CLARKSDALE — Pillow Academy overcame a sloppy start to keep its newfound mojo working.
The Mustangs exploded for 41 second-half points en route to a 48-0 rout of Lee Academy here Friday night to move to 3-0 in their first season under coach Tripp McCarty.
PA has now scored 40 or more points in three straight games for the first time since 1999 — the year the Mustangs went 11-1 and won a state AAA title.
Despite the impressive final score, McCarty was not happy with his team’s sluggish first-half offensive performance, which included three turnovers, matching the team’s total number of giveaways in the first two games.
“That pitiful first half was a direct result of how sorry we practiced this week,” he said.
After rolling over a trio of Class AA teams by a combined score of 130-20, things get much tougher this week with Madison-Ridgeland Academy coming to Greenwood. The Patriots are 2-1 after losing 14-6 Friday night to Taylorsville, a Class 2A public school.
“We’ve got a chance to be pretty good, but if we don’t practice better, then we’re not going to get that chance,” McCarty said.
Pillow’s lone touchdown of the first half came on its third possession when senior running back Bay Bennett bolted in from 25 yards out in the first minute of the second quarter.
The Mustang defense, which has played lights out in the last two games, was put in some bad situations in the first half off turnovers, but that unit responded each time.
Lee’s first two possessions started at the PA 39-yard line and the PA 38. The Colts’ fourth drive started near midfield.
But the swarming Pillow defense stopped the Colts pretty much in their tracks each time.
PA held Lee to just 52 total yards and two first downs on 28 plays in the first half en route to posting its first shutout since 2010.
“We’re doing a good job of rallying to the ball and gang-tackling folks. I like the way our defense bowed up in some bad spots,” McCarty said.
Bennett again led the defensive charge from his inside linebacker spot with 12 tackles, including 10 solos and 2.5 tackles for loss.
Sophomore safety Cole Whitfield had a couple of big sticks and finished with six tackles, while junior nose guard Caleb Giachelli added four solo stops.
Pillow eliminated the turnovers in the second half and scored on its first four possessions after the break for a 35-0 lead.
Bennett ran over two Lee defenders on a 40-yard TD jaunt with 9:02 left in the third. Then a Raines Cook fumble recovery at the Lee 29 led to a 2-yard scoring run by sophomore Peyton Turner.
After senior defensive end William Dent Brock’s stop on fourth down, PA took over at its own 39 and quickly went up 28-0 on a 10-yard run by junior Will Jennings. The drive was aided by a 43-yard run from senior quarterback Cooper Dunn.
Then following a 54-yard interception return by senior Dillon Ussery to the Lee 6, sophomore center Jacob Garrard fell on a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown and a 35-0 lead.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Colts fumbled the ball, which was picked up by senior Adam Horn and returned 20 yards to make it 42-0.
Pillow’s last touchdown came in the final minute when John Madison Brook ripped off a 41-yard TD run.
Pillow, which only attempted eight passes, finished with 380 rushing yards on 43 carries.
Bennett led the way with 142 yards and two TDs on 13 attempts. He has averaged 119.3 yards per game.
“Our guys up front cleaned some stuff up at the half, and Bay did a good job running behind their blocks. Bay’s vision is getting better each week,” McCarty said.
Dunn churned out 119 yards on 13 carries.
Brooks chipped in with 82 yards on nine rushes, and senior Steve Pannell had two of his team’s three catches for 58 of PA’s 60 yards through the air.
