Stewarts Creek riding midseason momentum

Jordan Mayton
For The DNJ
Stewarts Creek running back Loyd Rogers breaks free during Friday's win over Shelbyville.

A senior-laden Stewarts Creek offense is making the most of momentum.

The Red Hawks used recent momentum to drub Shelbyville 56-32 Friday night.

Senior quarterback Tayne Davis, a firm believer in momentum, says there was carryover from last week’s win.

“We won the last three quarters of the Cain Ridge game and it just carried over,” Davis said about his team’s explosive offense. “We had a ton of energy and killed it.”

Energy was exactly what the Red Hawks had. Stewarts Creek scores on its first six drives of the game and didn’t even have to punt on the night. 

“Our unit played really well together,” said SCHS running back T.J. Mangrum after the game. “We knew we could do it. Everyone worked hard and did their job. We just took control.”

Mangrum led the team in rushing, collecting 143 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries. The senior sparked a 35-point first half that put the Red Hawks ahead early. 

It was the balance that really made Stewarts Creek (3-3 overall) so explosive.  Davis lined up under center, carried the ball as a running back and caught the ball lined up at receiver.

It’s the Red Hawks backup that makes the team so unpredictable.

“Johnny (Simmons) is much more of a quarterback than I truly am,” Davis said on his sophomore counterpart. “He feels a lot more comfortable dropping back and throwing the ball. We let him have a chance to gain some confidence.”

Simmons proved to be plenty confident. His first pass was a 54-yard bomb to fellow sophomore Elijah Smith. On the night, Simmons finished the game 5-9 passing for 134 yards and two touchdowns.

The stats and the yards are impressive, but for Stewarts Creek head coach David Martin, it’s only a “12-hour turnaround” before the team will start preparing for next week’s matchup against McGavock.

“It’s a region game. We’ll turn around tomorrow and start preparing for them quickly.”

Stewarts Creek QB Tayne Davis rolls out during Friday's win over Shelbyville.