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October 6, 2007 DANVILLE, VA - Down but not out, the Methodist football team put the past four weeks behind them and earned their first win of the season in a 34-6 victory over Averett University. The Monarchs struck early and went on to score 27 points in the first half to secure the win. Methodist moves to 1-4 overall and 1-1 in the USA South this season while Averett drops to 0-5 overall and 0-2 in the conference. Both teams entered the field on Saturday looking for their first win of the season. Methodist came out strong putting their stamp on the game in just the first drive of the game. Averett kicked off and Methodist senior Brandon Hayden caught the ball at the 30-yard line and picked up 11-yards in the return. In the first play of the drive, sophomore quarterback Brandon Parks connected with senior Patrick Doleman for a 59-yard touchdown at the 14:45 mark. Freshman Mario Miralles converted the extra point for the 7-0 lead. On Averett's first possession, senior Kyle Smith forced a fumble giving Methodist the ball at their own 46-yard line. The offense took over and advanced to the Averett 12-yard line before Miralles hit the 29-yard field goal. The defense did not give Averett a first down and forced the Cougars to punt. The Monarchs took over and senior Mike Hill ran for a 16-yard touchdown. With Miralles' extra point, Methodist led 17-0 at the end of the first quarter. Averett suffered another fumble to start the second quarter, this time forced by freshman Troy Glover and recovered by junior Chris Oden. Parks found freshman Brian Hopkins for a 26-yard pass and the first down to the Methodist 36-yard line. The Monarchs lost a couple of yards, but Parks ran for 11 while tailbacks Hill and freshman Blake Harrison each picked up one. Parks found Te'Varaz Fulmore for three yards and then hit Harrison with a 40-yard pass to the Averett 10-yard line. A false start pushed Methodist back five yards, but Parks 11-yard run advanced the offense to the four-yard line. Harrison finished the drive on two carries for the Methodist touchdown. Miralles' kick was good. Averett was forced to punt again and Methodist took over with just over four minutes to go in the half. Parks took control of the offense and advanced to the Averett four-yard line before Miralles hit the 20-yard field goal giving the Monarchs a 27-0 lead at halftime. The Cougars' Antonio Hammond started the second half with a 61-yard kickoff return and Averett quarterback followed Parks lead with a 20-yard touchdown pass to score early. Averett's attempt for two failed and the Monarchs led 27-6. Methodist reached the Averett 20-yard line on their next possession, but Miralles' 37-yard attempt was wide left. The Monarchs took over on downs at the Averett 9-yard line with six minutes to go in the third quarter. Hill and freshman Corey McGuire each picked up a few yards before Parks finished the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run. Miralles' kick gave the Monarchs a 34-6 lead. The remainder of the game went scoreless as Methodist secured the win. Parks threw 15-for-18 for 231 yards passing and ran for 74 yards in the win. Hill picked up 62 yards while Harrison added 60. Doleman led the receiving corps with two catches for 82 yards. Junior Antonio Bartee led the defense with eight tackles while senior Jeremy Perkins had seven. Senior Daryl Lawrence and Smith each had a sack in the game. The Monarchs will be back on the road next week to face Ferrum on Saturday at 2 pm. Photo courtesy of ESPN Radio - R2K2 Photography |
