By TIM TUTOR/Sports Editor

Camden — “Besides two plays, we played really well on defense,” said Warrior head coach Charlie Dampeer after Friday night’s 9-6 win here over 3A Velma Jackson High School.

“One play was called back, but the other — we gave up something.

“They had a great-big penalty on a touchdown run ... the first play after we had taken the lead,” Coach Dampeer said.

“They busted a long run earlier. We looked like we didn’t play that play ... for some reason.”

Velma Jackson took a 6-0 lead with 5:43 showing on the second quarter clock after a sweep left from 44 yards out. The PAT sailed wide right.

Then a VJ Falcon sweep around the left side was tightroped down the side line for 73 yards late in the third quarter, but brought back because of a penalty to their 22-yard line.

Pontotoc scores

With 2:33 left in the first half, the PHS defense pushed the VJ offense back into its own endzone for a safety and made it a 6-2 affair at the break.

That Falcon possession started at the VJ 16-yard line after an apparent touchdown-saving tackle was made by junior Shaquille Crayton on a return of a PHS punt — a penalty brought it back.

Junior LaDarius Vaughn sacked the Falcon quarterback for a 14-yard loss back to the 2-yard line. Two plays later the Warrior defense dropped the Falcon runner for the safety.

“We struggled on offense ... boy did we struggle, and I knew we would,” Coach Dampeer said about his team’s 108 unofficial total yards in the game.

“I told our team that the defense would have to keep us in ballgames right now until we get better on offense ... and we will get better.” The Pontotoc ‘D’ held VJHS to 120 total yards (unofficial).

The PHS touchdown

The Warrior defense not only held the Falcon scoreless in the second half, but put the winning-six points on the board, also.

With around three minutes left in the third quarter, VJHS was forced to start deep in their own territory after a nice punt by Pontotoc sophomore Jeb Millender set them back at the 11-yard line.

The Falcons managed to move the football one yard, and on third down and nine from the 12, the ball was jarred loose and junior Warrior Chance Cummings recovered the fumble in the Velma Jackson endzone.

With his first extra point of the season, senior Michael Bounds drilled the kick through the uprights to give Pontotoc the 9-6 lead with just over two minutes remaining in the third.

Offensive woes

“We run a formation offense and getting lined up ... that’s the craziest thing. We’ve used so many kids in so many positions and we line up in so many formations,” Dampeer explained.

“Look, we could line up in some very simple stuff and never have that problem, but we can’t do that. We’re formation oriented, and we’ve got to learn that stuff better.

“That will be something we will really work hard on this week,” he added.

“We’ve got to keep pushing with it.”