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Schedule | Roster | 2001 Fr.

All Freshman articles were written by John DeVinney

The Freshman Dragon's celebrated their opening game with an outstanding effort leading to victory without their head coach Kyle Reed. Kyle was in the hospital with a very stubborn kidney stone. The team however kept coach Reed in their thoughts and in their prayers.

Coach Norm Sluder directed the offense and coach Phillip Cottrell directed the defense in Kyle's absence. The freshman, were additionally fired up as 4 of the Varsity coaches closely watched the away game.

The Dragon's received the opening kickoff and used nearly the entire first quarter to drive to the Cordova 5 yard line before the ball was fumbled. The Dragon "D" made it a three and out series and made a key stop on a botched punt. Collierville started again on the Cordova 15 yard line. On the first play quarterback Jason Smith hit tight end Grant Hall for the 15 yard touchdown. The kick failed but the Dragons lead 6 - 0.

The Wolves fumbled the ensuing kickoff giving Collierville possession in Cordova territory. A key run down the side line by Donte Jones and another pass from Smith to Hall set up the next score. Noel Moyes got the score on a 2 yard plunge. A conversion pass from Smith to Louis Belisario was good making the score 14 - 0.

The best play for Cordova in the first half was a unsportsmanlike conduct call against the Dragons on the kickoff. Even with good field position Cordova was not able to score and the half ended with the Dragon's solidly in the lead.

The second half featured key plays by offensive and defensive star Michael Chang of Cordova, matched by the quick feet of Smith, and the strong running of Moyes and Jones. Deep in Cordova territory, a long Dragon drive was stopped by the Wolves in the fourth quarter on downs deep.

Cordova responded with a long drive and score of their own, featuring Chang, leaving the score 14 - 7. The Collierville offense ended the game controlling the ball until time expired on the strong legs of Moyes.

This was an outstanding outing from the freshman team, which was attended by a very large group of supporters. The team and stands were lead in cheer by a very athletic and loud group of freshman cheerleaders. Collierville won in the stands as well with at least a 4 to 1 fan advantage over the home team Cordova.
Way to go Freshman !

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The game started in a steady rain, knowing the weather forecast was extremely bleak. The Dragons were really fired up to start the contest. The Dragons celebrated when Austen Packer recovered a fumbled Red Devil punt on the 11 yard line. The fumble however, was quickly waved off by the officials. After only two possessions the game was halted and rescheduled to continue on Saturday morning.

Momentum stayed with the Dragon's early on Saturday morning with the first half being played in the Germantown end. Key runs by Noel Moyes and a good catch and run by Grant Hall set up two potential scores. The Dragons were not able to score on the first penetration but were able to hold Germantown deep in there own end. Right before the half the Dragons had their best chance with a first down inside the twenty yard line. A dropped pass an incomplete pass and two consecutive sacks left the Red Devils with good field position near midfield with just a minute to play. A minute was all Germantown needed as they scored on a long run to end the half on the final play.

The second half was all Germantown. The Red Devil offense held the ball for nearly the entire half limiting the visiting Dragons to just a few offensive plays. The Dragon offense which found themselves down several touchdowns could not solve the outside rush of Germantown. Quarterback Jason Smith found himself scrambling or being sacked on nearly every play.

The Freshman Team will regroup this week and will play a regional game at 6:30 pm Thursday at Millington.

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This just the third game of the season for the freshman started one half hour late as the Bolton team bus had broken down in route to Collierville. The wildcats should have taken this as a bad sign and stayed home with their very large set of running backs. A bye week and a rainout has severely limited game experience.

The Dragon's took the opening kickoff and marched steadily down the field with powerful runs by team leader Noel Moyes with the support of Josh McMillon and Dante Jones. McMillon plunged over from the three yard line for the first touchdown. Center Austen Packer led the offensive line charge that seemed to have Bolton totally confused. Lane Maynard converted the extra point and the Dragons lead 7 - 0.

In the first Wildcat possession, an errant pitch was recovered by an alert Dragon in Bolton territory. It took several running plays, and a key pass completion from Smith to Moyes on 4th down, but when Dante Jones ran in from the eight yard line, the Wildcats were suddenly in a large hole to start the game. A two point pass failed but the Dragons now led 13 - 0.

Both teams seemed to loose concentration and were not able to get positive results leading to a score until later in the half. The Dragons had reverted to the usually fine passing game led by Jason Smith. Smith was pursued all night by a strong outside rush that was seemingly unblocked. There were also three passes dropped on the night that would have led to easy touchdowns. The dragon defense gave up some big plays, flexed but did not break until late in the half. The Dragons still led at halftime 13 - 6.

The second half continued as the first half ended, with neither team having momentum. In the fourth quarter Bolton broke several big plays to lead 13 - 14. Coach Reed apparently had seen enough of Bolton's offense and badly needed a score of our own. The Dragons drove down the field aided with the strong running of a 42 yard carry by Jones to set up a one yard plunge by Moyes. Moyes also ran in for the two point conversion and the Dragons led 21 to 14.

The Dragons again made Bolton fumble the ensuing kickoff, which was recovered by Jon Lamar. The Dragon's were not able to advance the ball but a fine punt by Lane Maynard pinned Bolton deep in there own end late in the game. The dragon defense stiffened and held, and when Grant Hall tackled the ball carrier at the 10 yard line on fourth down it was all but over.

The Dragons needed three plays to score with Moye's again taking the honors. The Dragon's led 27 to14. Bolton still had a lot of fight left in them, but when Dante Jones intercepted Bolton with no time remaining, it placed an exclamation point on a very solid effort.

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This was the Dragons second Saturday morning make up game of the season. On the first possession the Dragon's using there powerful running attack powered down the field behind the blocking of center, Austin Packer, guards Mac Garner and Jonathon Little, tackles Patrick Greer and Brandon Harvill. The line blocked extremely well which gave quarterback Jason Smith plenty of time to throw the ball down field. Dante Jones got the touchdown on a short run over the right side. Lane Maynard converted the extra point and the Dragons lead 7 to 0.

Millington was not able to move the ball effectively against the Dragon defense. The line play was again very critical with Mac Garner and Scott Ray sharing the nose guard duties, Patrick Greer and Taylor Krag at the tackles, Grant Smith and Luis Bellisario at the ends. The defensive backfield was also very strong lead by linebackers Jon Lamar and Garrett Hammers, corners Dante Jones and Noel Moyes, safeties Lane Maynard and Josh McMillon.

The Dragon offense was met with very strong resistance as the Trojan's concentrated on stopping team leading Noel Moyes. Dante Jones, Josh McMillon and Jason Smith were certainly ready to step up. However it was Jones that was the star of the week. Jones broke a long run right before the half to score his second touchdown. The two point conversion failed and the Dragon's led at halftime, 13 to 0.

The second half started with a bang as Dante Jones took the kick off and ran untouched 70 yards for the put away score. Lane Maynard converted the extra point for the 20 to 0 lead. The Dragon's later completed the scoring with a fourth quarter 30 yard field goal, from Lane Maynard.

Millington was finally able to get something going in the final 30 seconds of the contest when a Millington running back, broke through the line for a 50 yard touchdown run leaving the final score 23 to 7.

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This was the third Saturday in a row that the Dragons saw action. Heavy rains again pushed the game to early Saturday morning, interrupting plans to attend local college games. On the first possession the visiting Dragon's drove deep into Mustang territory, two rushing losses brought up a 4th and long situation. A fourth down pass was just long and the ball went over on downs. The Mustangs were stopped on a solid effort by the defense. A long rolling punt by Houston gave the Dragons possession inside their own 10 yard line. The Dragon punt attempted by Joseph Crabtree was partially blocked giving the Mustangs an excellent chance inside the Dragon 8 yard line. It took four running plays but the Mustangs scored to lead 7 to 0.

Houston kicked off deep to talented running back Noel Moyes near the 10 yard line. Noel proved again that running a straight line was the fastest way to get to the end zone. He ran through two tackles, burst into the open and outran the field for the 90 yard touchdown. Lane Maynard converted the extra point knotting the score at 7.

A short kickoff gave the Mustangs great field possession at the 50 yard line. It took 12 running plays but the Mustangs drove the short field and scored. The score remained 14 to 7 after the Mustangs offense had dominated most of the first half.

The second half was all Collierville. The Dragon's solved the Mustang running attack and game up with a solid stop on the first possesion. The Dragons were able to drive deep into Mustang territory with solid runs by Jason Smith, Dante Jones and Noel Moyes. A fourth down pass was slightly long and the ball went over on downs.

Three plays later the Mustangs fumbled and the center of the line, lead by Austin Packer recovered the fumble giving the Dragons new life. This time the drive got inside of the ten yard line, where a 2 short losses and an incomplete pass brought up fourth down. The fourth down play was well designed but was also well defended and the pass fell incomplete giving possession to Houston with under two minutes to play. Desperately needing the ball a full blitz by the Dragons popped the ball loose to be recovered by Patrick Greer inside the Houston 10 yard line.

Two solid runs by Noel Moyes was all that it took, as Noel scored with less than a minute remaining. This left the score Dragons down by one point 14 to 13. Deciding to go for the win, coach Kyle Reed called for a two point play. The pass was slightly long and the attempt failed.

Without missing a beat the Dragon's attempted an onsides kick and actually recovered the loose ball in Houston territory. The officials ruled that a Dragon had illegally touched the ball before it had traveled 10 yards giving the ball to Houston. Time expired and the Houston Mustang's celebrated the close win. The Dragon's fell to 3 wins against 2 losses and felt that they should have won the game vs. the neighborhood rival.

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This was a pay back game for the thrashing that the Cougars gave this same team as 8th graders last year. The first quarter was all Kirby as they used a 4 down running attack that consumed all but one play of the first quarter. The Dragons took over near the 20 yard line with 11 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Collierville needed just 4 plays to score, Dante Jones picked up 40 yards over the left side and Casey Shockey ran the middle for 26 yards and a much needed touchdown. Jones converted the extra point and the Dragons led 8 to 0.

Kirby again went to the ground game, this time they only took 4 minutes before the defense stiffened. Noel Moyes intercepted a Kirby pass near the Dragon forty yard line. A penalty negated a big run by Moyes on the first play down the left side. Proving it was no fluke Moyes ran the third play 61 yards for a touchdown. Grant Hall caught the conversion pass from Jason Smith and the Dragons led 16 to 0. Neither team had enough time to score before the half ended.

The Dragon offense that saw very little action in the first halve, kept rolling in the second half. Moyes had a long 45 yard touchdown run on the first possession that seemed to seal the game outcome with the score 22 to 0. The Dragon's recovered the ensuing kickoff on a line drive kick off from Lane Maynard but later fumbled the ball deep in Cougar territory. Kirby was not able to get a first down and turned the ball over deep to the Dragons. Louis Bellisario got the call and the touchdown this time and powered in from 11 yards, the kick by Maynard was good and the Dragons led 29 to 0.

Kirby finally broke onto the scoreboard late in the contest on a spectacular open field run, closing the score to 29 to 6. The Dragon reserves lead by quarterback J J Helton, quickly answered the Kirby score with two runs by A J Vollmer that covered 41 yards. The kick failed. The game ended a short time later with a final score of 35 to 6.

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The Dragon offense had only 20 offensive plays on the night but used the "one minute" drill twice to perfection to pull off the win. The Chargers using the old Green Bay Packer playbook ran the sweep play to perfection which, kept the Dragon offense off the field for most of the night. Thankfully game winning is not awarded for time of possession.

Dante Jones electrified the home coming crowd as he ran the opening kickoff back virtually untouched 82 yards for the touchdown. When Lane Maynard kicked the extra point the Dragon's led 7 to 0. The ensuing Dragon kickoff play worked to perfection, and when it bounced off a Charger player, the Dragon's had the ball at the 48 yard line of Covington. Several solid runs gave the Dragons a first down at the 30, where the drive failed and the Chargers took over on downs. Neither team was able to get focused on offense as they traded punts. Joe Crabtree made the most of his second punt as it sailed over the head of the Charger return man and rolled dead inside the 18 yard line for a 47 yard punt. The Dragon defense then allowed on the first play a big 60 yard run to the Dragon 22 yard line. It took another 6 plays but the Chargers scored and when they converted the two point play the Dragons trailed 7 to 8.

With just under two minutes left before the half the Dragons got a fine return out of Joel Moyes to the Dragon 48. This time on the first play it was Moyes who used the sweep and fine blocking by the line to get 36 yards to the Covington 12. After two plays netted zero yards a slick toss to Jones from quarterback Jason Smith was good for the 12 yard touchdown. Moyes followed his blockers well and made the two point conversion. The Dragons led at halftime 15 to 8.

The second half was nearly all Covington's as the Dragons only had the ball for 6 plays. Covington had the first possession and drove down the field well. A heads up interception by Moyes gave the Dragon's the ball at their own 30. The third down run by Jones came up short so the Dragons punted.

The Chargers then ran an incredibly long 12 minute drive that resulted with a Charger lead. A full quarter in Freshman football is just 8 minutes. On the first third down play of the Charger's drive the defense stopped the ball carrier 14 yards short of a first down. The officials ruled that a minor facemask penalty was severe enough for a 15 yard penalty and good for a first down. Three plays later the Chargers were forced to punt, this time the play ended at the Dragon 40 yard line. The officials had flagged a return man for an illegal block, which should have pushed the Collierville ball back 10 yards to the 30 yard line. It was ruled however a 10 yard penalty against the defense which gave the Chargers the ball and a first down. It took about 20 plays and the two Dragon penalties but the Chargers finally scored, they made the two point conversion and now led 15 to 16.

With just 1:31 to play the Dragon's recovered the onsides kick at the 42. A short run by Moyes netted 6 yards. Smith then found Maynard wide open over the right side, Maynard beat two players but was finally pulled down at the two yard line. The catch and run covered 50 yards. Moyes followed his blockers well over the right side and the Dragons surged ahead with just 38 seconds gone from the clock. A clever pass from Moyes to Smith paid off as the conversion was good, and the Dragons lead 23 to 16, with 50 seconds remaining in the game.

Covington did not give up, as seconds later on fourth down a Charger broke through the field on fourth down and made it to the Dragon 20 yard line. Maynard was there to make the tackle and save the touchdown against the far sideline. The last second pass desperation pass attempted by the Chargers was intercepted at the goal line again by Moyes to seal the very unusual victory. The team's record improved to 5 wins against 2 losses, with the remaining game to be played at Bartlett next week.

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Bartlett 6

On a very cold Halloween night the Dragon's traveled to the unfriendly field at Bartlett. The Dragon ball carriers who were sure footed all season, found themselves slipping and sliding themselves right out of the contest.
The game started with promise when Quarterback Jason Smith made a huge run deep into Cougar territory on the opening possession. The Dragon's offense misfired and lost the ball on downs when Dragon runners lost there footing. The Cougar's put on a fine drive that was halted for fifteen minutes for a Dragon injury. Linebacker Casey Shockey scared the holiday crowd for staying down for a very long time after a big pileup. Casey sought medical attention at half time and did not return. The Dragon defense was able to stop the Cougars and took over on downs. Several plays later a Dragon fumble got the Cougars fine field position inside Dragon territory.

The Dragons were able to hold and got the ball back on downs. Collierville was able to get the ball moving late in the half aided by a successful pass from Noel Moyes to Grant Hall on a fake punt play. The Cougars went to a 10 man line which was able to stop the Dragon sweeps and the game entered the half with no score.
The second half of the game was all Cougars. The Cougars had the ball first and made the most of it on a 12 play drive that was stopped at the Dragon 18 yard line. The Dragon's after two slips came up just a foot short and was forced to punt. A fine punt by Joe Crabtree put the Cougars in business in Collierville territory. The fourth quarter began with no score on the board. It took a drive almost 6 minutes long but Bartlett was able to score a touchdown with under 3 minutes remaining.

The conversion failed and the Dragon's had hope only trailing by 6 points.
A fine kick return by Dante Jones set the Dragons up at the 50 yard line. Two hard runs by Moyes up the middle gave the Dragons a first down at the 40 yard line. The next two plays followed suit of the first half as the runners found wet spots in the turf and fell. Smith was sacked on third down, setting up a do or die fourth down. When the fourth down pass from Moyes to Smith failed the game was all but over. Bartlett was able to get a first down and run out the clock, stealing a 6 to 0 win over the Dragons.

The highly touted Bartlett offense did it's job by keeping the Dragon offense off the field for most of the game. The usually potent Dragon offense saw very limited action with just 9 plays in the second half. Although the Dragons ended the season on a down note they finished the season with a record of 5 wins against 3 losses and markedly improved from a disappointing season last year. The end of season banquet is scheduled for November 11th, hope to see everyone there !

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The Frosh Football program held their end of season Banquet on November 11th, 2002, at Germantown Baptist Church. The event was held for the freshman football players, cheerleaders, and their families.

Coach Kyle Reed first congratulated the Frosh cheerleaders on a wonderful season, their commitment to participate in each game and for their big first place finish at the state meet this past week at Murphreysborro.

Coach Reed congratulated the team for a very solid effort this year and noted that just 9 points separated this team from a 7 and 1 season. Kyle thanked both assistant coaches Norm Sluder and Philip Cottrell for their wonderful effort this season. Kyle also thanked team "team moms" Jacque McMillon and Becky Smith for their assistance this year as they just took care of everything outside of the football field. Kyle had also decided not to embarrass individual players this year, but to give out awards for outstanding performance.