Stratford keeps rolling, routs Mount de Sales

It was a sloppy game at times, marred by numerous turnovers for both teams, but the Stratford Eagles will take the win anyway they can get it.

Stratford recovered two fumbles and intercepted three passes in the first half, scoring after three of the turnovers as they rolled to a 49-12 victory over Mount de Sales on Friday.

"I thought we continued the pattern of getting off to a great start, which is good," Stratford head coach Mark Farriba said. "We had a couple of turnovers and didn't protect the quarterback, but we were able to throw it and run it. But again, defensively we were good. The past few weeks, we've been able to play really well on the defensive side of the ball, and that helps our team."

With Wilkinson County's loss to FPD, Stratford clinches the right to host the GHSA Region 7A-A region championship game Nov. 6. The Eagles have won five straight to improve to 6-2 overall, and they are 4-0 in the sub-region.

The trouble for Mount de Sales (2-6, 1-3) began on its opening drive as a fumble that was recovered by Stratford led to a 6-yard touchdown reception by Eagles wide receiver Quintez Cephus. Kasey Sanders stretched the Eagles' lead to 14-0 on a 1-yard burst up the middle just before the end of the first quarter.

Mount de Sales was able to move the ball at times, but turnovers proved to be its downfall.

An interception by Stratford's Carter Canady less than a minute into the second quarter allowed the Eagles to capitalize once again and push the lead to 21-0, as O'Showen Williams broke loose for a 50-yard touchdown run. Williams carried the ball 11 times for 121 yards and also added a 9-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter.

Cephus had arguably the play of the night, catching a pass on the line of scrimmage and giving his defender a jab step before busting through two defenders en route to a 87-yard touchdown. John Michael O'Quinn and Tyler Jordan added the Eagles' other two touchdowns.

Mount de Sales added two touchdowns late in the fourth quarter, with a Brandon Crowder 4-yard scoring run followed by a 25-yard touchdown run by Adrian Hardwick after the Cavaliers recovered a fumble by the Eagles.

"(Stratford) is a very explosive football team," Mount de Sales head coach Hatcher said. "We dug ourselves into a hole and just never could recover. We're in a building phase, and what I was looking for in the second half was effort, and our guys did give effort until the end. We just have to do a better job of executing and eliminating the big plays on defense."

This story was originally published October 23, 2015 at 11:17 PM with the headline "Stratford keeps rolling, routs Mount de Sales ."