Banneker spoils Mays homecoming
Kitchens scores twice

Lakewood Stadium – Atlanta, GA

Kowaski Kitchens scored 2 TD's for Banneker including thegame winner.

Atlanta, GA – During pre-game warm-ups you could see and feel the festive atmosphere at Lakewood Stadium for Benjamin E. Mays Homecoming and as the band marched into the stadium you knew it was on. During all of this the visiting Banneker H.S. coaches keep telling their players don’t worry about all of that concentrate on the game and that is exactly what the Trojans did as they knocked off the 2^nd ranked Raiders spoiling homecoming.

The game wasn’t pretty and there was a lot of smack talk going on by both teams which was evident by a couple of “Un-Sportsmanship” penalties that were called against both teams.

Banneker’s offense was able to move the ball early on, WR-Kowaski Kitchens almost took one to the house picking up 36-yards before being tripped up by a Raiders defender at the twenty-five yard line. From there the Raiders defense took over; led by LB-Erik Cochran, DL-Dedrick Couch, DE-Darrius Caldwell, DB-Denzel Coleman and DB-Brandon Rogers they pushed the Trojans backwards before taking over on downs.

Mays DL-Dedrick Couch had a big game defensively, here he celebrates another big play.

The Trojans had another chance to put points on the board in the first-quarter when they recovered a fumbled punt by the Raiders return-man Myer Nolan on the fourteen-yard line. A “Un-Sportsmanship” penalty on the Raiders LB-D’Martin Turner gave Banneker yet another reprieve giving then a first and goal from the five after having stopped the Trojans on forth down. This time the Trojans capitalized when Kitchens scored on a quarterback sneak to put his team in front 6-0. The PAT failed.

The Banneker defense led by LB-Thaddeus Winston, LB-Milton Patterson, DL-Rodrick Johnson, LB-Homer Randell and DL-Jasper Osler did a great job all game long of bottling up the Mays offense and their all-state running back Desmond Walker.

However, Walker was finally able to find some running room in the second-quarter when he broke loose for 28-yards and a touchdown to tie the game at 6-6. The Raiders also missed their PAT.

A 56-yard run by RB-AJ Moreland put Banneker in great field position at the Mays eleven-yard line. Just when it looked like the Trojans were going to punch it into the end zone and take the lead LB-D’Martin Turner scooped up a fumble and rambled 53-yards to the Trojans forty-yard line. The play started a string of plays by Turner that went a long way to helping him redeem himself for the earlier penalty that led to Banneker’s touchdown.

Banneker's RB-AJ Moreland did a nice job of cutting back against the grain.

The Banneker defense once again stepped up and thwarted the Raiders offensive advance when DB-DeMarco McNeal picked off a Mays pass in the endzone as the half came to an end with the score tied at 6-6.

Turner continued his redemption in the third-quarter when he scored from 5-yards out to put Mays in front. Turner also scored the two-point conversion to make the score 14-6.

The Trojans didn’t blink; they strapped it up and got right back into the game on a 60-yard touchdown run by DeMarco McNeal, cutting the lead 14-12.

The “Trojan Horse” finally brought down the “Raiders Nations” hopes in the forth quarter when Banneker hoops star and starting quarterback Tres Houston threw a game winning 67-yard touchdown pass to Kitchens, his second touchdown of the game.

Mays DB-Myer Nolan goes over the top to make this defensive play.

Final Score: Banneker 18 – Mays 14

Game Day Players

Banneker: WR-Kowaski Kitchens, WR/DB-DeMarco McNeal, RB-AJ Moreland, QB-Tres Houston, LB-Milton Patterson, LB-Thaddeus Winston, DL-Rodrick Johnson

Mays: DL-Derick Couch, LB/FB-D'Martin Turner, DL-Ladell Collins, DE-Alexander Allen, DB-Brandon Rogers, DB-Denzel Coleman