WCHS wins number two over Meek, 38-18

DOUBLE SPRINGS - What a difference a year makes.
After losing in the last second to Meek last year, the Winston County Yellow Jackets took the victory over the Tigers Friday, Aug. 30, at Malcolm Blake Stadium in a hard-fought county battle.
Before the game started, the Jacket Club - a new program at Double Springs Elementary School - was introduced on the field. Members get to attend home games for free, attend pep rallies and will get a meal with the players at some future point.
Yellow Jacket Quarterback Brooks Bonds kicked off to the visiting Tigers to start the game, and Meek immediately moved the chains with a first down on a completed pass. That was all she wrote, though with the Jacket defense keeping the Tigers back, forcing them to punt to the 25-yard line.
Meek’s defense kicked in with multiple tackles and a quarterback sack by Tiger Stuart Waldrep. The Jackets were forced to punt, with the Tiger defense closing ranks.
After another three-and-out by Meek the Jackets took the ball to the house on a 60-yard run by Austin Owens. The PAT was no good, but WCHS was up 6-0.
The Tigers struggled on offense on their next drive, with a fumbled snap on second down followed by an incomplete pass.  The Jackets struggled, too, however, with several penalties against the home team bringing the first quarter to an end. Meek took advantage of WCHS’s penalty trouble with a touchdown pass from Waldrep to Bryson Hudson in the end zone. The two-point conversion was no good, knotting the score at 6.
The Jackets were the next to strike, with Owens carrying it with only one minute left in the first half. Owens was also good for the two-point conversion, it was good, and the Jackets were ahead 14-6.
During halftime, the Meek Band of Champions began their first song, “2001 Space Odyssey”, in memory of Meek fan Billy Wadsworth, who passed away earlier this year. The Pride of Winston then performed with their “It’s About Time” show.
The Jackets began the second half on offense, making their way toward the end zone with three sets of downs before Meek’s Judson Bradley finally slowed them down. Owens continued plowing his way through, though, making it first and goal.  Two plays later, he was back in the end zone with a five-yard run. The two-pointtry was good, and the Jackets were soaring  22-6.
A frustrated Meek team quickly answered with their own  touchdown, courtesy  of Trinton Ory. Their two-point conversion didn’t make the final cut, leaving the score 22-12.
Bonds kept it for an 18-yard pickup. Meek’s Matthew Clark got in the game with a tackle on Owens. Not to be deterred, Bonds ran in for another touchdown, then tried and was successful for two more points, making it 33-12, with a 22 yard drive.
With incomplete passes plaguing Meek, the Jackets soon got back in the end zone, with Owens once again on the touchdown run plus two with only 1:30 left in the third. The scoring was over for Winston County, 38-12.
Meek tried once more, keeping it in the air, but Owens popped up for an interception on a pass meant for Hudson. Jacket Robert Edgil ran for a long run on the next play, with a gain of 23 yards.
Meek began the fourth quarter with James Brown taking the ball past the goal line, but a penalty against the Jackets negated the TD, and the Tigers couldn’t make it back on the drive.
With the home team going three-and-out, the Tigers got a fresh set of downs after connecting with David Tidwell, making it first-and-goal at the 3. Clark ran it in for the touchdown, and the final was 38-18.
“It was a hard-fought game on both sides,” Yellow Jackets Head Coach Mark Mitchell said after the game. “Coach (David) Norwood does a great job with Meek. They play together as a team. I thought our guys showed resiliency again this week. We came over in the third quarter and took the game over. That’s what you want as a coach. It was physical football.”
“I thought our kids played hard,” Norwood said. “We just put ourselves in a hole early and couldn’t dig out. We played four quarters.”
Winston County plays at Addison Friday, and Meek will host South Lamar.