Knights drop third in a row

HENDERSONVILLE – The Pope John Paul II High football team suffered a 38-7 setback to visiting Baylor on Friday evening at the Jim Carell Athletic Complex.

PJP II head coach Jerry Joslin felt the final result told the story of the game but wasn’t a reflection of the separation between the two programs.

“I don’t feel they’re (Baylor) a 38-point ball club better than us,” Joslin said. “I don’t think we played well tonight, and you have to play well.”

Baylor used big plays on defense and special teams to pull away from the JPII, after seeing the Knights hang around for a quarter.

Red Raider head coach Phil Massey was pleased with the defense and the performance as a whole.

“I thought our defense came out and gave extreme effort tonight,” Massey said. “We wanted to put together a solid game tonight, and I felt like we did that.”

Baylor (5-0 overall, 2-0 in the Division II-Class AA East/Middle Region) got starting quarterback and Mississippi State University commit Nick Tiano back for the game, after sitting him out last week. Tiano completed 11 of 20 passes for 109 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown pass to Preston Ballard.

“We sat Nick down last week,” Massey said. “He needed the opportunity to get his time and rhythm back.”

Ballard was responsible for the first points of the game, returning a punt 75 yards for a touchdown less than five minutes into the contest.

PJP II (2-3, 0-3) answered with a stop on defense, followed by a 14-play drive down the field aided by several big runs from junior running back Quer’Derius Hunter. However, the Knights came away with no points after failing to convert on fourth down inside the Baylor 20 yard line.

Hunter finished with 80 yards rushing on 16 carries and was a bright spot on a night where PJP II couldn’t get much going consistently on offense. Like his coach, he felt the score didn’t reflect the distance between the two teams.

“The defense missed a couple of tackles, but the offense should have scored more points,” Hunter said. “We have the power and athleticism to get it done. We just have to execute.”

Baylor went up 14-0 when Adrian Harris broke free for a 33-yard touchdown run.

Ballard intercepted a Ben Brooks pass on the next offensive play, and Kalvin Watson ran in a 4-yard touchdown, increasing the lead to 21-0.

A short punt allowed for Tiano’s touchdown pass to Ballard before the half, creating a 28-point margin.

Baylor’s Sean Wampler had a 3-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter, resulting in a continuously-running clock due to the Tennessee Secondary Schools Athletic Association’s 35-point, mercy rule.

A Keegan Weekley 25-yard field goal capped the Baylor scoring.

PJP II got on the scoreboard late in the fourth when Brooks found senior Jacob Catignani for a 40-yard touchdown, preventing the shutout.

“We just need to get back to the fundamentals of football,” Joslin said. “It’s going to require more effort.”

The Knights play at Battle Ground Academy on Friday.

B – Preston Ballard 75 punt return. Colin Brewer kick. B – Adrian Harris 33 run. Brewer kick. B – Kalvin Watson 4 run. Brewer kick. B – Ballard 18 pass from Nick Tiano. Brewer kick. B – Sean Wampler 3 run. Brewer kick. B – Keegan Weekley 25 field goal. P – Jacob Catignani 40 pass from Ben Brooks. Jackson Morris kick.

RUSHING

Baylor – Sean Wampler 9-87, Adolfo Coghlan 8-44, Adrian Harris 1-33, Bryce Verble 2-20, Mike Benning 2-17, Kalvin Watson 2-8, Brandon Townsend 1-5, Nick Tiano 4-4, Brendon Harris 1-4, Colton Duncan 1-(-2).

PJP II – Quer’Derius Hunter 16-80, Jermaine Mason 1-(-3), Ben Brooks 7-(-22).

PASSING

Baylor –Nick Tiano 11-20-0-109.

PJP II – Ben Brooks 12-24-2-127.

RECEIVING

Baylor – Tate Prater 4-36, Gage Upshaw 3-28, Adrian Harris 2-21, Preston Ballard 1-18, Devin Smith 1-6.

PJP II – Jacob Catignani 4-55, Pace Dempsey 4-40, Jermaine Mason 3-23, Jacob Businda 1-9.