For the second straight season their will be no “Skuna River Rivalry” during the regular season, but the two teams met this past Friday in a spring game to keep one of the state’s top rivalries alive and kicking.
Bruce wasted no time putting points on the board as Richard Freelon broke free for a long touchdown run on the Trojans first offensive drive with Curtis Lyons adding the two-point conversion. Cleveland Freelon and Lyons added a touchdown and two-point conversion each in the second quarter to give Bruce a 24-0 edge, but Calhoun City found their rhythm when Jr Jennings connected with Demarius Howard for a long touchdown pass to pull the game to a 24-6 mark by halftime.
In the second half the youthful Wildcats stepped up on the defensive side of the ball holding the super speedy Trojans to a lone Lyons touchdown run on a fumbled snap in the third quarter.
The game showed some of the classic rivalry late game heroics that have almost become expected when these two teams take the field as Brandon Lawrence followed a host of great blocking to coast into the end zone for a long touchdown run, but the two point conversion failed. On the next Trojan possession the ball was snapped into the end zone and Bruce fell on top of the football for a safety just before a host of Wildcats recovered the fumble for a touchdown.
The win snapped a string of three straight wins by the Wildcats. Last season the ‘Cats went to Trojan Field and picked up possibly the most bizarre win in the long runnings series 22-20 despite being dominated in every offensive aspect of the game. Bruce leads the all-time series 37-22-2 over Calhoun City.
Bruce will open the season on August 29th at 7:30 p.m. when they play host to DeSoto Central, a team the Trojans went on the road to upset the Jaguars in overtime last season. Calhoun City will open the season on the road on either the 28th or 29th in a crucial region game against rival Vardaman at 7:30 p.m.
One common theme has come from the Skuna River Rivalry spring game and Vardaman scrimmages, August can’t get here quick enough!
