra 38 FG, 9:18. Mayfield leads 3-0.

M — William Higginson 58 pass from Jake Guhy (Wynstra kick), 7:53. Mayfield leads 10-0.

Second Quarter

PT — Miles Butler 35 FG, 9:15. Mayfield leads 10-3.

PT — Butler 20 FG, 4:38. Mayfield leads 10-6.

M — Higginson 26 pass from Guhy (Wynstra kick), 1:46. Mayfield leads 17-6.

Third Quarter

M — Jonathan Jackson 10 run (Wynstra kick), 0:14. Mayfield leads 24-6.

TEAM STATISTICS

First Downs: Mayfield 8, Tilghman 8. Rushing att.-yards: Mayfield 21-63, Tilghman 32-38. Passing, yards: Mayfield 8-18-1 144. Tilghman 11-24-2 158. Total yards: Mayfield 207, Tilghman 196. Penalty yards: Mayfield 9-45, Tilghman 7-67. Fumbles-lost: Mayfield 3-2, Tilghman 6-2.

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

Rushing – Mayfield: J. Jackson 13-73, D. Jackson 1-2, Ross 2-(-1), Mills 2-(-1), Guhy 3-(-10). Tilghman: Pearson 6-27, Hill 5-16, Coleman 5-13, Presnell 5-5, Spivey-Nunn 2-2, Tyler 5-(-12), Harmon 4-(-13).

Passing – Mayfield: Guhy 8-18-1 144. Tilghman: Presnell 5-10-0 82, Tyler 6-14-2 76.

Receiving – Mayfield: Higginson 5-147, Love 1-25, Brown 1-15, Downing 1-7. Tilghman: Harmon 5-90, Spivey-Nunn 2-18, Hill 2-7, Flemmons 1-40, Washington 1-3.


Read more: The Paducah Sun - Mayfield defense rules Tilghman