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The Helena Huskies fought back down the stretch, but big plays from Moody proved to be the difference as the Blue Devils took the non-region tilt. (For the Reporter/Jeremy Raines)

By NIC YOUNG | Special to the Reporter

HELENA – Despite a hard-fought comeback effort, the Helena Huskies had no answer for the big play ability of the Moody Blue Devils falling 26-21 on Sept. 20 at Helena High School.

The game got off to a slow start with both teams exchanging punts following brief possessions.

After starting in plus territory, momentum appeared to be riding with Moody until a quarterback sack by Austin Acosta put the Blue Devils behind the sticks and into a second-and-long situation. Moody could not recover and missed a 37-yard field goal afterwards.

On the Blue Devils’ next drive following a Helena punt, they brought the ball down to their 38-yard line before quarterback Charles Johnson took a shot downfield, hitting wide receiver Josiah Dozier for a 62-yard touchdown for the game’s first score, 7-0 as the first quarter rounded to a close.

After trading possessions for the first half of the second quarter, the Helena offense began to generate a response.

Beginning at their 19-yard line, the Huskies pieced together a 14-play drive for 81 yards to reach the endzone. Running back Jeremy Spratling shouldered the load for this drive, compiling 35 yards on the ground, paving the way for Dom Santiago to punch in the score from the 4-yard line to tie the game at 7-7.

Moody made quick work of its next drive. After beginning at his own 20-yard line, Johnson hit wide receiver DJ Brooks for a 58-yard gain to put the Blue Devils into plus territory before taking it in himself from 16 yards out on the next play to regain the lead, 14-7.

The Huskies began their next possession on a high note, gaining positive yards early into the possession. A sack on third down, however, slowed the momentum of the drive and forced them to punt.

Beginning another possession at midfield, the Blue Devils opted to take another shot down the field with Johnson hitting Dozier for a huge gain of 38 yards to put Moody at the Helena 13-yard line.

The Huskies defense did not go down easily forcing an incompletion on first down and a sack on second down put the Blue Devils in a third-and-long situation. However, they could not find an answer for the Moody deep ball as Johnson found receiver Jalijah Rutledge for the touchdown to put the Blue Devils up 20-7 after the missed PAT to close the half.

Helena opened up the second half leaning on their rushing attack. Led by Spratling, the Huskies made it all the way to the Moody 8-yard line before stalling out. However, a pass interference call against Moody extended the drive.

The Huskies capitalized on this second chance with Ferguson connecting with receiver Torrey Ward on a 7-yard pass to cut into the Blue Devil lead, making the score 20-14 halfway through the third quarter.

The Helena defense stood tall on the following possession, forcing a series of incompletions before defensive lineman Fred Grooms closed things out with a sack on third down to force a punt.

With the momentum seeming to shift in their favor, the Huskies opened up their next drive seemingly moving the ball at will. Once again, it was Spratling willing his team down the field. Helena made it to the Moody 37-yard line before an interception halted the drive.

The big play ability of the Moody offense was evident once again with Johnson hitting Rutledge for a 44-yard score to extend the lead, to 26-14, after a failed two-point conversion.

Helena showcased a sense of urgency upon taking over on offense to start the fourth quarter. A 56-yard screen pass from Ferguson to receiver Nate Jones set the Huskies up nicely on the Moody 8-yard line.

Now facing a goal-to-go situation, the Huskies faced resistance when trying to break the plane, but eventually, Spratling hit pay dirt on fourth down to bring the Helena within a score at 26-21 early in the fourth quarter.

After exchanging punts, Helena found themselves in a position to drive down the field and take the lead late in the fourth quarter.

Operating with roughly five minutes left in the game, Helena marched its way from midfield into Blue Devil territory. The rushing efforts of Ferguson and Spratling were the driving force behind this possession, combining for 40 yards.

Sitting at the 3-yard line with less than two minutes left, the Huskies were in a prime position to take the lead as time expired. Unfortunately, the drive stalled out and resulted in a turnover on downs.

This opened the door for the Blue Devils to drain the rest of the clock and escape with a victory.

Ferguson finished 11 of 26 on passing attempts with one touchdown and one interception. Spratling had 94 yards and one touchdown on 34 carries. Jones led all receivers with 4 receptions for 92 yards.

Helena will look to bounce back next week on Sept. 27 when they host the Oxford Yellow Jackets.

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