Monday, September 24, 2012 —
Over the years, the family connections between the players involved in the annual football skirmish between the high schools of Albemarle and West Montgomery have run deep, with cousins often facing each other across the line of scrimmage.
One current connection is that the father of Albemarle quarterback Deon Christian, Burrell, was an All-State basketball player at West Montgomery, leading the Warriors to the 1983 Class AA state championship.
His progeny has been a stalwart for the royal-blue clad Bulldogs this season including another solid performance in Albemarle’s 27-10 win at West Montgomery.
Christian was 7-of-10 in the game for the Bulldogs (5-1, 2-0 YVC) for 120 yards and a touchdown to Alvin Currie that tied the game in the first quarter.
West Montgomery (3-3, 1-1 YVC) jumped out to an early 7-0 advantage at home on a two-yard touchdown run.
The two teams battled through a scoreless second quarter but Albemarle stormed out of the locker room and drove the length of the field to retake the lead, capped off by an eight-yard touchdown run from Christian.
Following that scoring drive, the “Oak Tree” defense put points on the board on the ensuing drive by West Montgomery. Warrior quarterback Caleb Drake ran to the right side and Bulldogs lineman Lee Autry knocked the football loose. Deonta Drake picked up the fumble and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown. The extra point was good from Jose Castenada and the Bulldogs led 20-7.
West Montgomery narrowed the gap later in the third quarter with a 27-yard field goal from Walker Harrison to make it 20-10.
In the fourth quarter, the Oak Tree struck again for points when Jay Dockery returned a Drake pass for a pick six.
“You have to take advantage of your chances. We had several other chances on defense to make plays and did not. Anytime you score on defense, it’s big; it swings momentum to your favor and puts so much pressure on the other team’s offense. If you are on the other end [of a defensive score], it takes the wind out of you,” Albemarle head coach Danny Akins said.
The Bulldogs host South Davidson (1-5, 1-1 YVC) on Friday night. The Wildcats earned their first win of the season on Friday night 14-12 over North Moore.
A 7 0 13 7 27
WM 7 0 3 0 10
WM – Gainey 2 run (Walker Harrison kick), 1st
A – Alvin Currie 31 pass from Deon Christian (Jose Castenada kick), 1st
A – Christian 8 run (kick failed), 3rd
A – Deonta Drake 38 fumble return (Castenada kick), 3rd
WM – Harrison 27 FG, 3rd
A – Jaytwain Dockery 10 interception return (Julio Cisneros kick), 4th
Team Stats
A WM
1st Downs 14 12
Rushing 33-212 47-243
Passing 120 32
C-A-I 7-10-1 5-16-2
Penalties 4-55 7-60
Fum.-Lost 1-1 3-2
Individual Statistics
Rushing: A – McKinney 15-110; Christian 14-52; Brown 4-50. WM – Drake 22-109; Gainey 14-18, TD; Harkins 4-16; Robinson 3-15; Pegues 3-13.
Passing: A – Christian 7-10, 120 yds, 1 TD, 1 int. WM – Drake 5-16, 32 yds, 2 int.
Receiving: A – Currie 3-56, TD; Brown 2-29; White 1-18. WM – Creger 1-12; Null 1-9; Absher 1-5; Robinson 1-4.
Sports
Related Photos
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Albemarle’s Alvin Currie caught his fifth touchdown pass of the season on Friday night. Rick Mullis
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Albemarle’s Deon Christian scored his fifth rushing touchdown of the season on Friday. Rick Mullis
Discussion
Albemarle wins at West Montgomery
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