Alto tops New Diana, 32-14: Junior running back High soars, with 420 yards, five touchdowns

The Alto Yellowjackets outlasted a blistering New Diana defensive battle to defeat the Eagles 30-14. The away game started fast for Alto, but quickly bogged down in a defensive mire. The Yellowjackets eventually endured the battle and stung the Eagles to bring home the victory.

“We got the win,” said Alto head football Coach Ricky Meeks. “That’s what we set out to do. I’m not happy about some things and our effort in a lot of things. But that’s neither here nor there. We got the win. We’re three-and-O.”

On the first play of the game, junior Alto running back Vi’Dareous High (No. 2), mauled the Eagle’s home turf for 72 yards, blazing a trail to the end zone. After the extra point attempt was no good, with just 15 seconds gone off the clock, Alto took the early lead, 6-zip.

High led the team in rushing, with 420 yards on 41 carries and scored five touchdowns.
Then following a fumble by the Eagles on New Diana’s second play from scrimmage and a subsequent Alto recovery, High answered the call again, taking the handoff from junior Jacket QB Harmon West (No. 10) High KFC’d the Eagle backfield again, this time for 44 yards, on his way to a second Yellowjacket score. Following another foiled point-after-try (PAT), Alto was up 12-nothing, with 10:43 remaining in the opening quarter.

New Diana head football Coach Travis Chrisman said he was proud of his guys, but was disappointed in miscues that led to the loss.

“Obviously, it didn’t end the way we wanted it to end,” Coach Chrisman said. “We don’t want to lose, but there’s no denying we’ve gotten better every single week. So we’re really, really looking forward to that. We’re continuing to take steps. We’re starting district (play) next week. I think we’re in a good spot.”

For the next quarter, the Eagles and Yellowjackets locked wings in a spirited tough defensive battle that all-but shut down both teams’ offensive efforts.

There would be no scoring by either team until the last minute of the first half. High battled through a deluge of Eagles, taking the ball three impossible yards on a Jacket third-and-goal to take the game to the halftime score to 18-0, Alto.

“I thought we ran the ball,” Coach Meeks said. “We played really good defense. As long as we continue to control the line of scrimmage we’re going to be successful. We got in a bind there and we were down to just one kid. But he stepped up and ran the ball well.”

Early in the third quarter, High scored his fourth TD, on a 25-yard run. Adding on the PAT was junior kicker Dylan Mabry (No. 51). With 9:34 remaining in the third, the score was 25-0, Alto.

No rushing scores were produced by the Eagles, but senior New Diana quarterback Brayden Rosales (No. 2) proved the noble birds can bring danger from above with an aerial assault.

Rosales completed 14 of 37 attempts, netting 118 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

By contrast, West completed 10 of 18 passes, for a total of 157 yards, with no passing scores and no interceptions.

Mid-way through the third, Rosales scrambled, narrowly avoided a sack, and screamed 29 yards for the first Eagle score. A two-point-conversion was successful and with 6:54 left in the third, the Alto lead was narrowed 25-8.

Rosales nailed a pass early in the fourth, to bring the score to 25-14, with 11:05 left in the fourth quarter.

But High would have the last laugh and the last score of the game, running 17 yards for his fifth TD with 5:49 remaining in the game. The Mabry extra point was good and the Jackets sealed the Eagle’s fate 32-14.

This Friday the Yellowjackets host the Garrison Bulldogs at home on Cam’Ron Mathews Field. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.