The new look Ball High Tors made their debut on the field of play Friday night. The game might not have gone as planned, but there were a lot of interesting things to look at from the coaches and fans’ perspective. Some young athletes stepped up and established a chemistry of teamwork and showed some fight, while the veterans picked up where they left off last year, playing hard and doing their best, even if their efforts came up a bit short in the opener.
Numerous penalties plagued the Tors and resulted in a rough 52-21 season opener loss against Manvel on the road. “We’re got to fix the penalties and things that hurt us,” said Ball High Head Coach Omasha Brantley. The Tors had a mind bending 12 penalties for 119 penalties yard, but Manvel didn’t fall too far from the tree with 10 penalties for 111 penalties yard. “We’ll get it fixed, get back to the drawing board, and we have nine more opportunities.”
A couple of key names grabbed our attention, like sophomore CB Isaiah Washington who Ball High Tors Head Coach Omasha Brantley tried to tell us about during the pre-season, “I think Isaiah Washington and Noah Crockett, our two cornerbacks, are going to open a lot of eyes; two aggressive really good athletes and the secondary has a good chance to give some teams some fits.” Washington scored the first touchdown for the Tors with a 74-yard pick-six to start his year.
Jera’Mon Charles snagged four catches, for 88 yards while quarterback Corieon Sanders completed 10-of-29 for 195 yards with one rushing and one passing touchdown: not the best beginning, but for a varsity debut impressive. Electric plays like Jamarcus Dawkins 42-yard td pass from Corieon Sanders, a fumble recovery by Cameron Thomas, a flip pass for 30 yards by Jera’Mon Charles from Sanders, and of course the 74-yard pick-six by Washington have the team eager and ready for the next week.
Our gridiron heroes visit Texas City for a Clash of the Causeway game, a longtime rivalry game, at 7 p.m. next Friday. Expect an exciting game. Head Coach Omasha Brantley thinks the same, “They’ll get it, and we’ve got another big one next week. They’ll be ready.”
