The stands were packed. Old acquaintances had been renewed. The homecoming queen, Katelyn Smith, had been crowned and the class of the 8’s had been honored.  It was now time for the main event.   In the end it would be the Hornets (5-3) who held off a late Amite County (1-7) rally to capture a 50-46 win over the Trojans.

Jamareo Clay took the opening kickoff to the Trojan 14- yard line setting up the Hornets to score quickly.  The Hornets took advantage of the short field and Eric Birch punched it in from 1-yard out to give Loyd Star a 7-0 lead.

Amite County mounted an 80-yard drive for their first score. The last 40 came on a Derick Cosby to Charlie Taplin pass.  The Trojans converted the two-point attempt and take an 8-7 lead. 

The Hornets scored on their next possession with a 24-yard pass from Dane Smith to Jamareo Clay.  Eric Birch would run in the two-point attempt to make it a 15-8 game. 

Loyd Star scored again when Clay gathered in a Smith pass and take it to the 1-yard line.  Birch would punch it in from there to give Loyd Star a 22-8 lead.

The Trojans scored twice before the half ended with the second score coming with no time on the clock.  A 55-yard pass from Cosby to Jackson and a 49-yard pass from Cosby to Jay Jackson plus both 2-point conversions made it a 24-22 score at half with the Trojans leading.

Loyd Star scored on their first two possessions of the second half.  With 10:21 to go in the third quarter, Eric Birch took it to pay dirt from 25-yards out.  At the 6:55 mark, Birch would take it in from 43-yards out.  The Hornets added the 2-point conversion on the second score to lead 36-24. 

The Trojans cut it to 36-32 on a ShoShun Boss 3-yard run and a successful two-point conversion by Boss. 

Dane Smith of Loyd Star scored from 1-yard out on the next possession to cap off a 65-yard drive and the Hornets led 44-32 after another successful 2-point conversion.

Amite County scored on their next possession on a 38-yard pass from Cosby to Nunnery making to make score 44-38.

The Hornets scored on their next possession when Clay ran the ball in from the five-yard line. That touchdown was set upt by a 52-yard scamper by Birch. Loyd Star led 50-38 but Amite County came back on the ensuing possession to score and cut the lead to four — 50-46 — with three minutes remaining in the game.

The Hornets would take the ball and run the clock down inside a minute before being forced to punt.  The Trojans had the ball when time expired and the Hornets claimed an important division win and broke the 20-game win streak Amite County had over Lincoln County schools.

  “This was a fantastic homecoming week,” said Hornet coach Brian Ford.  “Good crowd, excited fan base and a good opponent set up for a fantastic Friday night. We still made too many mental errors.  We had them on the ropes early but let them off with those mistakes. Our ability to establish the run game was paramount in the victory.”

Story by Ricky Myers