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Big Red senior puts up second consecutive three-TD performance in runaway win
Johnothan Moore came into this season with a chip on his shoulder. So far, no one has been able to knock it off.
His Montgomery Bell Academy teammates benefited from another big performance from Moore and their stifling defense to roll over the visiting Pearl-Cohn 49-6 Friday at Tommy Owen Stadium.
Moore rushed for 140 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries, finding the end zone three times for the second consecutive week to start the season.
The first of his three scores came on a 15-yard run late in the first half that put MBA up 21-0.
“I know it’s my last year,” Moore said. “I just want to prove everybody wrong. Everybody who doubted me. I just want to show I can do it. I can run the route.”
Moore added two scoring runs in the third quarter, a 16-yarder one play following a Pearl-Cohn turnover and a 13-yard run late in the period.
Marcel Reed completed 8-of-14 passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns, while running for 52 yards and another score – a 33-yarder in the second quarter.
Hutton Durrett caught Reed’s first TD pass, a wide receiver screen for an 18-yard score in the first quarter.
The Big Red struck again as the first half expired as Reed found Claiborne Richards in the back of the end zone to send MBA to the locker room with a 28-0 lead.
“We knew they were a good football team, a lot of size, a lot of speed … our guys came out from the beginning and were able to get up on them early,” MBA head coach Marty Euverard said. “I’m really proud of our defense. (Pearl-Cohn’s) going to win a lot of games the rest of the season. We’re happy to come away with a win.”
The Big Red (2-0) held Pearl-Cohn out of the end zone until late in the third quarter when Kevonte Mayberry found the only Firebird points of the evening from three yards out.
“Coach (Derek) Chauvin, our defensive coordinator, made a Google Forms quiz on what they’d would be running based on their formations,” MBA senior Gabe Fisher said. “We’d get torn a new one if we messed up in practice. I think I held the record for taking it 22 times.”
When considering whether MBA was the team to beat, Moore liked their chances.
“We got to keep proving it,” Moore said. “Every night, every week, we have McCallie next, a big game on the road. We have to come back Sunday and prepare for that.”
But perhaps Fisher was more succinct.
“We’ve got to play like we’re 1-3, like last year,” Fisher said. “The mentality we have to play with all the time. Just running through people’s faces.”
Pearl-Cohn (0-2) had won the last two meetings in the series and begins the season with back-to-back losses for the first time since 2015.
MBA travels to McCallie in a rematch of last year’s BlueCross Bowl state championship game, while Pearl-Cohn hosts Hillwood in its region opener.
