FOLKSTON — Pierce County Middle School pulled away from a 7-6 halftime lead scoring three second-half touchdowns on the way to a 30-6 victory here Wednesday afternoon over Bethune Middle School.
The Bears’ Jae’Veon Williams (12 carries, 82 yards) scored on a 30-yard interception return in the opening stanza and an 85-yard gallop in the third period. He also added a two-point conversion.
The interception return was one of two defensive scores for PCMS (2-0). Braden McKendree added a 60-yard scoop-and-score off an Indians’ fumble in the third quarter.
“Our defense came up big,” said head coach Shannon Batten. “The interception return and fumble return were huge for us. We played better and tackled better in the second half.
“Offensively, we struggled with our blocking in the first half. We (coaches) made some adjustments at halftime and did a much better job in the second half. Our running backs ran hard and earned every yard we got.”
Pierce Middle was limited to just 106 yards of offense - all on the ground.
“They (Indians) were loading up the box and shooting every gap to stop our run game,” Batten said.
Williams’ interception return came on Bethune’s second possession of the game. Alex Lacot added the PAT for a 7-0 lead.
Bethune responded with a 62-yard touchdown run. The Bears stopped the two-point conversion to protect the lead at 7-6 in the first quarter.
After a scoreless second period, PCMS started pulling away in the third period. Williams sped 85 yards on a second-and-five for a 13-6 advantage. Cecil Reese converted the two-point conversion run for a nine-point lead.
The Bears next score came on McKendree’s 60-yard fumble return with Williams adding the two-point conversion pushing the lead out to 23-6.
Pierce Middle tacked on a late touchdown on a two-yard run by Jagger Young with Lacot adding the PAT.
PCMS travels Wednesday, September 7 to face Waycross Middle (2-0), who rallied for a two-point home win over Bacon County Middle School (0-2).
Action begins at 4 p.m. between the 6th-7th grade teams. The eighth-grade teams will kick at 5 p.m.
