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Hayti takes down undefeated East Prairie
For the first time this 2017 high school football season, the Hayti Indians (4-0) had their backs against the wall – compliments of the then undefeated East Prairie Eagles (3-1). In unfamiliar territory, the Indians – down 21-14 with just under a minute remaining in the first half – may have saved their night by setting the tone for the second half when Deva’nte Robinson carried the ball for a 10-yard blast across the goal line for a touchdown. Tylor Wooden’s PAT was good to tie the game at 21 each with 34.3 seconds showing on the first-half clock.
To add fuel to the second-half fire, Chrivontae Moore snagged an interception on East Prairie’s last play of the second quarter. So after a shaky first half, the Indians went into the locker room with the momentum, but would it carry over to the third quarter? In a word – yes. When all was said and done, the Hayti Indians came away with a decisive 53-21 win over East Prairie.
“In that first half we had some mental mistakes and missed assignments,” Coach Dominique Robinson said after Friday’s game. “We have some young guys who are still learning how to play the game of football, and we’re just trying to teach them and lead them in a positive direction on how to play – knowing your assignments, doing your job and not worrying about what everybody else is doing.
“At halftime, I really didn’t say anything to them. I just told them to get their heads in the ballgame and asked how they were going to respond,” Robinson continued. “They’ve been down before. I put them in tough situations in practice all year. They’re used to being down; I never let them get the lead. I let them practice with adversity and with their backs against the wall. We were prepared for this, and they responded well. But, we still have a team who needs to learn how to play four quarters of football. We’ll be ready next week.”
After receiving the opening first-quarter kickoff, East Prairie wasted little time getting to the end zone. Starting on their own 42-yard line, the Eagles found themselves in a fourth-and-3 situation but found paydirt on a 51-yard TD pass. The PAT was good, giving the Eagles an early 7-0 lead with 8:40 on the first quarter clock.
After a 42-yeard Jaishaud Moore kickoff return, the Indians found themselves deep in East Prairie territory at the Eagle 18. With a first-and-goal situation on the 6-yard line, Chrivontae Moore scampered into the end zone for Hayti’s first score of the game. The PAT was no good, so East Prairie was up 7-6 at the 6:43 mark of the first period.
The Indians forced East Prairie to punt on the Eagles’ next possession, and Hayti would give up an interception on their next possession. On a 33-yard Tipper to Bryan pass, the Eagles crossed the goal line for their second touchdown of the contest, but the PAT was no good. East Prairie increased their lead by six points to 13-6 with two minutes, 29 seconds showing on the scoreboard.
Struggling but not giving up, the Hayti offense engineered one more first quarter TD, powered by a 31-yard rush from scrimmage to the Eagles’ 5-yard line by the ever-speedy senior Deva’nte Robinson. Hayti signal-caller Chrivonate Moore capped off the drive with a 1-yard touchdown burst up the middle. Moore also crossed the plane for the 2-point conversion, giving the Indians their first lead of the game, 14-13.
The Indians upped the defensive pressure on East Prairie’s first drive of the second quarter, forcing the Eagles’ second punt of the game. Hayti would also punt on their first possession of the period.
East Prairie began their second drive of the second period on their own 39-yeard line. Despite good defensive efforts from Ivory Winters, Cedric Barber and LaKeith Robinson, the Eagles put the ball in the end zone for another touchdown. With a successful 2-point conversion, the Eagles went up 21-14 at the 2:12 mark.
In what would set up Hayti’s momentum-grabbing TD, All-State defensive end Ivory Winters, in one fatal swoop, stripped the ball from the East Prairie runner, made the tackle and recovered the fumble. Winters’ defensive prowess gave Hayti the ball on the Eagles’ 30-yard yard, eventually leading to the Deva’nte Robinson and Tylor Wooden game-tying touchdown and extra point. The Indians and Eagles were knotted at 21 apiece at the half.
The third quarter began in grand style, as faster-than-greased lightning kickoff return man Ivory Winters sprinted for a very blurry 82-yard touchdown return. The extra point was good, and Hayti was off to the races with an early 28-21 third-quarter lead.
Hayti’s defense upped the ante in the second half, shutting down the East Prairie offense completely. Interior defensive lineman, 6-foot-2, 295-pound Jashauntii Downey, wreaked some havoc on the line of scrimmage, giving Eagle offensive linemen no little trouble. For the game, Tylor Wooden led Hayti’s defense with 14 and a half tackles, while Downey had 12 and a half. Cedric Barber recorded 10 tackles and Norshawn McIntyre and Jaishaud Moore had seven and a half tackles each.
In the third quarter, Hayti scored three more times. Chrivontae Moore picked up a couple of touchdowns, one from four yards out and another from 37. Tylor Wooden had a 9-yard pick-6 to give the Indians a 47-21 lead going into the fourth period. Deva’nte Robinson scored again in the fourth quarter, putting the score at its final, 53-21.
On the ground, Hayti had 285 yards on 41 carries to East Prairie’s 124 total rushing yards. Through the air, Chrivontae Moore was 4 for 10 for 43 yards. Leading Hayti’s rushing game with 94 yards on 13 carries was Deva’nte Robinson. Ivory Winters carried the ball nine times for 66 yards, and Tylor Wooden recorded 21 yards on six totes. Chrivontae gained 60 yards on six carries, as L’Darrius McIntyre picked up 15 yards on a pair of totes. John Agnew had eight yards, Jaishaud Moore nine and David Covington eight yards.
Winters had a pair of receptions for 26 yards, and William Dunn snagged couple of receptions for 17. Hayti had 329 yards of total offense to East Prairie’s 242.
At presstime, the Indians were ranked sixth in the state in Class I. This Friday night, Hayti will travel to New Madrid County Central to take on the Eagles at 7 p.m. The Eagles are 0-3 with losses to Malden, Thayer and Dexter.