By CHRIS HOBBS
HobbsDailyReport.com
MAIDEN – Maiden High’s football team had both a new and yet familiar look on Friday night.
The Blue Devils, donned in silver-grey uniforms with blue uniform numbers trimmed in white, looked different but their play against visiting St. Stephens did not, as they beat the Indians 28-7 in a non-conference game at Maiden.
MAIDEN 28
ST. STEPHENS 7
Maiden (4-0) led 14-7 by halftime and added second-half rushing touchdowns – by Kentrell Williams and Chris Morgan – to run its win streak in the series with the Indians to six straight.
Picking up Will Byrne’s 12th win in 16 games as head coach, the Blue Devils head into their bye week and will be preparing to play archrival Bandys at Maiden in both team’s South Fork 2A opener on Sept. 22.
“I’m just proud of our kids,” Byrne said in a postgame interview with WNNC 101.3 FM. “It was our first close game. We played great defense in the second half. We were very worried coming into the game… St. Stephens has a good offense.”
The Indians (1-2) kept the game close from the outset, turning back Maiden’s first scoring opportunity early in the game with a sack by Ian Walker on a fourth-and-2 play at the Indians 6.
No one scored until Maiden quarterback Keygan Mayfield (19 carries for 164 yards) got free in the middle, zigging and sagging until he could break the run to outside to the right, and his 44-yard run and a Casey Ly PAT made it 7-0.
Logan Hentschel’s interception than gave the Blue Devils a chance to build on their lead. But the Indians then used a 13-yard sack by Ivan Vergel to pin Maiden at its 6.
The Blue Devils faced a third-and-32 when, after time timeout, they punted out of their own end zone. Punter Micah Cobb’s kick went only six yards, to the Maiden 12, and St. Stephens used that to tie the game.
Xavian King got that 12 yards in one run and a PAT by Bryce DeSantis with eight minutes left in the half tied it at 7.
Taking over at its own 42 after the kickoff, Maiden drove for a go-ahead TD by Mayfield, who scored on a keeper from the 7. He faked a handoff, hesitated for a second, and took a keeper left in for a score. Ly’s kick made it 14-7 with 5:13 left in the half.
Maiden opened its lead to 21-7 within the first two minutes of the second half when Williams, who had 14 carries for 133 yards, scored on a 45-yard run.
Morgan’s 3-yard TD run came with 9:48 to play, giving Maiden a 21-point lead.
“We are playing hard and we’re physical,” Byrne said in his postgame interview. “We’re moving people up front and that’s where games are won, in the trenches.”
St. Stephens got 65 yards passing from Justin Bullock and 52 rushing yards on eight carries from Jamar Brown and 36 on 10 carries by King.
The Indians will be at home Friday night at 7:30 p.m. to face Fred T. Foard, then open Northwestern 3A-4A play on Sept. 22 at Freedom.