CORDOVA — A week after suffering a shutout loss to begin its season, the Cordova Middle School football team responded with a statement win over Hamlet Middle School on Wednesday.
Hosting the Red Rams, the Cavaliers (comprised of players from Cordova and Ellerbe middle schools) controlled the game from start to finish en route to a 38-0 win over their in-county and Southeastern Middle School Athletic Conference opponent. The victory for the Cavs snapped Hamlet’s two-game winning streak to start the season.
Head coach Richard Kerekes’ team set the tone early when Freddy Hill returned the opening kickoff 42 yards deep into Hamlet territory. Three plays later, the Cavs found the end zone for the first time on the afternoon, using a Tykeem Ellerbe rushing score. He would also add the two-point conversion to make it an 8-0 game.
Hamlet’s struggles started early when the Red Rams’ offense fumbled on its second offensive play of the game. Hill was there to scoop up the loose ball and gave Cordova possession at the Hamlet 30-yard line.
Again, the Cavs wasted little time finding the end zone, seeing quarterback Isaiah Lockhart throw his first touchdown of the season. He found teammate Braxton Jenks in the end zone. Another two-point conversion made it 16-0.
Following a series of empty possessions by both teams, the Cavs would tack on a late first-half score when Marquan Martin raced around the left edge for a rushing score. Again, Karekes went for two, and the Cavs led 24-0 at the break.
The final two quarters of play would follow the same script, seeing Cordova’s offense bolster its lead with two more touchdowns.Lockhart would be responsible for both, seeing the quarterback cross the end zone twice on rushing plays. One more successful two-point conversion would cap the 14-point second half.
Of the four two-point conversions made, Lockhart had one and also found teammate Jamarion Wall for another. Ellerbe punched in two on the ground. Jamison Jones had the team’s longest reception of the day, hauling in a 30-yard catch.
On defense, Ellerbe recorded a team-high three sacks on quarterback JV Drake from the outside linebacker position. Eric Green, an inside linebacker, added one of his own. Defensive linemen Johnny Lunceford, Karson Thomas, safety Fernando Castro and Hill all picked up a tackle for loss.
Kerekes praised his “team’s toughness and effort,” and “was pumped to see the bounce back effort after losing to Carver last week.”
Cordova (1-1) will Host East Hoke Middle School next week, while Hamlet (2-1) will have its bye week and look to rebound against Anson Middle School in two weeks.
No stats were reported for Hamlet. Coaches Allen Adeimy and Richard Kerekes contributed to this story. To report local sports scores, email sports editor Kyle Pillar at kpillar@richmondobserver.com.
