No. 3 Drexel decimates No. 8 Archie, 58-12
By Christopher Tenpenny
In what was one of the most anticipated regular season games of the year, turned into a lopsided victory as No. 3 Drexel defeated No. 8 Archie 58-12 at Drexel.
Drexel started the game off fast as the second play of the game ended with a 60-yard rushing touchdown by quarterback Jacob Coffey. Coffey is regarded as one of the top players in the state and showed off his speed. After Archie was unable to
score on its opening possession, Drexel scored again. This time, Coffey used his arm as he found Cory Cumpton on a 25-yard passing touchdown. Cumpton had two catches for 60 yards and two receiving touchdowns on the day.
Down 14-0 early, Archie desperately needed a score and they got one as quarterback Briar McIntire hit Brock Smith on a slant route. Smith would break a couple of tackles and score from 29 yards out.
The score was 14-6 at the end of the first quarter and it looked as if Archie may be able to hang around.
Drexel proceeded to score 26 unanswered points and found itself up 40-6. At halftime, the score was 46-12.
“They are a heck of a football program. We knew that going in,” Archie head coach Drew Smith said. “I thought our defensive line would be able to play a little better than we did, but you have to give all the credit to Drexel. Their offensive line did a tremendous job giving Coffey holes and Coffey is the best back in the state, hands down. They were just better than us in all facets of the game.”
Coffey finished the game with 302 rushing yards, four rushing touchdowns, 89 passing yards and two passing touchdowns. Coffey is in his first year playing quarterback.
“I like it because I don’t have to wait for the handoff to run,” Coffey said. “I’m still not super confident in my throwing motion, but right now it’s progressing toward where it needs to be.”
Drexel head coach Philip Dean said he challenged his players to put their best on film against a quality opponent.
“I challenged the guys this week to be at their best, not get lost in the moment,” Dean said. “To play the game, if it was your best game, what would it look like? I challenged the kids to do that tonight.”
In a game filled with many athletic plays, the best may have come from Drexel junior lineman Jojo Mitchell. After McIntire had a pass knocked into the air, the ball was caught by Mitchell who returned it 17 yards for a touchdown.
“That play was wild,” Dean said. “I started seeing red, strobes lights going off and next thing I know, Jojo has the ball. That’s a kid we’ve been trying to get out for a while and it just makes you happy to see him make one of the greatest plays in football.”
Billy Lau also had an interception return for a touchdown as the Bobcats showed why they are one of the best defensive teams in the state. Coffey led the defense in tackles with 12, while Cumpton had 10 including two tackles for loss.
For Archie, Clay Morgan led the team in tackles with 10, while Blake Trotter and Blake Hunter each recorded a sack.
For Drexel, the win puts the Bobcats in the drive seat for the WEMO Conference Championship as well as a direct path to earning the No. 1 seed in district and hosting a rematch with Archie should it happen.
Meanwhile, Smith wants his team to remain positive and know they are still one of the top 8-man teams in the state.
“I think it’s important to keep the kids positive and not let one game define them,” Smith said. “We talk about accepting what happened, growing from it and moving on. We are still a good football team.”
