Sophomore Jovon Turner rushed for 252 yards and four touchdowns on 21 carries to lead homestanding French Camp Academy to a 48-19 win over Region 3-1A foe Ethel on Friday to push the Panthers to 3-2 overall and 2-2 in Region 3-1A and right into the middle of the playoff hunt.
After winning its opener against Montgomery County, the Panthers were shut out by league foes Nanih Waiya and East Oktibbeha before bouncing back to beat South Leake and Ethel.
"Our backs have started running the ball harder, but I really think the major difference has been our offensive line," said FCA head coach Nathan Wright. "We finally figured out who we were supposed to block and how to block them."
EHS head coach Paul Dees was disappointed in his team's mental preparation for the game.
"I just don't think we were up for the game," he said. "We didn't play with much emotion."
He said French Camp has improved, but that his team hurt itself at times.
"We need to make plays when we are in position to make them," he said. "That's something we are not doing."
The loss dropped Ethel to 2-4 overall and 2-3 in Region 3-1A action with a home game set for Friday night against league foe West Oktibbeha.
FCA travels to Noxapater on Friday in what has now become an important Region 3-1A game.
Weir and Nanih Waiya lead Region 3-1A with 4-0 marks, while West Oktibbeha is 3-1 and South Leake, East Oktibbeha and FCA are all tied at 2-2. Ethel and Noxapater are 2-3, while Edinburg and Thomastown are each 0-4.
Josh Hardin scored on a 24-yard run and Turner on a 3-yard run to give the winners a 14-0 lead on Friday night. Ethel cut it to 14-7 at the end of the first quarter on a 39-yard pass play from Hunter Dempsey to Deangelo Hall.
The second quarter saw Turner break loose for touchdown runs of 18 and 31 yards as the Panthers, now 3-2 overall, built a 28-7 lead. Keith Collins scored on a 3-yard run for Ethel to cut FCA's halftime lead to 28-13.
But French Camp kept right on piling up the points in the third quarter as Josh Hardin scored on a 31-yard run and Turner ran in from 19 yards out to put the winners up 42-13 before Ethel scored on a 6-yard run by Troymun Hawthorne.
The only fourth-quarter points came on a 21-yard pass from FCA quarterback Jesse Hosket to Aro Nebk.
Hardin had 91 rushing yards on just nine carries for FCA, while Hosket hit on 5-of-8 passes for 58 yards.
Dempsey hit on 8-of-16 passes for 161 yards for Ethel, while Hall caught six passes for 145 yards and Antez Hopkins rushed for 70 yards on nine attempts. Keith Collins and Channin Green had 12 tackles each for the Tigers.
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