©2006 by Ron Harrison
Madison Southern (0-0) vs. Bryan Station (0-0) August 18, 2006
Coach Doug Carter's Madison Southern Eagles finished 9-3 last season including a 50-0 trouncing of Bryan Station, but exited with a second round playoff loss to Bell County. The Eagles graduated 15 seniors and will have only eight seniors on the roster this season. Two of the key returnees for Madison Southern will be 5-10 175 pound Sr. WR/CB Josey Cruse and 6-0 170 pound Jr. RB/FS Zach Durham.
Bryan Station finished 1-9 last season but Coach Oliver Lucas was hired to lead the Defenders back to their once proud winning ways. Bryan Station has only seven victories in the last five seasons. The slogan on the football program says it all: "The Swagger is Back!!!!!". Coach Lucas' team will play platoon football--either offense or defense. The Defenders have some talent returning including 6-2 235 pound Jr. RB Terrell Combs, 5-11 175 pound Jr. QB Lance Morton, 6-2 205 pound Sr. WR Thomas Miller-Hughes, and 6-3 250 pound Sr. DE J. J. Wearren. Also expect major contributions from several players including 6-2 190 pound Sr. FS Wes Wilson.
Bryan Station defeated Madison Southern 35-14 to earn their first season opener win since 1999. The Defenders raced out to a 21-0 lead on two first half TD passes by Lance Morton and a 64 yard TD run by Terrell Combs on the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter. Zach Durham replaced Zach McGuire at QB for Madison Southern in the second half and led the Eagles to two scores, one on a 10 yard pass to Josey Cruse and the other a 22 yard run by Cruse. Bryan Station led 21-14 with 8:54 left in the final period but scored two TDs to ensure the victory. Although one game does not make a season, this was a big win for the Defenders as they responded with determination and mental toughness when challenged late in the game.
Terrell Combs led the Bryan Station ground game with 126 yards and a 64 yard TD run on 19 carries. Lance Morton completed 11 of 18 passes for 186 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Jovan Dawson caught five passes for 68 yards with a TD. Thomas Miller-Hughes had four receptions for 87 yards with a TD. Wes Wilson led the Defender defense with five solo tackles, four assisted tackles, and two interceptions.
Jake Hardin led the Madison Southern ground game with 56 yards on six carries. Zach Durham added 45 yards on 14 carries and Josey Cruse carried the ball three times for 25 yards and a touchdown. Zach Durham completed nine of 16 passes for 148 yards with a TD and one interception. Zach McGuire completed eight of 15 passes for 40 yards with two interceptions. Josey Cruse caught nine passes for 133 yards. 5-11 170 pound Sr. LB Jordan Blasdell led the Eagle defense with four solo and six assisted tackles.
Scoring Summary
| Bryan Station | 35 | Madison Southern | 14 |
| School | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
| Madison Southern | 0 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 14 |
| Bryan Station | 7 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 35 |
| BS | - Thomas Miller-Hughes 45 yard pass from Lance Morton (Christian King kick) |
| BS | - Jovan Dawson 25 yard pass from Morton (King kick) |
| BS | - Terrell Combs 64 yard run (King kick) |
| MS | - Josey Cruse 10 yard pass from Zach Durham (Lucas Devere pass from Durham) |
| MS | - Cruse 22 yard run (Durham pass fails) |
| BS | - Todd Tichenor 2 yard run (King kick) |
| BS | - Julius Higgins 56 yard interception return (King kick) |
Selected Statistics
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| Rushing | No. | Yds. | Avg. | Long | Rushing | No. | Yds. | Avg. | Long | |
| Jake Hardin | 6 | 56 | 9.3 | 21 | Terrell Combs | 19 | 126 | 6.6 | 64 | |
| Zach Durham | 14 | 45 | 3.2 | 15 | Todd Tichenor | 4 | 18 | 4.5 | 12 | |
| Josey Cruse | 3 | 25 | 8.3 | 22 | Pat Cornette | 5 | 8 | 1.6 | 7 | |
| Steven Walzer | 3 | 19 | 6.3 | 15 | Julius Higgins | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 3 | |
| Zach McGuire | 2 | -15 | -7.5 | 0 | David Sutter | 1 | -4 | -4.0 | 0 | |
| Lance Morton | 1 | -6 | -6.0 | 0 | ||||||
| Passing | A-C-I | Yds. | TD | Long | Passing | A-C-I | Yds. | TD | Long | |
| Zach Durham | 16-9-1 | 148 | 1 | 51 | Lance Morton | 18-11-0 | 186 | 2 | 45 | |
| Zach McGuire | 15-8-2 | 40 | 0 | 10 | Jovan Dawson | 1-0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Receiving | No. | Yds. | TD | Long | Receiving | No. | Yds. | TD | Long | |
| Josey Cruse | 9 | 133 | 1 | 51 | Jovan Dawson | 5 | 68 | 1 | 25 | |
| Ben Cooper | 3 | 22 | 0 | 14 | T. Miller-Hughes | 4 | 87 | 1 | 45 | |
| Jake Hardin | 2 | 14 | 0 | 9 | Pat Cornette | 2 | 31 | 0 | 27 | |
| Rico Brown | 2 | 14 | 0 | 9 | ||||||
| Zach Durham | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||||||
Acknowledgements
A special thanks to Bryan Station athletic director Rick Jensen for the hospitality extended me during my stay. Also, a special thanks to WL Stats for the comprehensive stats provided for tonight's game.
Other Games of Interest
Please refer to Week One in Review.
Please send your comments and questions to Ron Harrison at prepgridiron@yahoo.com.
Ron Harrison’s reports on this and other football events appear on https://www.angelfire.com/ky2/prepgridiron.
