By ADAM WELCH
pressbox1.com

HUNTINGDON - Huntingdon had high hopes of avenging its 26-0 loss to Dyer County last year, but the visiting Choctaws made the most of their breaks as they captured a 24-7 victory in front of a packed house at Paul Ward Stadium.

Huntingdon finds itself with an unfamiliar 0-2 mark. Meanwhile, DC, which used the Huntingdon victory last year as a springboard to surprise West Tennessee with a 7-3A championship, evens its mark at 1-1.

Choctaw coach Adam Renshaw said was pleased with the way his team rasied its level of play in the second half.

“We didn’t play very well the first half. We played a lot harder the second half," Renshaw said. "We did not change any schemes. The leadership on the football team responded. Some breaks went our way.”

Huntingdon controlled the tempo early, riding the back of senior runner Caleb Crocker. Things were going well when penalties stalled the drive. A flag negated a huge run by Tyler Simpson, which enabled DC to get the ball.

Dyer County tried to utilize the spread offense throughout. Mixing great balance with Thaddeus Medford and Lucas Millan on the ground. Mark Watson responded with a reception catch next. Caleb Crocker later intercepted Choctaw Quarterback Peyton Lucas and returned the interception near midfield.

Then Crocker went 37-yards up the left sideline to the Dyer County 2. Then Stangs quarterback Colin Hatch took the 2-yard touchdown plunge. This gave the Stangs a 7-0 lead after the PAT by Jorge Perez.

The Choctaws tried to inch closer on their next drive as Lucas found Edward Powell for 32 yards, breaking free into Stang territory. But Huntingdon held in the red zone with stops by Frank Villalobos and pressure from Jay Pierce. This set up a field goal from Gabriel Millan from 33-yards out, cutting the Stang lead to 7-3.

Hatch started Huntingdon's next drive with a hot pass over to Brittian Thompson for 14-yards. After runs of 11, 13, and 15 by Holder on counter plays right, this set up Huntingdon inside the 10.With less than 2:00 to go before the half the momentum shifted before the half. The Mustangs were at the 1 where movement before the snap pushed the ball to the six. After failed run attempts, on fourth and goal at the 6, the Choctaws' Seth Appleton stopped Huntingdon’s Holder at the 1. Dyer County tried to score before the half with two long completions, but Millan’s 31-yard field goal was wide right. This gave Huntingdon a 7-3 advantage going into the locker room.

The third quarter did not start well for Huntingdon as Choctaw J.D. Hale stripped Crocker. He picked up the fumble and raced to paydirt. The extra-point kick was good giving Dyer County a 10-7 advantage. Huntingdon tried to respond and had success on the screen pass. But the drive stalled, with Dyer County’s Demetrius Wheeler making several stops. This set up Multiple quaterbacks’ Dylan Dye, and Lucas, with completions to Jeff Miller and Powell for big gainers. Utilizing the no huddle, Lucas 2-yard touchdown plunge gave the Choctaws a 17-7 lead with 2:02 left in the third quarter.

After both teams exchanged possessions, the Choctaws chewed up the clock. Behind short screen passes to Medford and a consistent running game, the choctaws’ scored one final time. Dye found Powell on the fade route for the touchdown. The Stangs tried desperately late, but ran out of time.

“I’m proud of our kids the second half," Renshaw said. "When a good football gets after you and you are mentally tough enough to respond and make the plays defensively you need to that’s huge. We’ve still got a lot of things to work on. We made a lot of mistakes. We need to get better for Week 3.”

Huntingdon heads down the road to face the Hollow Rock-Bruceton Central Tigers, who suffered a 42-0 loss at McKenzie Friday. The Choctaws host McNairy Central this Friday night, the only team to defeat DC in the regular season last year. Kickoff for both games is 7:30.