Two in a row|Miller wins Battle in another shutout

Published 8:28 am Monday, November 2, 2009

By By Adam Robinson
sports editor

For the second straight year, the T.R. Miller Tiger shut out the W.S. Neal Eagles in the Battle of Murder Creek as they claimed a 34-0 win over the Eagles Friday night in East Brewton.
Last year, T.R. Miller won 55-0 over the Eagles. This year’s shutout was the fourth for the Eagles this season.
The win improved T.R. Miller to 9-1 overall this season. W.S. Neal dropped to 2-8 for the second straight season as their season came to an end.
In a game that saw rain off and on the whole night at W.S. Neal Stadium, the Tigers scored 20 points in the first quarter and added 14 in the second quarter to claim a 34-0 lead.  Both teams failed to score in the second half as the Tigers claimed the win.
The run Riggs alluded to was on the second play of scrimmage for the Eagles as quarterback Ashton Elliott ran from the Eagle 15-yard inside Tiger territory. The play was negated and called back for a holding call ,and three plays later, T.R. Miller’s Kendrick Watson picked off an Elliott pass and ran it for a touchdown. That gave T.R. Miller an early 6-0 lead after Jeremy Alexander blocked the extra point with 9:31 left in the first quarter.
T.R. Miller then recovered an onside kick and eight plays later on a fourth-and-11, Tiger quarterback Wil Riggs connected with Anthony Herbert for a 23-yard score to go up 14-0 with 5:32 left in the first quarter.
W.S. Neal later fumbled on their second possession of their next drive and Riggs found Terez Lane for a 43-yard touchdown in just one play to put T.R. Miller ahead 20-0 with 4:44 left in the first quarter.
Herbert, who had two rushing touchdowns and one receiving, gave T.R. Miller a 27-0 lead with 11:54 left in the second quarter after a 2-yard run and with 1:10 left before the half, Herbert scored on an 18-yard as T.R. Miller led 34-0 at the half.
T.R. Miller finished with 351 total yards of offense with 220 coming in the first half and 116 in the air.
The Tigers had 16 first downs in the game to W.S. Neal’s two. One Eagle first down came on a penalty as they had 36 total yards of offense with 32 coming in the air, all in the second half. W.S. Neal had 15 yards of offense in the first half, all on the ground.
After the game, Jordan said he felt bad for his team and seniors.
T.R. Miller will play Abbeville next week in the first round of the AHSAA playoffs.
T.R. Miller 34,
At W.S. Neal
TRM—Watson 13-yard interception return (kick blocked)
TRM—Herbert 23-yard pass reception from Riggs (conversion good)
TRM—Lane 43-yard pass reception from Riggs (kick failed)
TRM—Herbert 2-yard run (Dickey kick)
TRM—Herbert 18-yard run (Dickey kick)