Sep. 6, 2013
from Staff Reports

CUMBERLAND — Ty Johnson scored three touchdowns and Dekari Darr two as the Fort Hill Sentinels piled up 525 yards of offense in trouncing the Silver Oak Academy Rams of Keymar, 54-6, in their season opener Friday at Greenway Avenue Stadium.

Johnson, who rushed for 86 yards on six carries and caught two passes for 59 yards, scored on runs of six and 25 yards and on a 45-yard pass from quarterback Hunter Squires. Darr, the game’s leading rusher with 119 yards on nine carries, scored on runs of five and 16 yards.

Alex Barnes rushed for 94 yards on six carries, and scored on a 17-yard run, while Squires scored on an 11-yard run and Ryan Smith on a 17-yard run. Squires was 5 for 8 passing for 95 yards, a touchdown and one interception.

Johnson, Devin Shreve, Cody Dolly and Charlie Twigg intercepted passes for the Sentinels, while Trenton Swan and Cody Arigo recovered fumbles.

The Sentinels got right out of the gate as the Rams turned the ball over on a fumble on the third snap from scrimmage that was recovered by Swan at the Silver Oak 22. After Darr picked up 11 on first down, Barnes gained six to set up Darr’s five-yard touchdown run up the gut, with Chris King’s kick making it 7-0 at 10:04 of the first.

Fort Hill got the ball right back when Johnson intercepted a Yusef Johnson pass and returned it to the Silver Oak 29. After a Johnson gain of 22 the Rams defense stiffened, forcing a 30-yard field-goal attempt by King that missed.

Shreve picked off a Jones pass for Fort Hill and returned it to the Rams 32, but the Sentinels fumbled the ball right back to miss out on another scoring opportunity.

After a booming 50-yard punt by Silver Oak’s Nathan Watkins, the Sentinels needed just five plays to go 53 yards, with Squires hitting Johnson for 14 on first down, and Darr picking up 16 yards two plays later. On first-and-goal from the six, Johnson went over the left side for the touchdown at 3:07, with King’s kick making it 14-0,

After a 45-yard punt from Watkins, the Sentinels took over at their six after a penalty and used just four plays to score again, with Arigo breaking off a 52-yard run to the Rams 32. Darr then picked up 11, with 10 more tacked on for a facemask penalty. From the 17, Barnes took it in for the score, with Shreve hitting Ryan Shives for the two-point conversion.

After Fort Hill forced a three-and-out, Squires found Johnson for a 45-yard touchdown pass to make it 28-0.

Two possessions later, Darr took it in from 16 yards at 1:44 of the half to cap off an eight-play, 79-yard drive. Then, after a Dolly interception at 1:30 to take the ball to the Rams 26, Squires ran for 15, then 11 for the touchdown, with King’s kick making it 41-0 at the half.

To open the second half, Fort Hill used seven plays to cover 90 yards, with the big gains being 31 by Darr and 40 by Barnes, before Johnson took a reverse, on third-and-18 25 yards for the touchdown to make it 47-0.

After a Twigg interception, Fort Hill took over at the Rams 45 and needed just four plays to score, with Jaraslov Candler picking up 24, and Smith gaining 19, then 17 for the touchdown, with King’s kick making it 54-0.

Quarterback Jusef Jones scored the Silver Oak touchdown in the final seconds of the game.

Fort Hill will host Keyser Friday night at Greenway.