Winona Christian visited Newton County Academy for the first time. They might not be welcomed back.
The Stars used a quick-strike offense and scored 31 first-half points as they took a 38-13 win over the Generals on Friday night.
With the loss, NCA falls to 2-4 on the season and have lost four straight while Winona improves to 6-0. NCA will open division play at Amite (La.) this week against the 1-3 Warriors.
Against the Stars, the Generals couldn’t answer the speed Winona was able to put on the field.
“We just didn’t have an answer for their skill players,” Roberts said. “They were just faster than us and able to get to the ball to their skill players and those guys made plays. No. 7 was as good as anybody we have faced this season. They have really good skill players and are undefeated for a reason. They have a good team and are going to be hard to beat.”
The Stars dominated the first half and opened the game with a quick scoring strike as John White hit Choyce Diffey on a 54-yard touchdown pass. Diffey booted the PAT and Winona led 7-0.
The Generals responded with a long scoring drive, going 13 plays but a 39-yard field goal failed to end NCA’s threat.
The Stars went to the air again as White hit Dalton Wiggins on a 33-yard touchdown pass to cap off a four-play, 68-yard drive. The PAT failed and Winona led 13-0.
After an NCA punt, the Stars struck quickly again as Wiggins took a pitch and raced 89 yards for a touchdown with 9:51 left in the first half. The PAT failed and Winona led 19-0.
After another NCA punt, the Stars went 57 yards in six plays. After a big 32-yard pass from White to Diffey, Hayden Self finished off the drive with a 14-yard touchdown run for a 25-0 lead.
The Generals then fumbled the ball on the ensuing kickoff to give Winona a short field at the NCA 38. Two plays later, White hit Logan Graham on a 35-yard pass play. The PAT failed and Winona led 31-0 at the half.
“We knew we were going to have shorten the game and that’s what we tried to do,” Roberts said. “We were running the clock down but when we got behind the chains, we struggled getting first downs. We have so many injuries and are just struggling this week.”
The Stars’ only second half points came to open the half as Reed Roberts returned the kick 81 yards for a touchdown with 11:42 left in the half. Roberts booted the PAT and Winona led 38-0 to start a running clock in the second half.
The Generals responded with a seven-play, 75-yard drive as Zander Meeks hit Hayden Wall on a 17-yard touchdown pass. Hayden West booted the PAT and Winona led 38-7.
The Generals added a late score as Kemp Alderman scored on a 1-yard quarterback keeper. The PAT try failed for the final margin of 38-13.
The Generals had 234 yards of total offense with 145 yards rushing and 89 passing. Colby Hollingsworth yards rushing on 18 carries while Hayze West had 35 yards on 10 carries. Meeks was 9-of-13 passing for 89 yards.
On defense, Hollingsworth led the team with seven tackles while Hayze West, Jordan Mason and Kemp Alderman each had five tackles apiece.
Winona had 159 yards rushing on 12 carries while White was 7-of-9 passing for 170 yards and three TDs.
