Offensive power carries RHS to 35-14 victory

Golden Tiger Deyon Hill carried the ball for 111 yards versus Columbia Friday.

By Slade Gilmer for the FCT

A big offensive night from Deyon Hill keyed Class 5A’s fourth-ranked Russellville Golden Tigers to a 35-14 win over the Columbia Eagles in a Class 5A, Region 8 showdown Sept. 11.

Hill finished the night with 127 yards and a touchdown on five receptions, as well as 111 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown. The Golden Tigers scored on all four of their first half possessions to take a commanding 28-6 halftime lead and cruised from there to get the win.

Collin Garrison got the game off to a good start for Russellville, grabbing the opening kickoff at his own 28-yard line and returning it 44 yards to the Eagles 28-yard line. After three plays moved to the 20-yard line, quarterback Payton Nichols found Cameron DeArman, who made a shoestring catch at the 16-yard line to move the chains. A big run by Hill set the Golden Tigers up inside the five, and two plays later, converted defensive lineman Austin Bohannon took a direct snap in the Wildcat formation and punched it in from two yards out. Marvin Betancourt’s extra point made the score 7-0.

The game looked to be really going in the Golden Tigers’ favor when the Russellville defense held Columbia, who rushed for over 400 yards in a 31-20 loss to West Point the week before, to three yards on three carries. However, a muffed punt gave the Eagles the ball at the Golden Tiger 20-yard line, and runs by quarterback Eris Skelton and running back Mel Dantzler moved the ball to the one, where David Dubose punched it in. The two-point try failed, making the score Russellville 7, Columbia 6.

A kickoff that died inside the five yard line forced the Golden Tigers to start the ensuing drive from their own six-yard line, but a 33-yard strike from Nichols to Hill gave Russellville some breathing room, and three plays later, Nichols hit Hill again. Hill caught the ball around the 10-yard line, made a move, and took the ball into the endzone for a 38-yard touchdown. Betancourt tacked on the extra-point to make the score 14-6.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Eagles let the ball bounce, and Garrison pounced on the ball at the Eagle 29-yard line. After a false start penalty and a couple of short runs, Nichols threw a short pass to Garrison, who made a nifty move to juke out a Columbia defender and outraced the Eagle defense into the endzone. Betancourt again was true on the extra-point, giving Russellville a 21-6 lead.

The Eagles drove the ball to the Golden Tiger 36-yard line on their next drive, but a fourth-down pass fell incomplete, giving Russellville the ball back. Using pinpoint passing and a defensive holding call on Columbia, Nichols found Trent Miller, who outleaped an Eagle defensive back and took the ball in for an 18-yard touchdown pass. Betancourt tacked on the extra-point and gave Russellville a 28-6 lead.

Columbia had one last big drive in them, moving the ball inside the Russellville 10-yard line with less than a minute remaining in the first half. However, on fourth down, the Golden Tiger defense held and took the 28-6 lead into the locker room.

After the halftime ceremonies, which saw the Russellville High golf and baseball teams receive their Class 5A state championship rings and further recognition to the RCS Engineering team, which won the national and world rocketry championships in the spring, the two teams came out for the second half.

After trading possessions through most of the third quarter, Hill took control, rushing five times for 61 yards and capping the drive with a 14-yard touchdown run to make the score 35-6.

Columbia would finally get its ground game going in the fourth quarter, as several runs and a 16-yard completion moved the ball to the two-yard line. However, it took three plays before Dubose finally punched it in. Dubose completed the drive with the two-point conversion run to make the final 35-14.

In addition to Hill’s big night, Nichols had a solid game of his own, completing 14 of 17 passes for 255 yards and three touchdowns.

Russellville (3-0, 2-0 in 5A, Region 8) will be back in action next Friday, as the team travels to Limestone County to take on the Ardmore Tigers. The Golden Tigers defeated Ardmore 50-13 in 2014.