Those in Collins Friday night who came with expectations of witnessing another Taylorsville-Collins classic were sorely disappointed.
Thirty-five first-half points by Taylorsville and a running clock in the second half were all fans in attendance got to witness. The Tartars remained unbeaten on the season with a 35-0 road win over 2A foe Collins.
"We knew they had the injury bug here [in Collins]," said Taylorsville head football coach Mitch Evans. "They're a better team than they showed tonight. They have a lot of kids hurt. They have a Division 1 quarterback who is out for the season and we [at Taylorsville know first-hand] that if you lose a Division 1 quarterback, it makes a big difference."
Collins senior quarterback Hershey McLaurin is out for the season with a torn MCL and ACL.
Taylorsville foreshadowed the night ahead in two-quick opening plays. After a big kickoff return to the 14-yard line of Collins, junior quarterback Ty Keyes threw a quick strike to Cedrick Beavers for six. The two plays took less than 20 seconds off the clock.
Keyes followed with three more touchdown passes in the first half. Junior wide-out Arterrious Miller pulled in two of the four touchdown passes by Keyes. Beavers and Jabez Griffith caught the other two.
Taylorsville running back Jeremy Pittman rushes downfield with a Collins defender on his back Friday night.
Up 28-0 and in good field position with less than a minute to go in the half, Taylorsville tacked on its final score. Five plays into the drive and six-seconds left on the game-clock, junior running back Jeremy Pittman scored on a three-yard rush.
The clock ran fast and with without pause in the second half to end the one-sided contest.
Despite the lopsided win, Coach Evans wasn’t happy with all of the night’s happenings.
“We were sub-par on offense tonight honestly,” said Evans. “It was like we just went through the motions. Next week if we do that, we’ll be in a bind because we’re playing a very good Jackson Prep team.”
Turning Point:
The momentum never turned away from Taylorsville. But after intercepting a Collins pass early in the first quarter, the Tartars made the Tigers pay. Keyes connected with Miller from 29 yards out to put Collins behind the eight-ball fast.
Quotable:
"Our defense has shown up every game this year. It's not a surprise, though. Those guys on the defensive side of the ball, players, and coaches, work their tails off and it shows." Taylorsville head coach Mitch Evans.
Notes:
Taylorsville won the turnover battle, not committing any to Collins’ three (interception, turnover on downs and fumble). Two of those led to Tartar scores.
