By Marla Jones

Sports Editor

marla@southerntorch.com

COLLINSVILLE, Ala.-- The Section Lions defeated the Collinsville Panthers 34-6 to start the 2021 football season.

Section jumped on board early with a 9-yard touchdown by J. R. Walker, with 7:21 remaining in the first quarter.  The Lions went for two but the pass failed. 

With 6:41 remaining in the second quarter, Drake McCutchen charged down the field 24 yards, leading the way for Jacob Cooper to score the extra two points.  Going into the half, the Lions had the 14-0 advantage over the Panthers.  

McCutchen stampeded down the field for 50 yards to score his second touchdown of the night for the Lions.  McCutchen passed the ball to Cooper for the extra two points, making the score 22-0 with 1:56 remaining in the third quarter.

Cooper connected on a 60-yard pass to Cam Summerford, with 10:03 remaining in the game. The Lions went for two but were unsuccessful.  The Collinsville Panthers put their only points on the board with 7:00 remaining in the game, with a 9-yard run by Fernando Padillo.  The extra point attempt was unsuccessful, making the score 28-6.  Section finished out the game with a 23-yard run by Conner Sronvi.  The two-point conversion failed, making the final score Section 34, Collinsville 6.  

Section did not have a punt and forced Collinsville to punt five times. 

“I thought we played physical.  We’ve got good players and a good team but we gotta get in shape and we gotta get better” stated Section Head Coach Chris Hammon.  

Collinsville was led by the running of Keaton Deboard.  Deboard ran for 120 yards and passed for 44 yards.  Colton Wills ran for 57 yards and had 34 yard receiving.  Jameson Coker had an interception and a fumble recovery. 

“It is really good to be back but it was not a good outcome” stated Collinsville Head Coach Ernie Willingingham on his return to Collinsville after retiring.  

“I thought that we played hard.  I thought both teams played hard, but I thought they exposed us” stated Willingham.  “We have a lot of work to do this year.  We have to play better.  We have to block and tackle better” concluded Willingham. 

The Section Lions will travel to take on the Valley Head Tigers this week.  The Collinsville Panthers will travel to take on their next-door neighbor, the Crossville Lions.