Paul W. Bryant’s Mistakes allow McAdory’s Running Back Tandem to Excel in Loss

The story of how the McAdory Yellowjackets earned a 42-23 win tonight over the Bryant Stampede can be told in just two names, the names of junior running backs Rodrick Thomas and Peyton Ryans. 

Both RBs had three touchdowns each, one a piece in each of the first three quarters, scoring all of the points for the Jackets as they faced a Stampede defense making a lot of tackling mistakes. 

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“I really am fortunate that I got a lot of guys who can contribute to the team. We have Rodrick Thomas and Peyton Ryans,” said McAdory head coach David Powell. “ I'm all about doing what the defense gives you and they were dead set on stopping our pass so there was really no reason to try and throw the football. We ran it effectively. We could have done a little better in some spots but all in all I am proud of those guys.”

McAdory threw 18 passes throughout the game, seven of which were incomplete. Running the ball, on the other hand, was where they took control of the game. That being said, Powell did have concerns for his team regarding special teams and penalties on offense.

“I thought we came out ready to play but, as the game moved forward we still kept making the same mistakes,” said Coach Powell. “We have to get our special teams play cleaned up. Too many penalties on offense, holding, and on the back end kind of turning some guys loose. We have a lot to work on. I’m proud of the guys. Obviously, because it's a win but, we got to go back and clean some stuff up.”

The Stampede’s night on the other hand can be summed up in just one word, mistakes. Coach Eldrick Hill stated that the small mental mistakes his team made tonight are what they’ll have to focus on in the coming weeks. 

“Just focusing, not having wide receivers false start, we’ve got defensive backs lining up offsides. We still have to tackle better, we haven’t tackled anybody, we can’t tackle Paul W. Bryant youth league, let alone McAdory High. And offensively we just stink,” Hill said of his team's problems after tonight’s game.

As for what Bryant High did right, senior Tobias Burrell and junior Jordan Louie commanded the offense from multiple positions. Burrell ran two yards for their first touchdown of the night in the 2nd quarter and four yards for their final touchdown to bring their score to 23. Louie ran for a 20-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter as well. Louie also returned two kickoffs for nearly 150 yards combined which allowed the team to score a field goal and one of its touchdowns. Both players threw passes and slotted into both the wide receiver and running back positions throughout the night.

The Stampede scored the final 14 points unanswered in the 4th quarter, which their coach spoke highly of. 

“The kids are still fighting, they’re playing hard, you know. We haven’t given up in any games, so that’s always a good sign,” said Coach Hill.

The Paul W. Bryant Stampede will take on the Central Falcons at home in two weeks, their next challenge to see if they can clean up their mistakes on both sides of the ball and earn their first win of the season.

The undefeated McAdory High YellowJackets will take on the Bessemer City Purple Tigers in an away game next Friday to see if they can continue their winning streak.