John Tyler Rebounds With 33-3 Homecoming Victory Over Corsicana

[By Nathan Wright, Special to ETSN.fm]

TYLER -- The John Tyler Lions rebounded from their first district loss of the season last week at Ennis to defeat Corsicana, 33-3, Friday on Homecoming Night at Trinity Mother Frances Tyler Rose Stadium.

The Lions jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, just the opposite of what happened a year ago between the two teams when the Tigers led 14-0 early before John Tyler scored 44 unanswered points.

With the victory, John Tyler improved to 6-2 overall and 4-1 in District 16-5A. Corsicana fell to 3-5 and 2-3.

“Knowing that our loss last week was a loss we didn’t want to have, it was a loss that came from two great teams playing each other,” John Tyler head coach Ricklan Holmes said. “It came down to the wire and that is what you want a football game to do. I don’t think our mindset changed about getting ready for this week.”

The first quarter wasn’t exactly a thing of beauty as the teams combined for three punts, two interceptions and a missed field goal. The game would have been scoreless after the opening period had Luis Duran not nailed a 29-yard field goal for the Lions with 1:30 to go.

That made it 3-0 John Tyler and the Lions appeared to be building momentum. They forced a punt on Corsicana’s next possession and after a good return, Jeremy Wilson needed just one play to score from 52 yards out and give John Tyler a 10-0 lead less than a minute into the second quarter.

Wilson finished the game with 113 yards on 15 carries.

Two possessions later, the Lions scored again. This time, quarterback Geovari McCollister found Nick Cain for a 6-yard score to make it 17-0 with 5:02 remaining before halftime.

The Lions made a change at quarterback, bringing in sophomore Bryson Smith to replace McCollister and the move paid off on the Lions’ first drive. Smith hooked up with Damion Miller for a 10-yard score with 7:39 to go in the third, which gave John Tyler a 24-0 lead.

“Geo wasn’t 100 percent today,” Holmes said. “It was an easy decision to help him get better. I think right now, he is about 80, 85 percent. With another week under his belt, he will be about to 95, 100 percent. We didn’t really think we needed him to finish out this game. Bryson needed to get some reps, because he is the future.”

Smith completed 7 of 10 passes for 110 yards in the second half, while McCollister completed 8 of 19 for 104 in the first half.

Corsicana got its only points of the game on its next possession. They came on a 23-yard field goal with 2:35 to go in the third.

Already holding the Tigers to just three points, the Lions opened the fourth quarter by getting a safety when Corsicana snapped a punt over its punter’s head and into the end zone. That made it 26-3 with 10:51 remaining in the game.

The John Tyler defense held the Tigers to 65 yards on the ground and 73 through the air.

“They are playing exceptionally well,” Holmes said of his defense. “They just have to keep playing that way until Dec. 20.”

Following the safety, the Lions capitalized, scoring on the ensuing drive when Smith connected with Miller again, this time for a 10-yard touchdown that made it 33-3 with 9:10 to go.

Next week the Lions will play at Jacksonville, while Corsicana will host Lufkin.