By Johnny Sanders, Sports Editor
CLAY – The East Central Patriots were back in action Friday night as they hosted the North River Chargers in the 2023 edition of homecoming. The Patriots used a balanced offensive attack to get the 32-14 victory and end the night at 2-1 on the season.
The win comes after the team was beaten by Evangel Christian 44-0 and then they had prepared for a game last Friday against Riverside Academy in Tennessee, but that game was cancelled. So, these Patriots were itching to get back on the field this week and it showed.
The game started out slow, as both teams failed to find any success on offense in the first quarter. North River would outscore the Patriots in the second to take an 8-6 lead into the locker room for the halftime break.
East Central would come out of the break determined to win and they would dominate the Chargers, outscoring them 12-0 in the third and 14-6 in the fourth quarters.
Quarterback Knox Cooper completed five of his 10 passes for 150 yards and three touchdowns in the game and did not throw any interceptions. Micah Smith was his favorite target, catching three passes for 132 yards and all three of Cooper’s touchdowns, including an impressive 80-yard connection between the two. Dominic Paffumi carried the load at running back, running the ball 15 times for 161 yards and two scores.
Senior Seth Allison led the defense with 12 total tackles, 7 of which were solo, followed by Micah Smith who had 10 total tackles, six solo. Cassian Fach got in on the action with a defended pass and a recovered fumble on defense as well.
Patriots’ Head Coach Daniel Smith said of the game, “I am proud of our guys for bouncing back after a tough loss and then having a road game cancelled. The weather conditions were also a factor but the players and coaches adapted and overcame. Homecoming games always come with added distractions and North River played us tough. We are just happy to come out with the win.”
Some early penalties and a lost fumble early in the game caused senior offensive lineman Dakota Bosworth to say the following about the team’s performance. “We learned a lot from this game. It showed us that we can’t just go in there and mess around, but also what we are capable of when we lock in and our offense and defense are firing on all cylinders.”
East Central will be off again this coming Friday before traveling to Opelika to take on the Southern Christian Patriots, who are currently 0-1.