ST. MARTIN — Behind a massive performance from running back Ben Myrick, East Central picked up a road win over St. Martin in a high-scoring affair 63-42 Friday night.
The Hornets improve to 2-3 on the year while the Yellow Jackets remain winless at 0-5.
Myrick led the way with a monster game, racking up 338 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 24 carries.
Senior wide receiver Noreel White shined in the losing effort for St. Martin, with 226 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Yellow Jackets’ junior quarterback Logan Jefferys put up a very respectable stat line in his debut as the starter, throwing for 356 yards, six touchdown passes, and one interception.
East Central jumped out to an early 14-0 in the first quarter thanks to two touchdown runs from Myrick. The Hornets added to their lead in the second quarter when quarterback Mason Prouty found receiver Tyler Tanner for a 15-yard touchdown pass, bringing the score to 21-0.
Despite a one-sided start to the game, the end of the first half brought fireworks with the Hornets and Yellow Jackets trading blows with big plays, setting the tone for the rest of the game.
St. Martin got on the scoreboard with an 81-yard touchdown pass from Jefferys to White, cutting the Hornet’s lead to 21-7 with just under two minutes left in the first half.
East Central esponded quickly with Myrick finding the endzone for the third time in the first half on an eight-yard run. This gave East Central a 28-7 lead with just 45 seconds left in the half. This was plenty of time for the Jackets’ offense to respond as Jefferys connected with White again for a 46-yard touchdown pass. East Central went into halftime with a 28-14 lead.
St. Martin was able to tie the game at 28-28 with a pair of touchdown passes from Jefferys to receivers Monclair Brave and Jaxon Walker.
East Central running back Taye Guyton gave the Hornets the lead back when he found the endzone on an eight-yard touchdown run, going up 35-28 late in the third quarter.
St. Martin could not find a way to stop Myrick as the Hornets’ back continued his big night with four rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter. This enabled East Central to pull away and win by three scores, 63-42.
East Central goes into their bye week with a much-needed win. Their next contest will be on October 6th against the visiting Wayne County War Eagles in their first district game of the 2023 season.
St. Martin is also off next week and will kick off district play at home against Harrison Central on October 6th.
