Seminary was more than ready for Friday night.
The Bulldogs were eager to put a tough week of practice behind them after one of their own, Dalvon Martin, was involved in a serious car wreck on Monday. Though he remains hospitalized at Forrest General, Martin is expected to make a full recovery. Despite not being present for Seminary’s game against Purvis on Friday, the senior was an honorary captain, as Bulldog players carried his No. 2 jersey out to midfield for the coin toss.
Teammate Nathan Pickering says they hoped to make him proud, and following a 42-21 win over the Tornadoes, he says the Bulldogs did just that. “If he [Martin] was here, he would have had a big grin on his face.”
Click on the link to watch a postgame interview with Seminary head coach Brian Rials: https://youtu.be/syzyg2GWh9g
Seminary extended its win streak to two games with the victory, improving to 3-3 on the year. Purvis fell to 1-4 with the loss.
The teams exchanged touchdowns in the first quarter. Seminary scored on the game’s first possession, as Eddie Barnes went 12 yards for a Bulldog touchdown. A few minutes later, Purvis’ Brian Bennett scored on a 5-yard run to tie the game, 7-7.
Seminary followed that Purvis touchdown up with a 22-0 scoring run that lasted until midway through the third quarter. Bulldog quarterback Jeff Miller highlighted the run with a 33-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to Nathan Pickering. Pickering, a Mississippi State commit, is known best for his play on the defensive line, but Seminary’s coaching staff has not been shy in utilizing every bit of his athleticism.
Keep in mind, Pickering is listed at 6-foot-5 and 292 pounds.
“It’s fun for me just to get the ball in my hands and knowing that I’m a playmaker,” said Pickering. “At first, I was kinda skeptical about it because I’m a big target, so I didn’t want to get knee injuries or anything like that. But I worked my butt off in the summer to get my stamina and agility up. It helped out.
“I ran the route, and he [Miller] gave a heckuva throw that was on point. I was just glad that I caught the ball.”
Pickering’s touchdown put Seminary up 14-7, and his Bulldogs were able to add one more score, a Miller-to-Marquis Crosby touchdown connection, in the first half. The ensuing extra point was no good, so Seminary took a 20-7 lead into the intermission.
Early in the third quarter, the Bulldogs added a safety off a blocked punt and another touchdown run from Barnes to go up 29-7 with 10:15 left in the period.
Purvis then showed some signs of life, as Brian Bennett scored again to cut Seminary’s lead to 29-14. The Tornadoes followed the touchdown up with a successful onside kick but were unable to capitalize.
After the teams exchanged rushing touchdowns (Jordan Barrett for Seminary and Wayne Ray for Purvis), the Bulldogs iced the contest with 5:30 left in the fourth quarter, as Crosby scored for the second time to give Seminary the 42-21 win.
All told, three different running backs (Barrett, Crosby and Barnes) scored at least one touchdown for Seminary in the absence of Dalvon Martin, who was their fourth-leading rusher heading into the contest.
“We were inspired to play for Dalvon,” said Seminary coach Brian Rials. “The guys stepped up and played hard for him. It helps when we’ve got some different ones we can rotate. They can’t just key on one. I’m proud of all of them for stepping up.”
Now at 3-3, Rials’ Bulldogs will open district play next Friday with hopes of picking up a third consecutive win.
“We’re clicking a little bit right now,” said Rials. “We go to West Marion next week, and we know they’re really good again this year. We’ll have our hands full, but we’ll get prepared this week and have a good week of practice and see what we can do.”
On the other side, Purvis (1-4) will travel to face Sumrall (6-0) in their district-opener next Friday.
