New Madrid swings game quickly in rout of Perryville

NEW MADRID – At first glance of the final scores, it appears that the New Madrid County Central football squad really hasn’t been tested too sternly this season, and that trend continued on Friday – eventually – as the host Eagles topped Perryville 47-12.

The Eagles have remained unbeaten through seven games this season, and their average margin of victory is 30 points per game.

“We were tested early,” eighth-year New Madrid coach Tyler Fullhart said. “Weeks one and two (wins over Richmond and East Prairie) were not easy games. Week three (a win at Dexter) definitely was not an easy game.”

And 20 minutes into Friday’s game absolutely wasn’t a cakewalk, either.

The Pirates (3-4) were threatening to make Friday’s game a 13-13 tie with 3:21 to go in the opening half when Eagle senior defensive back AJ Ruff made a game-altering play, and New Madrid never looked back.

After taking a 13-0 lead early in the second quarter on a pair of touchdown passes from senior quarterback BJ Williamson to All-Everything wide receiver Jadis Jones, Perryville answered with a short scoring pass from sophomore halfback Barrett Wheeler out of the Wildcat formation to wide receiver Chase Richardet to pull Perryville to within 13-6 with 7:46 remaining in the second quarter.

“The defense was playing really well,” Perryville coach Brent Roth said of the opening half. “Jadis Jones, offensively, was really the only thing that we couldn’t defend, and it is hard to defend that type of height (6-foot-5).”

The Pirates came right back with an onside kick following their score and made several big plays to put themselves in scoring position.

On a fourth-and-1, senior quarterback Rilaynd Graham hit Richardet for an 18-yard gain to the Eagle 14-yard line before Wheeler bulled his way to the two-yard line.

At that moment, Perryville had to have been feeling very good about their position in the game, but as every team has learned over the past few seasons, New Madrid can swing the momentum in a game instantaneously.

Graham tried to find junior wide receiver Dominic Seiler in the end zone, but Ruff jumped in front of the lofted pass and picked it off with just over three minutes remaining in the game.

“We’ve got to get better in the red zone,” Roth said. “That is two weeks in a row that we have turned the ball over on the one- or two-yard line.”

With 2:41 on the clock, Williamson tore off on a 79-yard scoring burst, which was followed by another Jones touchdown grab in the final minute of the first half, and just like that, what could have been a 13-13 game was 27-6 Eagles and they were never threatened again.

“None of the games are easy,” Fullhart said of his schedule this fall. “They all present their own challenges. But we have been able to kind of figure out who we are, and what we do.

“The guys just show up and play.”

And they “show up” and win.

Friday’s victory was the 24th for Fullhart’s team in the past 28 games stretching over two-plus seasons.

“That is just a testament to all of these young men that come out here and perform like that,” Fullhart said.

Ruff got in on the offensive action with 5:02 left in the third quarter, as Williamson scrambled to avoid being sacked and found Ruff 30 yards downfield in the end zone for a 34-6 margin.

Eagle senior Ty Williams scored from 12 yards out late in the third quarter, and Williamson added a 12-yard scoring run of his own early in the final period.

Graham hooked up with Richardet in the final minute for the final score.

“These guys are a joy to be around,” Fullhart said of his team. “They make it fun.

“We just keep working to get better. We try to stay sharp every week.”

The Eagles will host Sikeston (0-7) on Friday at 7 p.m.

Perryville will visit former Pirate coach Blane Boss and his Herculaneum squad (2-4) on Friday at 7 p.m.