E.A. Sports Today

Donoho wins in coach’s ‘debut’

[corner-ad id=1]Mitchell Baker, the touchdown maker, runs for four scores in Falcons’ spring win over JCA

New Donoho football coach Andy McWilliams and Cotton Banks (11) watch the action unfold in Thursday's spring football game with JCA.

New Donoho football coach Andy McWilliams and Cotton Banks (11) watch the action unfold in Thursday’s spring football game with JCA.

By Brant Locklier
For East Alabama Sports Today

JACKSONVILLE — It was the dawn of a new era in Donoho football Thursday as the Falcons took the field under a new coach for the first time in 11 years.

New head coach Andy McWilliams, a long-time assistant, is picking right up where the Falcons left off last season. His team used a punishing running attack and a hard-hitting defense to take out Jacksonville Christian 35-14 in a spring football game.

The Falcons led 28-0 at halftime.

“We played well, but we have a lot of work to do,” said McWilliams, promoted to succeed Shannon Felder, the winningest coach in school history. “We got a lot of individual things to work on. We have a real good nucleus for a team. We have some potential, but we have to fine-tune some things and get our timing right.”

Mitchell Baker ran for four touchdowns and 121 yards to pace that offense. He also kicked all five PATs to account for 29 points in the game.

The wing-T offense was clicking on all cylinders as Chandler Collins added a score and rushed for 136 yards on 12 carries. Collins threw a 55-yard touchdown pass to Garrett Steed in the first half and was 5 of 7 for 105 yards passing in the game. Steed added 33 yards on six carries.

JCA came out fighting in the second half and got its ground game going. Reed Murphy got the Thunder on the board when he scored from 16 yards out with 3:07 to go in the third quarter. Quarterback Jayden Mitchell, the heir apparent to record-setting Daylon Brackett, scored on a sneak with 5:00 left in the fourth quarter. Josh Thornton kicked both PATs.

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