By Thomas Sellers Jr.
West 10 Media/MVP
Two teams that have overcome the adversity of August and September reached the final game of the 2019 season.
Only two teams got a chance to take the field for middle school football in October. Thursday night the Bon Lin Lynx made the trip to Mooney Boswell Field to play the host Millington Trojans for the title.
Both squads were 3-3 and two-point victors in the Semifinal round. The Millington Trojans outlasted Lakeland 14-12 to reach the championship.
Meanwhile, Bon Lin advanced to the title, winning a 22-20 showdown over Arlington. With the Trojans winning the regular season game over Bon Lin 18-6, Millington was the site of the championship.
In front of large crowd on both sides of the field, it was Bon Lin avenging the earlier defeat and winning the championship 16-6. The Lynx were officially champs. As for the Trojans, Head Coach T. Taylor had another chance to give his boys a lesson about the game of life.
“My desire for our young men, I hope this has been a character-building season,” he said. “And this real character will be resonating in their hearts and minds. They will go on to do great things together because we are one team, one fight.
“That has been the theme I’ve expressed to them all year long,” he continued. “Our goal is to make sure we produce a quality product that can go on to varsity next year. Also we can keep our program revolving and getting better each year.”
The 2019 season was close to being a championship campaign for Millington, jumping out 6-0 at the 1:38 mark of the first quarter.
Trojans quarterback McCoy Pugh dropped back and hit wide receiver Isaiah Cobbs up the sideline for a 58-yard touchdown pass.
The Trojans defense dominated the rest of the first half, holding the Lynx scoreless. Bon Lin was paced by defensive end Corteze Chambers. The Millington offense tried to avoid Chambers’ side all night.
But pressure from the Lynx defensive line led to a Millington interception with 7 seconds remaining in the first half. Lynx defensive back Andrew Moore made the pick and raced the ball to the end zone for the long return and an 8-6 advantage at the break.
The momentum swung the way of Bon Lin with the late touchdown and a pair of apparent Millington scores called back on penalties.
Bon Lin added to its advantage in the fourth quarter when Christian Alston caught a 23-yard TD pass. Brady Woodall added the two-point conversion to make the tally 16-6.
The Trojans couldn’t muster up enough plays to get a scoring drive. And Chambers ended one Millington threat with a timely sack. The Lynx players celebrated the victory and championship.
The Trojans walked off the field dejected and disappointed. But a crowd of supporters in black and gold awaited the Millington players.
“I would say to anyone who reads or hears about this game, it’s all about hometown pride,” Taylor concluded. “It’s in the kids. It’s in the families. And it was illustrated throughout the stands tonight. Those kids will take that with them the rest of the year.”
