WCCA defense blanks Prentiss Christian

Published 1:06 am Saturday, August 27, 2011

WOODVILLE — Tramel McKinsey’s two fourth-quarter touchdown runs opened up a close game which was dominated by defense as the Wilkinson County Christian Academy Rams defeated the Prentiss Christian School Saints 20-0 Friday night.

Before McKinsey found the end zone in the fourth quarter, the only touchdown belonged to WCCA’s defense when Quincy Thompson picked off a Chance Mooney pass and returned it 24 yards for a touchdown. Taylor Prevost added the extra point that gave the Rams a 7-0 lead with 8:09 to go in the second quarter.

“Defensively, we played extremely well. They kept us in the game until the offense came around,” Rams head coach Ray McDaniel said. “Offensively, it took us a while to get going. That had a lot to do with Prentiss Christian. They came out and played extremely hard.”

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Then, McKinsey took over in the fourth quarter. He ran the ball several times on the Rams’ first scoring drive of the quarter before getting into the end zone on a 1-yard run with 8:43 to go in the ball game. Prevost added the extra point to make it a 14-0 game.

After the Saints turned the ball over on downs, McKinsey scored on a 25-yard run with 6:48 remaining to give WCCA a 20-0 advantage.

“Josh Gayle ran the ball real hard in the third and fourth quarters. In the fourth quarter, Tramel ran the ball well and helped put the game away,” McDaniel said.

McKinsey ended up with 70 yards rushing on 12 carries while Gayle had seven carries for 39 yards to go with one catch for 12 yards and a team-leading 16 total tackles.

Prevost completed 4 of 11 passes for 37 yards, with Trenton Hall catching two of those passes for 15 yards to go with 14 tackles on defense. Thompson also had a fumble recovery as the Rams’ defense held Prentiss Christian (0-2) to 108 yards of total offense and forced four turnovers.

“I’d rather be 2-0 than 0-2. Next week will be our first real test of the season when we play at Glenbrook,” McDaniel said.

Kickoff for the WCCA at Glenbrook game next Friday is 7 p.m.