By Zach Buckley
For the first time since the Cody Prewitt era, the Saints of Sylva-Bay are champions again. The team clinched their district title Friday night with a 42-14 win over Benton Academy.
“It’s a great turnaround from a year ago,” said Sylva-Bay head coach Terry Underwood. “The kids made a commitment. Hey, if you told me at the beginning of the year that we would be 8-2 and district champions, I’d have taken it in a heartbeat. I attribute this to a lot of people involved in our program, and number one, our kids. This is something they can take with them for the rest of their lives.”
Things have truly changed over the last five years for Sylva-Bay. 2013 was the last winning season they have experienced. They had a good team that year led by Colton McCarty and Kendrick Abney. They lost two close games, and both were against Benton Academy. Benton did not bring much to the table in 2018. The Saints held the Raiders to 66 total yards on offense.
Sylva-Bay lit the scoreboard early and often, and mostly on the ground. Ty Crosby keeps doing what he does. He had three touchdowns in the first quarter from 85, 29 and 20 yards. Taariq McCoy made his presence felt by scoring the next two touchdowns from 12 and 10 yards to give the Saints a 35-0 lead with 5:39 left before the half. Benton attempted a pass in the final seconds of the second quarter, and Cade Blackwell made the Raiders pay. Blackwell took his second pick-six touchdown of the year to extend the lead to 42-0 at intermission.
Benton would eventually score 14, but the Saints scored all their points in the first half and ended the game as district champions. The Saints now await for the final MAIS power point rankings to find their place in the AA playoff brackets. Sylva-Bay is playoff bound for two years in a row under the helm of Underwood.
“Everybody in the playoffs are there for a reason,” said Underwood. “Playoffs are different and there are good football teams. It’s a single elimination tournament, and you got to survive to advance.”
The MAIS has not released brackets yet, but the most likely first round opponent for the Saints is their beloved rival, Newton County Academy. The Generals do not like the Saints, and the Saints do not like the Generals. Sylva-Bay will get tested early in the first round because Generals have a strong ground attack and will not back down.
“They [Newton County Academy] are a physical team,” noted Underwood. “They are used to being in the playoffs. It’s not a new era for them. Coach Rob does a good job with them. It’s something we will have to be prepared for.”
Underwood likes where his Saints are at physically and mentally.
“That’s a blessing to be at this time of the year to be fully healthy. I think our kids are ready to make a run for a championship. We have to keep getting better, and take these playoffs one week at a time.”
Are the Saints good enough to make a deep playoff run? Is this some special year no one saw coming? The playoffs are here, and we do not have to wait long for answers.
