| Thornton, Floyd drive Red Raiders' shutout 9/13/2008 5:47:22 AM |
BY CHRIS RUSHING
Special to the Journal
SHANNON - It did not take long for Shannon to establish supremacy on its home turf against an out-of-state opponent Friday night.
Within the game's first 3 minutes, 17 seconds, the Red Raiders (2-1) had built a comfortable 21-0 lead thanks to Jackson (Tenn.) Central-Merry's (0-3) bevy of opening quarter mishaps. Shannon, ranked No. 4 in the Daily Journal's latest large school poll, notched its second straight win by a final tally of 34-0.
Seniors Alex Thornton and Marquez Floyd paced the attacks on offense and defense for the Red Raiders, earning the praise of coach Chad Cook following the shutout.
"Alex and Marquez, those guys play their tails off for us," Cook said. "The defense is still carrying us right now. They had a real good week in practice, and I'm happy for Marquez. It was great for him to pick off both passes. During the week at practice, he picked off everything thrown his way."
Thornton had 88 yards on the ground to complement his 89 passing yards. Floyd had two interceptions, one returned for a score, in addition to another pass break-up.
"Alex is a dual-threat guy, and he was a little disappointed in his throwing at times tonight," Cook explained. "He also showed everyone what he can do with his legs. That's what we're looking for out of him, those yards on the ground to keep drives going."
On the first drive of the contest, Thornton ran 8 yards untouched into the end zone on the game's third play to open the scoring. Thornton used his arm to get the Red Raiders into the red zone with a 50-yard bullet to junior Chris Davis, who was finally dragged down at the Cougars' 8.
Quick strikes
Over the span of the next six snaps, Shannon's lead increased to 21-0 after Floyd jumped in front of Joshua Pearman's third-down throw and raced 25 yards to pay dirt. Not to be outdone, defensive lineman Jerome Owens picked up a loose ball on the 7 and rumbled into the end zone with 8:43 left in the first quarter.
On the first play of the second period, running back Keon McGaughy darted through the Cougars secondary, dodging would-be tacklers over the span of 36 yards to extend the halftime margin to 27-0.
The Red Raiders' defense forced three turnovers and limited the Cougars' offense to minus-25 yards with one first down. Floyd almost had an instant replay late in the second quarter after moving in front of his Cougar counterpart and racing down the sidelines before being pushed out at the 2. The return was called back as the Red Raiders were found guilty on one of their eight penalties in the half.
"The defense, once again, did a great job. I want to praise Coach (Buck) Buchanan, Coach (John) Vaughn and Coach (Dusty) Kelly," Cook added.
Overall, the red and black had nine penalties, totaling 95 yards and costing the team a pair of touchdowns on separate occasions.
"I want to take the blame for the penalties, and I'm going to go back to watch the film and find out what we're doing," Cook added. "We're doing the same things over and over, and we have to get them fixed."
After having a 42-yard touchdown run wiped out by a holding call, Thornton raced 58 yards on second-and-long to the Central 4 to set up McGaughy's second score, as he barreled through the line from a yard out to cap a six-minute drive that covered 64 yards.
Davis led all receivers with four catches, totaling 82 yards. McGaughy finished with 54 yards rushing.
On deck for the Red Raiders is Monroe County foe Amory next Friday.
Box score:
Shannon 34, Jackson (
First Quarter
SHS – Alex Thornton 7 run (Jimmy McPherson kick), 10:28
SHS – Marquez Floyd 25 interception return (McPherson kick), 9:38
SHS – Jerome Owens 7 fumble return (McPherson kick), 8:43
SHS – Keon McGaughy 36 rush (kick failed), 11:45
SHS – McGaughy 1 rush (McPherson kick), 3:55
Records: Shannon 2-1, Jackson (
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