(Perry) Ethan McNeal scored five touchdowns and rushed for 147 yards on 15 carries as Atlantic defeated Perry 33-7 in a Class 3A District football game Friday in Perry. The senior back has 104 carries for 775 yards to date, averaging 7.7 yards per carry.
The Trojans rushed for 261 yards on 34 carries for 7.7 yards per carry. The Trojans threw the ball twice, with one completion to McNeal for three yards; otherwise, the ground game was working, and Coach Brummer stuck with it.
Perry opened the game with a strong running attack, putting together a drive that took 7:13 off the clock before the Bluejays turned the ball over on downs. Atlantic answered with a drive that stayed on the ground and ended with McNeal scoring on a 25-yard touchdown run with 08 seconds left in the first quarter. Zander Killions added the extra point to give the Trojans a 7-0 lead.
Another key factor was the turnover battle. The Trojans capitalized on two fumble recoveries while committing no turnovers. Roland Hinman recovered a fumble. McNeal finished the ensuing drive with a 1-yard touchdown plunge, and Killions’ extra point extended Atlantic’s lead to 14-0. McNeal added another touchdown on a 60-yard run to put the Trojans ahead 20-0. The extra point attempt failed.
Atlantic added another score after an errant snap to the punter sailed to the Blue Jays’ 2-yard line. McNeal took the handoff on the next play and scored, giving Atlantic a 26-0 advantage at the half.
McNeal scored his fifth touchdown on a short run in the second half, and Killions’ extra point made it 33-0.
Perry avoided the shutout late in the game when Nadir Ouahbi scored on a run. Vargas converted the extra point, making the score 33-7, which became the final.
Senior linebacker Carter Hadley had himself a night on defense with 13 tackles; three of the thirteen were for a loss.
Atlantic is now 2-0 in district play and 4-2 overall, and will host Greene County in a 7:00 p.m. kickoff next Friday night. Perry falls to 2-4 overall and 0-2 in district play, and host Harlan next Friday night.
