MOUNT HOPE — Though it may have seemed like an afterthought by game’s end, there is little doubt a play right before the half ended had a big outcome in the annual Oak Hill-Mount Hope grudge match.

Yes, Oak Hill won 55-8 to regain custody of the ancient, yet strikingly clean, Little Brown Jug.

But it was a play that wasn’t that turned into a play that was that started the Red Devils’ march to the Jug.

With Mount Hope out in front 8-7 — thanks to a one-yard Davon Marion run and subsequent two-point conversion — Oak Hill appeared to have scored on the half’s last play when quarterback B.J. Wallace connected with Josh Murray in the flat and he turned it into a touchdown.

However, most of that yardage was taken away by a holding call.

But Mount Hope had to accept the penalty to nullify the score. Therefore, Oak Hill got another play.

Wallace and Murray hooked up again when the speedy Murray got behind a Mount Hope corner for a 32-yard touchdown.

“Well, we knew Josh was fast, and he got past that corner, but how many times does that happen (on the final play of the half),” Oak Hill coach Toby Harris asked. “Somebody was with us on that play.”

“I thought they got me,” Murray said of the penalty that wiped out his first score. “But I told coach to get me the ball again and I’d catch it.”

“Give it to Josh, he made a good catch,” said Wallace, a former Mount Hope quarterback who transferred to Oak Hill this year.

“I told these guys I’d help them get Fayetteville last week if they’d help me get the Little Brown Jug. And we both delivered.”

For Mount Hope, that touchdown seemed to sap the wind from its sails.

The Mustangs began the second half with an onsides kick that was recovered by the Red Devils.

“After that, everything went south for us,” Mount Hope coach Ed Souk Jr. said. “We just ran out of bodies (due to cramping on the humid evening). Their skill people were fast and we couldn’t catch them.”

After punting on their first possession of the second half, Oak Hill would score on its final six possessions. The Red Devils ran just one play on their side of the 50 in the second half.

“We gave them a short field and they took advantage of it,” Souk said.

Wallace threw his second TD pass of the game — and the season — after reversing field and finding Rmykal McDowell all alone in the end zone. Dwayne Hopkins spelled a cramping Chris Lawson (who had 159 yards, including a 77-yard touchdown in the first quarter) and scored the first of two touchdowns (he also scored on a 28-yard run), Murray returned a punt 48 yards for a score and freshman J.J. Green scored two touchdowns.

Murray finished a solid night with 40 yards rushing, 56 receiving and the punt return.

“I think we were just as little faster than they were,” Murray said.

Marion led Mount Hope with 91 yards on 25 carries and he also recovered a fumble.

Lawson had an interception and fumble recovery for the Red Devils.

Oak Hill is at No. 3 James Monroe (2-0) next Friday while Mount Hope is idle.

— E-mail: demorrison@

register-herald.com



Oak Hill 55, Mount Hope 8

OH (2-0) 7 7 19 22 — 55

MH (1-1) 0 8 0 0 — 8

First Quarter

OH — Chris Lawson 77 run (Lawson kick), 7:49

Second Quarter

MH — Davon Marion 1 run (Marion run) 7:15

OH — Josh Murray 32 pass from B.J. Wallace (Lawson kick), 0:00

Third Quarter

OH — Rmykal McDowell 19 pass from Wallace (run fail), 3:39

OH — Dwayne Hopkins 1 run (Lawson kick), 1:51

OH — Josh Murray 48 punt return (kick fail), 0:00

Fourth Quarter

OH —Hopkins 28 run (kick fail), 8:03

OH — J.J. Green 49 run (Green run), 3:57

OH — Green 8 run (Kyle Colon), 1:01

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — OH: Chris Lawson 18-159-1, Wallace 6-59, Murray 4-40, Hopkins 4-31, Shawn Laugherty 1-5, J.J. Green 2-57-2, Kyle Colon 1-9. MH: Davon Marion 25-91-1, Lester 8-16, James 4 (1-10). Criss 5-21, Thornquest 4-13.

PASSING — OH: B.J. Wallace 4-8-0, 84-2 . MH: Kyle James 3-5-1, 33-0, Marion 0-1-0, 0-0.

RECEIVING — OH: Murray 2-56, Alex Ashley 1-9, McDowell 1-19 . MH: Thornquest 1=25, Criss 1-2, Marion 1-6.

TURNOVERS — OH: Lawson (fr, int) . MH: Marion (FR), Kris Holley (fr).