It was a tale of two halves for the Pike JV Patriots in a 14-0 win over rival Macon-East.

The Patriot defense got off to a quick start against Macon by forcing the Knights to a quick three-and-out. The Patriot offense, however, would need some time to warm up. Despite moving the ball consistently, the Patriots could not find the scoreboard in the first half.

The second half would be a different story. After punting on their first possession and following a strong defensive series by the Patriot defense, Pike took over on their own 45-yard line.

On the drive’s first play, Cason Murphree took the ball on a reverse and saw nothing but grass between him and the end zone. “When I came around the end, I saw my blockers blocking the Macon players back toward the middle of the field,” Murphree said. “The defense shifted on the fake, and they tried to come back, but I outran them.”

Murphree took the ball and housed it 55 yards for the first score of the night. Patriot coach Josh Ritter said that the reverse was something the team had discussed during halftime. “Macon was biting every time we ran a speed sweep,” Ritter said. “We decided to run a reverse to catch them off guard.”

Reed Jinright connected with Patrick O’Brien for a two-point conversion to make the game 8-0 in favor of Pike.

On the Knights’ next drive, the Patriot defense held firm once again. Reed Jinright inrecepted a Knight pass and returned it 43 yards to the Knight 18-yard line.

On the Patriots’ next play, Reed Johnson took the ball into the end zone on a sweep. The two point conversion failed to make the score 14-0 with just over seven minutes left in the game.

The Pike defense did its job in protecting the lead. The defense, led by Sawyer McKenzie, shut down the Knight offense for the remainder of the game. On the Knights’ final drive, the defense recorded three consecutive sacks to seal the victory.

“You know what’s better than a win?” Coach Ritter asked his team after the game. “A win with a big old goose egg on the board.”

Ritter also said that he was proud of his defense and that the boys gave “100 percent effort.”

The Pike JV team next plays against Hooper Academy next Tuesday in Troy.

Pike PeeWee wins 24-12

In the pee-wee game, the Pike Patriots dominated Macon-East winning 24-12.

Pike forced three Knight turnovers, all on fumbles, and turned two of them in to points.

Late in the first quarter, Pike quarterback Davis Allen found paydirt on a 10-yard run. The two-point conversion was good to give the Pats an early 8-0 lead.

The Pike offense went to the whip early in the second half, scoring in less than two-and-a-half minutes.

Gage Cumbie broke free up the middle on a 35-yard touchdown to give the Patriots a 16-0 lead.

Macon’s Parker Woodall scored on 44-yard quarterback sweep with 1:54 to go in the third quarter to cut the Pike lead to 16-6.

However, Cumbie and the Patriot offense would ice the game away with a touchdown drive of their own. The grinding drive melted time off the clock, and was capped off with a 3-yard TD rush from Cumbie.

Woodall would break another run late in the game, this one for 60 yards, to add to his impressive day, but it was too little, too late.

The Pike pee-wee team’s final home game of the 2013 season is next Tuesday at Delaney Kervin Stadium against Hooper Academy.