ARLEY, Ala. – After suffering a loss at Curry last week, the Meek Tigers returned home to take on the Winston County Yellow Jackets on Friday night. It was a very physical game from start to finish. The game was tied at the break, and a second half touchdown by the Tigers proved to be the difference in the game, as interceptions by Parker Ferguson and Evan McCay helped Meek hold off Winston County at the end, 24-16.
Winston County got the ball first to start out the game and kept their drive alive on a 14-yard pass on third down, but three plays later, a holding penalty put them behind the sticks, and they were forced to punt. Evan McCay picked up four yards on the ground on Meek’s first play of their series, then Ethan Miles followed that up with a six-yard run, and after the play, a personal foul penalty on the Yellow Jackets gave the Tigers a first down at the 40. Meek, though, suffered that same penalty on the next play, and they were quickly forced to punt as well. Winston County quickly found themselves behind the chains on their next series, as a five-yard loss on first down later followed by a delay of game penalty put them at the 23. Back-to-back flags on the Tigers, though, gave the Yellow Jackets another first down at the 43. Meek’s defense settled down after that, as they forced another punt.
A Meek fumble on the third play gave the ball back to Winston County in excellent field position at the 24. They pounded the ball on the ground for the entire series, and the drive ended with them scoring on a three-yard run to give them an 8-0 lead early in the second quarter. Penalties continued to hurt the Tigers on their next drive, as a pair of flags quickly put them behind the sticks, and they were forced to punt. A quick three-and-out gave the ball back to Meek, and they had the ball in decent field position at the 36. Evan McCay found Parker Ferguson over the middle for a 37-yard gain and a first down, and on the next play, Hunter Wyatt was determined to find the end zone, as he broke several tackles on his way to a 27-yard score. McCay ran it in for the two-point conversion to tie the game up at eight with 6:40 remaining in the first half.
A pair of passes by Winston County put them at the 28, then a few plays later, on fourth down, a 12-yard completion kept their drive alive. Two plays later, they scored on a 12-yard run to take a 16-8 lead with 2:54 remaining in the first half. On Meek’s second play of their next series, McCay again found Ferguson for 15 yards and a first down. McCay picked up seven yards on the ground, and Wyatt punched it in on the next play to tie the game up at 16. A roughing the passer penalty gave the Yellow Jackets a first down at the 47, but a flag on Winston County pushed them behind the sticks, and two plays later, Colby Williams collected a sack to end the first half, and both teams went into the locker room tied up at 16.
The second half saw the Tigers get a first down on a pass interference penalty on the Yellow Jackets on the second play of its series. A loss on second down, followed by a penalty, made it third-and-19 from the 44. McCay picked up a dozen to make it fourth-and-seven from the 44, and on the next play, McCay rolled to his right and found Miles over the middle, and he outran the Winston County secondary en route to a 44-yard score. Wyatt added the two-point conversion to put Meek ahead, 24-16. The Yellow Jackets picked up a first down early on in their next drive, but a pair of holding penalty quickly pushed them behind the sticks, and they ended up turning the ball over on downs. A quick three-and-out gave the ball back to Winston County. A quick first down on the first play of its next series had them near midfield, but once again, penalties prevented them from moving the ball any further. Ferguson ended up getting an interception to stop the drive dead in its tracks.
A touchdown by McCay was taken away by, you guessed it, another flag. Wyatt collected 33 yards on the next play to put them at the 41, but they quickly went backwards after that, and they were forced to punt. The Yellow Jackets pounded the ball on the ground and collected several first downs during the drive. Back-to-back runs netted them a first down on each play, and two plays later, another big run gave them another first down at the 15. The Tiger defense, though, stood their ground, and they ended up forcing an incomplete pass on fourth down. Meek looked to milk the clock on their next drive. McCay and Wyatt helped bring the Tiger offense near midfield, but their drive stalled after that, and they were forced to punt once again. Meek’s defense looked to have Winston County stopped on third down, but a very questionable pass interference penalty gave the Yellow Jackets new life. They collected a huge first down on fourth down and 13 more two plays later, but on the next play, McCay picked off a bad pass to help seal the 24-16 win for Meek.
Wyatt finished with 102 yards on nine carries and a pair of touchdowns for the Tigers (1-1). McCay completed a trio of passes for 96 yards and a touchdown. Miles finished with the 44-yard touchdown reception, and Ferguson added a pair of catches for 52 yards. Colby Williams collected a sack in the game, and Ferguson, along with McCay picked off a pass in the win for Meek.
Meek will start region play next Friday night at Hackleburg.
