Pelham has just enough to beat Albany

ALBANY — There was one thing on the mind of Albany High School coach Felton Williams after Friday’s game at Hugh Mills Stadium.

Discipline.

The Indians fell short in their season-opening game losing to Pelham 21-12.

“Fatigue and lack of discipline will get you beat every time,” Williams said. “We can’t spot a team 14 points when we’ve got 12 penalties in the first half. We shot ourselves in the foot tonight.”

The Hornets sealed the victory with a 45-yard touchdown run by Kobe Russell with just three minutes remaining in the game.

The win served as a good start for a Pelham team that made a surprise run to the state playoffs last season.

“After the two scrimmages we had, I think we look much better,” Pelham coach Dondrial Pinkins said. “I thought overall we played exceptionally well in spurts with the exception of a few plays.”

Despite the loss, there were bright spots for the Indians (0-1). It looked like Albany would open the scoring in the first quarter when Kameron Peterson caught a 63-yard touchdown pass from Andru Watts. The catch was called back by a holding penalty.

In the second quarter, Peterson set up a potential scoring drive with a leaping catch that went for 26 yards. Albany tried a 27-yard field goal, but the attempt hit a lineman in the back.

The teams were knotted at zero at the end of the first quarter.

The scoreless game was finally broken in the second quarter when Pelham’s Kendrick Patterson found Cassius Allen for a 26-yard touchdown pass. The extra point failed, giving Pelham a 6-0 advantage. The score was set up by a 62-yard run by Javoris Williams.

On Albany’s next drive, Pelham’s Judah Wilson picked off Watts to give the Hornets the ball inside their 30.

The interception was Watts’ only one of the game. At times, the quarterback showed the ability to make plays with his feet and arm, but other times, he threw passes into double coverage.

“He’s got some work to do,” Williams said. “He managed the game okay. He is young, so I will take the bumps with him. I can’t be too mad at him when this is his first varsity start.”

The Hornets capitalized on the mistake when Patterson found Jake Delegawl for a five-yard touchdown. Pelham converted the 2-point conversion and made it 14-0.

Patterson, who is a freshman, played well enough to give his team the victory and finished with two touchdown passes.

“They brought pressure early on,” Pinkins said. “They tried to get him rattled and that is typical for a young quarterback. We tried to keep two guys in the backfield to keep him protected and settle him down a bit.”

Albany got its first score of the season when Quinshun King scored on a six-yard end around. The touchdown made it 14-6 after a botched point after attempt.

The Albany defense also showed progress as the game went on. After King’s touchdown, Pelham marched to the Indians’ seven-yard line before Albany forced a turnover on downs. The Indian defense came up big again, this time in the fourth quarter, stopping Pelham in the red zone with nine minutes left.

After the first stop, the momentum was squarely on Albany’s shoulders. The Indians capitalized when Watts found Kameron Peterson for a 72-yard touchdown pass. The score was 14-12 after Albany failed to score on the two-point conversion.

Both teams were plagued by penalties throughout the game. Albany committed 15, while Pelham committed six.

Albany will host Mitchell County next week while Pelham travels to Baconton Charter.