The Huntingdon Mustangs committed seven penalties, struggled with bad snaps, and lost fumbles recovered by the boys in blue, yet still defeated a strong Camden Lions team 35-0.
Both teams entered off big wins: Camden’s overtime victory over Riverside and Huntingdon’s first win over McKenzie in six years.
The Mustangs, though at times out of sync offensively, still pounded out 321 rushing yards and completed 2 of 3 passes for 23 yards. Battling the injury bug, they leaned on sophomore backup running back Colt Wood, who carried seven times for 110 yards and capped the first half with a long touchdown run.
Senior quarterback Braylin Dearmon, who tallied 232 yards against McKenzie, delivered another standout performance. He ran for 128 yards on 11 carries and scored twice. After ripping off runs of 63 yards the previous week, Dearmon broke loose for a 68-yard touchdown against Camden.
The Mustang defense dominated for a second straight week. Camden threatened only twice, the last in the final seconds. Huntingdon, which held McKenzie to 63 rushing yards, tightened further by limiting Camden to 45 on the ground and 89 through the air on 7-of-17 passing.
Huntingdon capitalized on two Camden turnovers, starting with a muffed punt after their opening drive. Wood recovered at the Lions’ 34, and six plays later Kenton Smith scored on a three-yard run. Greyson Anderson’s extra point gave the Mustangs a 7-0 lead.
The Lions answered with a drive to the Mustang 16 behind Amari Rogers, but a fourth-down pass fell incomplete. Huntingdon marched 11 plays the other way, finishing with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Dearmon to Owen King with 9:08 left in the half. Anderson’s kick pushed the lead to 14-0.
Smith intercepted Jake Reynoldson at the Lion 34 on Camden’s next possession. Two plays later, Wood gained four yards before Dearmon sprinted 43 yards to the end zone. Anderson made it 21-0.
Another Camden punt set up Huntingdon at the Lion 37 with less than a minute left in the half. After two penalties pushed them back, Wood cut down the sideline and back across the field for a 47-yard score with six seconds on the clock. The Mustangs carried a 28-0 lead into halftime.
With a running clock in the second half, Dearmon struck again, this time a 68-yard touchdown on the first play after a Camden punt. Anderson’s kick stretched the margin to 35-0.
The Mustangs nearly added more early in the fourth quarter, driving to the Lion 6 before back-to-back bad snaps pushed them back. A 52-yard field goal attempt by Anderson missed just left.
Camden mounted one last drive as time expired, completing a pass to the Mustang 5, but the clock ran out before another snap. Huntingdon walked off Wright Field with a 35-0 shutout.
Now 2-0, the Mustangs travel to Milan this week for a key region matchup. Camden, also 1-1, hosts Dyersburg.
