Merry Acres football blanks Lee West 14-0 at Hugh Mills Stadium

ALBANY — Lee West found ways to move the football Wednesday evening.

Moving it forward without giving the yards back proved much more difficult.

Merry Acres took an early lead, capitalized on a series of Lee West mistakes and kept the Trojans off the scoreboard for a 14-0 Deep South Conference victory under the late-summer heat at Hugh Mills Stadium.

The final score, however, didn’t tell the entire story.

Twice Lee West drove deep into Merry Acres territory. Twice penalties helped send the Trojans backward. And both times they came away empty.

Merry Acres needed less than three minutes to establish control.

The Braves took the opening possession down the field before quarterback Jaidyn Sapp found William Dukes for a 12-yard touchdown pass. Lee West stopped the conversion attempt, leaving Merry Acres with a 6-0 lead.

For a moment, it appeared both offenses might spend the evening racing up and down the field.

Lee West answered immediately.

Ethan Anderson broke loose for a long run to the Merry Acres 29, and Daquan Styles followed with another big gain to the 10.

The Trojans were knocking on the door.

Then they started walking backward.

A motion penalty was followed by holding and a facemask penalty. What had been a promising drive inside the Merry Acres 10 eventually became fourth-and-32 near midfield.

The fourth-down pass fell incomplete.

Merry Acres didn’t waste the reprieve.

Lee West’s defense forced the Braves into a fourth down on the ensuing possession, but Sapp connected with tight end Caden Smith to move the chains.

Another flag hurt the Trojans on the next play, this time for a late hit, helping Merry Acres move to the 16.

Three plays later, Lahmier Whitfield found the end zone.

The Braves carried a 12-0 advantage into halftime.

Merry Acres appeared ready to add to it during its first possession of the second half.

Another completion to Smith moved the Braves across midfield, and Whitfield burst through the middle of the Lee West defense before finally being brought down at the 21 as the third quarter expired.

This time, the Trojans made the big play they needed.

Emauri Harris intercepted a Merry Acres pass near the goal line and returned possession to Lee West at its own 3.

The celebration didn’t last long.

On the Trojans’ first snap, the ball was bobbled in the end zone and Merry Acres tackled the quarterback for a safety.

Instead of Lee West escaping without allowing any points, the Braves’ lead grew to 14-0.

Still, the Trojans weren’t finished.

Merry Acres fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and Lee West took advantage by driving all the way to the Braves’ 9.

Once again, however, the yellow flags appeared.

Penalties pushed the Trojans away from the goal line, and the drive eventually ended with Merry Acres taking over on downs.

It was a fitting conclusion to a frustrating afternoon for Lee West.

The Trojans showed they could create explosive plays and twice moved inside the Merry Acres 10. They also came up with a goal-line interception that prevented another Braves touchdown.

But every time Lee West appeared poised to make it a game, something went wrong.

Merry Acres made sure those mistakes mattered.

And when the final whistle sounded, the Braves had something even better than an opening-drive touchdown or a fourth-down conversion.

They had a shutout.