09/30/2023
BY JACK BULLOCK
METROPOLIS - When you have two 1-4 teams squaring off in a high school football game, one would normally expect a tough battle.

That scenario didn't transpire in the SIRR Ohio Division on Saturday afternoon in Metropolis.

The Herrin Tigers rolled into Massac County and proceeded to roll past the host Patriots.

Coach Taylor Perry's club jumped all over the hosts, scoring three early touchdowns while his defense was strong in a 48-0 romp.

With the victory, Herrin improved to 2-4 on the season, 1-2 in the Ohio.

Unofficially the Tigers out-gained Massac County, 362-121 in net yards from scrimmage while the Tigers' “D” forced three fumbles (two recovered) and an interception in the rout.

Junior quarterback Kyrese Lukens was 4-of-5 for 97-yards passing with a pair of touchdown tosses.

Lukens also ran the ball eight times for 29-yards and another TD.

Senior wide receiver Jonathan Harrison (two catches, 63-yards) and senior tight end Tyler Colombo (two receptions, 34-yards) each grabbed one of the two Lukens' scoring strikes.

“We don't have a true quarterback like a lot of teams but we have a lot of good athletes,” said Coach Perry. “That's what Kyrese can do for us and even when Jonathan (Harrison) at quarterback. We can have play-action called but they're always a run threat.”

Junior running back Chris Nelson was the top ground gainer, rushing nine times for 116-yards and three touchdowns.

Two other runners; senior Logan Clough (six carries, 43-yards) and junior Nick Hubbard (two attempts, 42-yards) added to the offensive barrage.

However not to be overlooked was the play of senior running back/linebacker Jakai Vaughn.

Vaughn set the tone early in the game defensively with a pair of big tackles for losses during the first Patriots' possession and his 15-yard run on the first Tigers' chance with the ball set up the first of seven Herrin touchdowns.

Vaughn finished with 35-yards on five tries and recovered a fumble, which set up the second Tigers' TD.

“Kai Vaughn is one of the better linebackers around here and he showed that today. He played really well,” said Coach Perry. “I'm proud of our defense. They were 'light's out' today.”

Head coach Jacob Collins and his Patriots had a rough afternoon as they didn't get much going on offense or on the defensive side of the ball.

Passing the ball, the Patriots' used two quarterbacks; senior Kris Garnett and senior Britton Towery.

The pair combined for 5-of-17 passing for just 46-yards.

The longest play from scrimmage for Massac County was a 26-yard run by Garnett on a fake punt in the second quarter.

After forcing a three-and-out on the Patriots' first possession, Herrin's offense went to work.

A holding penalty erased a 60-yard TD run by Lukens but the Tigers quickly scored on an eight-play, 68-yard drive.

One of the key plays was the Vaughn run to set up first-and-goal at the Massac County 10.

Harrison then scored his first TD on a run into the right side of the endzone.

A successful PAT from kicker Keegan Weber made it 7-0 Tigers.

Vaughn made his presence felt on the next Patriots' series as he made another tackle for a loss and then recovered a fumble in the air for a turnover where Herrin got the ball on the Herrin 44-yard line.

Although there was a penalty on the fumble return, the Tigers were in business again.

It took just six plays to go the 56-yards, with Lukens finding Harrison for the second TD.

Lukens used a nice play fake and then found Harrison wide open down the middle.

The 25-yard pitch and catch resulted in the second score and a 14-0 lead after another good PAT by Weber.

On the next series of downs, the Massac County day got worse.

Garnett fumbled and the Tigers ended up with the ball on the Patriots' 28.

On its first play, Herrin scored as Lukens again went up top for a 28-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Colombo in the left side of the endzone.

PAT number three from Weber made it 21-0 with five minutes left in the second quarter.

“He (Lukens) did a great job of rolling out and finding space and getting it over our safeties deep,” said Coach Collins.

The only drive for the Patriots that got into Herrin territory came on the next possession.

The fake punt run by Garnett kept the stalled drive going and another run by the senior got the ball to the Tigers' 24.

However Herrin shut the drive down by stopping Massac on a fourth-and-16 from the 30.

Once the Tigers got the ball back, Lukens connected with Harrison again down the middle of the field.

The 6-6 senior went up and got the ball between two Patriot defenders for a 38-yard gain and a first down at the Massac 19.

Lukens scored on the next play, a 19-yard roll out as he waltzed into the endzone for the score.

Weber took care of the first half scoring with his fifth PAT for a 35-0 lead at the break.

Massac County had net offensive yardage from scrimmage for just 22-yards in the first half as they trailed by five scores.

The Patriots had two opportunities to score in the third quarter but failed.

Herrin turned the ball over on downs on a fourth-and-three from their own 35.

Massac County senior Nathan Myers sacked Lukens for a 13-yard loss which gave the Patriots a first down at the Tigers' 20.

But a pair of penalties sandwiched around two incomplete passes left Massac a fourth-and-24.

A Garnett pass to sophomore Caleb Barnard gained just three-yards as Herrin took over.

One of the few mistakes by Coach Perry's club occurred on its next possession as Massac got the ball on the Herrin 44 after a fumble that was recovered by the Pats.

But three plays netted -6 yards and a fourth down pass by Garnett turned the ball back at the 50.

After no gain on a run by Lukens and a five-yard delay of game penalty, Nelson took a hand off and broke through and around five different Massac County defenders.

He sprinted down the right sideline to finish the 55-yard run to pay-dirt.

Although sophomore kicker Jose Mendez missed the PAT, the Tigers led 41-0 with 3:18 left in the third quarter.

The score triggered the mercy rule continuous clock for the remainder of the game.

A TD from Herrin in the early part of the fourth quarter closed the scoring.

Reserve junior running back Nick Hubbard romped home on a 32-yard TD run.

The successful PAT made it 48-0.

Massac made a late drive into Herrin territory but a pass from Garnett down the right sideline was interception by Weber on the game's final play, which closed the book on the Herrin triumph.

The Patriots were held to 75-yards rushing on 30-attempts in the loss as the squad has been outscored 148-0 in its last three contests.

Garnett had 42-yards on eight carries while junior Marcus Stallings added 35-yards on five attempts.

Herrin will host central Illinois powerhouse Prairie Central next Saturday at 2 pm while Massac County will travel to Carterville on Friday night.

“The most frustrating thing I think is the direction that our kids have been hitting this season. The kids had a great first quarter against Harrisburg last week but just ran out of gas against a really good team,” said Coach Collins. “We were hoping to apply that same kind of quarter (start) today which obviously did not happen.”