By GALE CAVNESS
pressbox1.com

NEWBERN - When push comes to shove, the team victorious in that battle usually wins the game.

Visiting Dyersburg clearly had the biggest push in middle school football action against Northview Thursday night, controlling the play in the trenches to take a 28-14 triumph over the host Mustangs.

The Trojans used their strength along the line and took advantage of three Northview turnovers to score 20 unanswered points in the second half and defeat their intracounty rivals. The win improves DMS to 2-0 in the young campaign. The Mustangs fall to 1-1.

Next Thursday, Sept. 6, Northview entertains Humboldt while Dyersburg travels to Lake County.

Against the Mustangs, the Trojans took a little while to get their offense in gear. When they did, it ran like a well-oiled machine.

The squads swapped out possessions in a fast-moving opening frame. Both teams moved the ball on the ground, which kept the clock ticking, but both lost it downs.

Northview showed its big-play capabilities just seconds into the second quarter. After taking over at its own 31 yard line, Mustangs quarterback Dylan Dye scampered 26 yards around the left side to the DMS 43.

On first down, Cranston Fisk hauled in an outlet pass from Dye and broke free for a 21-yard ramble to the Trojan 22. Two plays later, Dye scored from the two to give Northview a 6-0 lead. The quick, 69-yard trek by the Mustangs took just 1:15 off the game clock.

Getting the ball at its own 43 at the 6:45 mark of the second stanza, Dyersburg fired up the offensive engine. In 11 plays, the Trojans methodically marched 57 yards and ran 5:50 off the clock to get on the scoreboard. Travis Bradshaw carried the ball on every play of the drive, including the two-yard burst that knotted the game at 6-6 just 55 seconds before intermission.

Bradshaw then tacked on the conversion run that gave the Trojans an 8-6 advantage.

With less than a minute remaining in the half, it appeared Dyersburg would take the break in the lead.

Dye & Co. quickly changed that appearance and again displayed its quick-strike capabilities.

Taking over at its own 42 following the DMS kick off, Dye hit an open O'Shawn Smith with a pass that pushed the ball to the Dyersburg 20. Bradshaw showed he can play some defense, too, by making a tackle for a loss on first down, but Dye hit Fisk with an outlet pass on second-and-11 that Fisk turned into six points.

Taking his time, Fisk tip-toed around the right side toward the end zone, followed his blocks and moved into the clear when Austin Brown leveled the last would-be DMS tackler. The 21-yard scoring strike gave Northview a 12-8 lead and Dye tacked on the two-point conversion to end the first-half scoring with 21 ticks still on the clock.

In the third quarter, the aggressive DMS line took over.

With the opening possession of the second half, Dyersburg marched 69 yards in 11 plays to take a lead it would not relinquish. It also ate up 5:39 of the eight-minute period. Bradshaw again picked up the points, scoring from three with 2:21 to play in the frame. Again, he added the conversion run and DMS has a 16-14 lead.

Bradshaw got the points, but Sharquawn Henderson did some major damage out of the backfield for the Trojans along the way. Henderson picked up a big gainer to the NMS 38 on a crucial fourth-and-nine play, then rushed for 12 yards on the ensuing play to push the ball to the 26.

Dyersburg quarterback Hayden Alford also hit Steven Permenter with a nice over-the-top pass on a third-down play that picked up 11 yards to the to the Mustang nine.

Bradshaw got six on first-and-goal, then scored on the next play.

The drive accomplished two important tasks for the Trojans. First, it put points on the scoreboard. Second, it kept the ball away from the big-play capabilities of Northview.

"The biggest thing was we came out in the second half . . . and played a lot more physical, a lot smarter," Dyersburg head coach Mark Schneider said. "We felt like they were giving us so much, we could out-muscle them."

Three plays later, the Mustangs bobbled the ball away to give the Trojans possession and additional momentum.

After a brief sideline discussion, DMS also had a more comfortable lead.

The Northview coaches questioned the fumble ruled by the officials, arguing that the Mustangs' ball-carrier was down. Officials stood by their ruling, Dyersburg gained possession and scored on the next play.

Henderson got the call on first down at the NMS 45, got some good blocks and raced around the left side for the touchdown, The conversion failed, but DMS had a 22-14 advantage.

"Anytime you can score after a turnover, it's huge," the DMS coach added.

Northview's next possession ended on downs at its own 35 after just four plays.

With the offensive line taking care of business, the Trojans scored in just five plays. Rod Ceaser carried the ball every play, scoring on an 11-yard scamper with 5:38 to play in the contest. The conversion pass fell incomplete, but DMS had a 28-14 lead.

"We adjusted," Mustangs head coach David Whittle said. "We tired some different things, we just couldn't stop them. Man for man, they just out manned us."

Turnovers also proved costly for the home team. Northview's final two possessions ended in interceptions. Henderson picked off one pass for DMS with Alford snagging the other.

"When you're playing a good team like Dyersburg, physical, well coached, you can't turn it over," Whittle added.

According to the Northview coach, mental mistakes, like dropped passes and missed assignments, were critical errors.

"I thought the effort was there, but we just failed to get the job done when we had opportunities," he explained. "And there were too many times when people didn't get into places they were supposed to be in.

"But we'll learn from it, We'll get better next week."