The 2022 CHS football campaign features five Class 3A, two Class 4A and three Class 5A opponents. To date, the Chargers have swept the 3A teams 4-0 with one to go and are 1-0 with 4A and one to go.
On Friday night, the state’s (3A) ranked Chargers took to the road for the last time, closing the 5A schedule with a 42-18 win at Dyer County. Covington (7-1) took the opening kickoff and moved crisply downfield in eight plays to take a 7-0 lead on the first of Jamarion Dowell’s four touchdown runs in the game, this one from three yards out.
The Choctaws (3-5) weren’t deterred. Eight plays covered 72 yards putting a TD on the board at 4:43 in the first period. The Charger special teams blocked the PAT and Dyer County never saw the lead.
For the night, DCHS completed 8 of 10 passes for 135 yards and scored 3 TDS with 124 rushing yards on 27 carries.
Covington responded with a 67-yard, siix-play drive capped by a 17-yard Dowell score. Starting at their 32, Dyer County took seven plays to cut the deficit to 14-6. The PAT was intercepted in the end zone. The Choctaws would not score again until the late fourth quarter with the game already decided.
“We had to get our legs back under us early,” Covington coach J.R. Kirby said. “Recent teams have not been as big and physical as Dyer County or as Haywood will be next week. We needed these two games to tune us up for the playoffs.”
The Chargers eclipsed 400 rushing yards for the first time this year, gaining 413 on 55 carries. Skylan Smith carried the load with a career night of 220 yards on 27 carries. He had two TDs negated by penalties.
“We had way too many penalties, 8 for 71.5 yards,” said Kirby. “I disagreed with two or three of them. We have work to do.”
A.C. Mason-Young got some time on the offensive side of the ball and took advantage, scoring on TD runs of 36 and 10 yards while gaining 65 yards on eight carries. Dowell added scoring runs of 18 and 25 yards in the second half. QB Braden Gover completed 4 of 9 pass attempts for 59 yards.
After weeks on the road, Covington comes home to face 4A Haywood, the third-ranked team in 4A, on Friday night.
“Haywood is well-coached, disciplined, talented, skilled, big and fast,” Kirby said. “We will have to play our best and go right at them. Getting around them side to side will be a challenge, but they are not unbeatable.”
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
