Chargers Soak Ripley in Regional Battle

A steady, windy rain pelted UT-Martin’s H.K. Grantham Field Friday as Martin-Westview doused Ripley 49-0 in a regional high school football contest.

With 6:39 to play in the fourth quarter, a Ripley player was injured and after a 15-minute delay, the game was called. The unidentified Ripley player was transported from the field by ambulance.

While the Chargers put together a good offensive product, Westview’s defense set the tone for the game. Ripley was hampered by -14 yards of total offense for the game. Westview, meanwhile, piled up 260 yards.

Given the weather and other circumstances, this was a thorough victory for the Chargers.

Westview, 6-0, 3-0, will visit Dyersburg, 4-2, 2-0, next week for another pivotal regional showdown. The Trojans defeated Jackson-North Side, one of their principal rivals, 37-26 last Thursday.

The Chargers demonstrated a conservative approach to slowly gain control of the game, but once they did, they presented a dominant defensive effort. The Charger defense and special teams helped establish the dominance.  The Westview defense kept the pressure on the Tigers for much of the night, so much so that the Tigers never crossed the 50 into Charger territory.

Chargers Cody Meeks and Asa Barnes each scored two TDs and the Westview defense forced two fumbles that led directly to scores. Graham Simpson threw two touchdowns. Additionally, the Chargers scored on a blocked punt.

Westview got on board after sustaining a drive that consumed over four minutes. Cody Meeks converted two fourth downs and rushed for 45 yards, setting up Asa Barnes’ 4-yard scoring plunge. Meeks added the two-point conversion for an early 8-0 lead with 7:17 to play in the first.

The Chargers battled a bit of adversity, exchanging punts with the Tigers. Westview fumbled a punt on the Tiger 23, but Ripley returned the favor when Malik Jackson recovered a fumble on the Tiger 5. From there, Meeks fought his way into the end zone from the 3 and the Chargers led 15-0.

With 3:04 to play in the half, Simpson located Smith for a 19-yard TD strike. The Chargers were up 22-0. With 1:51 to play, Westview blocked a punt and C.D. Damron made a dynamic loose-ball recovery in the end zone for a 29-0 advantage. That was the score at halftime.

When the third quarter started, Westview’s defense kept up its pressure, forcing an 18-yard punt to the Tiger 25. Cooper Spaulding raced for a touchdown that was nullified by a block-in-the-back penalty, but Ripley was assessed an unsportsmanlike call, giving the Chargers the ball on the 14. With 9:45 to play in the third, Meeks was off the races, covering 14 yards for a TD and a 36-0 lead.

The clock would run the remainder of the game.

With 8:06 to play, Simpson connected with Donteze Joy for a TD and the Chargers were up 43-0. Barnes rambled 49 yards with 10:51 to play in the fourth and the Chargers led 49-0. Moments later, in Ripley’s

next drive, a Tiger player suffered a leg injury and, after about a 15-minute delay, the game was called with 6:39 to play. The Ripley player was transported from the field by ambulance about a half hour after he sustained the injury, but he is expected to be okay.,

The Chargers were led in rushing by Barnes, who carried six times for 96 yards. Meeks carried 12 times for 76 yards.

Ripley quarterback Austin Thompson, who left the game in the first half with an injury, passed 1-2 for 2 yards.