Scoop27
09-06-2014, 11:02 AM
From The Brazosport Facts
LIBERTY — Columbia junior Dakarius Bell had quite a sophomore season running the ball. In just the second game of the 2014 season, Bell is off to another roaring start, racking up 256 yards on 29 carries Friday to carry the Roughnecks to a 49-20 win against Liberty at War Memorial Stadium.
Columbia, now 2-0 in the young season, came out with another strong defensive showing.
“We had a great team effort. I thought we played real well,” Columbia coach Randy Lynch said. “We were a bit sluggish in the first half offensively, with some penalties and things, dropped balls, but for the most part our defense played extremely well.”
It was that Columbia defense that set the tone on the first drive of the game, when defensive back Jarron Freeman came up with a nice play on a pass that he broke up at the last second. Then defensive end Michael French put the pressure on Liberty quarterback Darien Mallet as he threw an incomplete pass because of the rush.
“They set the tone last week against Halletsville, and that is two weeks that they’ve set the tone,” Lynch said.
That Roughneck defense held the Panthers to 24 first-quarter yards and 63 yards for the first half and two first downs. Liberty got as far as the Columbia 35-yard line in the first 24 minutes of play. Liberty did not record a first down until there were 6:39 remaining until halftime.
Bell started rolling on Columbia’s second drive, when he picked up 26 yards on a seven-play 58-yard drive. Quarterback Jarius Kesee found tight end Steve Perkins downfield for a 27-yard score to get the Roughnecks on the board.
After Jacob Comer’s first of five extra points on the night, Columbia led 7-0 in the first period.
Columbia went on to score twice more in the first half, with Brandon Harris getting in from five yards out and Kesee getting a 1-yard plunge as the Necks went into the locker room leading 21-0.
Bell’s effort kept the Panther offense on the sidelines. In 19 carries Bell went for 162 yards, with eight of those carries going for 10 yards or more. His longest was a 43-yarder with 1:11 before halftime.
“The offensive line is still trying to figure out some things, but they are getting better,” Lynch said. “So I am obviously happy with the performance and the effort the kids gave.”
Bell had 10 more carries in the third period and accounted for 94 more yards, including an 11-yard burst into the end zone to give the Roughnecks a 42-0 lead.
“He (Dakarius) is a tough runner, and then of course Brandon Harris came in and gave us a different tempo, so to speak,” Lynch said. “He ran the ball extremely well, and like I said, it was a great team effort.”
Liberty scored all of its points in the final quarter.
Columbia continues its nondistrict season as they travel to Houston Austin next week.
Joel Luna is the sports editor of The Facts. Contact him at 979-237-0160.
LIBERTY — Columbia junior Dakarius Bell had quite a sophomore season running the ball. In just the second game of the 2014 season, Bell is off to another roaring start, racking up 256 yards on 29 carries Friday to carry the Roughnecks to a 49-20 win against Liberty at War Memorial Stadium.
Columbia, now 2-0 in the young season, came out with another strong defensive showing.
“We had a great team effort. I thought we played real well,” Columbia coach Randy Lynch said. “We were a bit sluggish in the first half offensively, with some penalties and things, dropped balls, but for the most part our defense played extremely well.”
It was that Columbia defense that set the tone on the first drive of the game, when defensive back Jarron Freeman came up with a nice play on a pass that he broke up at the last second. Then defensive end Michael French put the pressure on Liberty quarterback Darien Mallet as he threw an incomplete pass because of the rush.
“They set the tone last week against Halletsville, and that is two weeks that they’ve set the tone,” Lynch said.
That Roughneck defense held the Panthers to 24 first-quarter yards and 63 yards for the first half and two first downs. Liberty got as far as the Columbia 35-yard line in the first 24 minutes of play. Liberty did not record a first down until there were 6:39 remaining until halftime.
Bell started rolling on Columbia’s second drive, when he picked up 26 yards on a seven-play 58-yard drive. Quarterback Jarius Kesee found tight end Steve Perkins downfield for a 27-yard score to get the Roughnecks on the board.
After Jacob Comer’s first of five extra points on the night, Columbia led 7-0 in the first period.
Columbia went on to score twice more in the first half, with Brandon Harris getting in from five yards out and Kesee getting a 1-yard plunge as the Necks went into the locker room leading 21-0.
Bell’s effort kept the Panther offense on the sidelines. In 19 carries Bell went for 162 yards, with eight of those carries going for 10 yards or more. His longest was a 43-yarder with 1:11 before halftime.
“The offensive line is still trying to figure out some things, but they are getting better,” Lynch said. “So I am obviously happy with the performance and the effort the kids gave.”
Bell had 10 more carries in the third period and accounted for 94 more yards, including an 11-yard burst into the end zone to give the Roughnecks a 42-0 lead.
“He (Dakarius) is a tough runner, and then of course Brandon Harris came in and gave us a different tempo, so to speak,” Lynch said. “He ran the ball extremely well, and like I said, it was a great team effort.”
Liberty scored all of its points in the final quarter.
Columbia continues its nondistrict season as they travel to Houston Austin next week.
Joel Luna is the sports editor of The Facts. Contact him at 979-237-0160.