Pickens Handles Heritage, Wins 45-0

Featured Stories, Team FYN Sports

The Pickens Dragons traveled to Ringgold on Friday night to play the Heritage Generals and did not disappoint the fans that made the trip, as they completely dominated the game and won 45-0, providing the team its first shutout since the season opening game of the 2006 season.
The Dragons won the opening coin toss and chose to kick off to start the game, which guaranteed the team the ball to start the second half. This was proven to be an excellent decision, as Heritage’s first drive ended when quarterback Jacob Carter’s pass was intercepted by Jake Dean, who returned the ball to the Heritage 45 yard line.

Given prime field position thanks to the great defensive play , the Dragons offense quickly went to work on a eight play, 45 yard drive that ended with a 7 yard touchdown run by running back Shannon Brooks, which gave Pickens a 7-0 lead with 8:38 left in the opening quarter of play.

After the Dragons defense stood tall and forced a quick three-and-out by the Generals, the offense got the ball back on its own 25 yard line. This drive showed a lot of promise for Pickens, but on fourth down quarterback Tanner Brumby’s pass fell incomplete, which meant that Heritage would regain possession on its own 49 yard line.

The Dragons’ defense was determined not to allow Heritage to score on what would prove to be the team’s best field position all night, and after four plays the Generals were forced to attempt a 30 yard field goal, which was missed.

The next drive for Pickens proved to be the most important of the entire game, as a five play drive that ended with a punt was followed by a fumble on second down, which was recovered by the Dragons on the Heritage 22 yard line.

Primed to take advantage of the short field left in front of them, the Pickens offense pieced together another successful series of plays, which ultimately resulted in another touchdown, this one on a four yard scramble by Tanner Brumby to put the team on top 14-0 with 11:13 remaining in the second quarter.

Another successful three-and-out forced by the Dragons defense gave the offense the ball once again, this time starting on its side of the field on the 44 yard line. Pickens made the most out of this chance to score, as the team racked up three first downs on its way to a 5 yard touchdown run by Shannon Brooks, who took the direct snap and pushed his way past the goal line.

The kickoff following the touchdown by Brooks was then fumbled, and after a quick battle for the ball the Dragons took over on the Heritage 17. Although the offense was unable to add seven more points on this drive, the Dragons didn’t come out empty-handed, as kicker Jacob Godfrey booted a 20 yard field goal to pad the Pickens lead to 24-0 with just 5:53 left in the first half.

The Generals’ offense showed some life on its next possession, but once again the Dragons defense took care of business and forced another punt after just five plays.

Starting from its own 28 yard line, the Pickens passing game was the focus of this drive, as Tanner Brumby threw three passes of twelve yards or more, including a 20 yard pass caught by Tate Rizoti in the back corner of the end zone to add seven more points to the scoreboard, making it 31-0 with a little over a minute left before halftime.

Looking to just head to the locker room, the Generals took their time on the next drive, and after just three plays the half was over with the Dragons holding a comfortable 31-0 advantage.

Although the break in between halves threatened the momentum the Dragons had maintained through the first two quarters of play, the offense hit the field to start the second half and played just like they had in the first. Pickens opened the third quarter with an impressive eight play, 75 yard drive that was culminated with a 15 yard touchdown pass from Tanner Brumby to Jake Coleman, leaving Heritage in a 38-0 hole with 8:11 left in the third quarter.

Following another short Heritage drive that saw the Generals only chalk up six yards of offense, the Dragons opened their next drive with excellent field position, this time on the Heritage 44 yard line. This drive saw Pickens seamlessly move down the field just as they had already done several times in the game, and a one yard touchdown run by Justin Hamrick pushed the Pickens lead to 45-0 with 11:30 left in the fourth quarter.

With such a large point differential separating these two teams, the rest of the fourth quarter saw a running clock and attempts by both squads to finish off the game as soon as they could. The Dragons final drive saw a slew of backups hit the field and gain some valuable experience, and after eight straight running plays the game was finally over with Pickens prevailing by the final score of 45-0.

Quarterback Tanner Brumby did his part for the Pickens offense in the win, as he completed eleven passes on nineteen attempts for 170 yards and 2 touchdowns and took eight carries for 35 yards and one touchdown.

Shannon Brooks led the way for the Dragons’ running attack, as he took fifteen carries for 88 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Leading the way for the Pickens passing game was Jake Coleman, who ended the game with five receptions for 94 yards and one touchdown.

While the offense lit up the scoreboard throughout the night, the defense quietly put together an excellent four quarters of football, as they gave up a grand total of one hundred yards of offense and forced six punts on the night.

The victory over Heritage gives Pickens a 2-1 record so far this year. Next on the schedule for the Dragons is a home game against the Ridgeland Panthers, who are also 2-1 and are fresh off a 42-21 beat down of the Cedartown Bulldogs.

2012 SEPT PICKENS PHS FOOTB Pickens vs Heritage from Fetch on Vimeo.

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