HOT SPRINGS — First-year Bath County coach Dillon Fry likes what he sees from his young and inexperienced Charger football team.
The results are yet to appear on the scoreboard, but the improvement isn’t lost on Fry and his coaching staff.
Saturday afternoon at a sun-splashed but windy Carl F. Williams Field, the Eastern Montgomery Mustangs capitalized on a couple of big plays and a couple of Bath County miscues for a 33-7 Pioneer District win over the Chargers.
With the victory, the Mustangs improved to 2-1 on the year, while the Chargers dropped to 0-2.
“Miles of improvement,” Fry assessed after the game. “The team is starting to come together. This week, practice was a lot more crisp. We’re still not where we need to be, but we’re making improvement.”
The Mustangs galloped for 359 yards on the ground Saturday, and a 26-yard Darion Moore scamper gave the visitors a quick 7-0 lead.
The Chargers countered with a promising drive of their own, moving from their own 29 into the red zone.
But on 1st-and-10 from the East Mont 19, the Chargers laid the football on the ground, and the Mustangs recovered to thwart the threat.
Early in the second quarter, Seth Burleson broke loose for an 82-yard touchdown run, and just before the half, the Mustangs upped their lead to 19-0 on a 29-yard keeper by quarterback Adam Bahnken.
Eli Brown’s 66-yard TD run accounted for the only score of the third quarter, before the Chargers finally got on the board early in the fourth.
On 1st-and-23 from their own 32, fullback Javier Walker took an inside handoff, worked his way up the middle and into the clear, sprinting 68 yards to paydirt.
Kamoy Stone added the point, cutting the Eastern Montgomery lead to 26-7.
Burleson capped the scoring when he scooped up a Charger fumble and returned it 41 yards for the score.
Lilly Underwood, the Mustangs’ girls soccer standout-turned-place kicker, booted her third point-after, capping the scoring and giving the Mustangs a 33-7 advantage.
Brown led the Mustangs with 111 yards rushing, while Burleson added 94 on just two carries.
Walker had 93 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown for the Chargers. Stone hauled in a 22-yard catch.
Brennan Gardzinski had a fumble recovery for the Bath County defense.
“This is a good East Mont football team,” Fry said. “A couple of times we shot ourselves in the foot. We turned the ball over in the red zone and that really shifted the momentum. If we score there, we have a chance to take the lead.”
The Mustangs are back in action Saturday when they host unbeaten Narrows. Meanwhile, the Chargers have a week off before hosting Parry McCluer on Saturday, March 20.
The additional practice time is welcomed by Fry, who is tasked with seasoning 10 Chargers who had never played high school football before this year.
“I’m really proud of the guys,” Fry said. “A bunch of these seniors have never played before. We have a five-year senior, and we have a bunch of one-year seniors.
“I want to see them get better one day at a time, each play, each rep and each game,” he concluded. “We have a bunch of great kids. We’re building.”
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