photo by Steve VanGunda

Trinity Episcopal’s R.J. Fleming dives after being hit by Huntington defender Joey Roberts during Saturday afternoon’s game. The Saints beat the Hounds by a score of 34-12 to move to 3-0 on the season.

Fleming's 209 rushing yards help Trinity whip Huntington

By Jeff Edwards (Contact) | The Natchez Democrat

Published Sunday, September 7, 2008

NATCHEZ — If Trinity is struggling now, just imagine how good they’ll be in week seven or eight, when coach David King says his team will finally come together.

The Saints ran over Huntington 34-12 to take their third consecutive blowout win of the young season. But King was still wary of the team’s deficiencies, which include penalties and turnovers.

“We just want to get better each week,” King said. “I knew it was going to be a sloppy first four weeks because we’re still a young team that’s learning. But by week seven or eight, this will be a very fine football team.”

However, on Saturday afternoon, they had more than enough talent and speed to make up for the sloppyness, especially R.J. Fleming.

Fleming ran rampant through the Huntington defense, both at running back and quarterback.

Fleming rushed for 209 yards and two touchdowns and also threw for 38 yards and a touchdown.

“They just have too many athletes,” Huntington coach Chad Harkins said. “We just can’t tackle R.J. and have a hard time adjusting to that speed.”

Fleming put the Saints on the board early with a 4-yard touchdown run to cap off Trinity’s initial drive of the game.

The Saints made it 14-0 when Givonni Dent found Jackson Bryant down the sidelines for a 49-yard touchdown pass.

Huntington cut into the lead when Kevin Brown plunged into the end zone from a yard out on the first play of the second quarter but Trinity would strike back quickly with two more touchdowns before halftime.

Fleming found Bryant over the middle for a 19-yard touchdown strike to make it 21-6 and then Bryant recovered teammate Wells Middleton’s fumble in the end zone for another touchdown after Middleton had hauled in a pass from Dent.

Fleming put a capper on his great day when a winding 33-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter that included several broken tackles and left four or five Huntington players sprawled across the field.

“R.J. is a difference maker,” King said. “But as the season goes on, there are going to be scouting reports to stop him so we’ve got to have some others step up and make plays.”

The Hounds had the only score of the fourth quarter when Brown bulled his way in from 5 yards away.

“We should be able to bounce back and make some things happen (in district play),” Harkins said. “We just got out-athleted today.”