In the first live action of the 2024 season against someone other than themselves, the Monticello Billies travelled to Rison on Tuesday, August 20, to face the Rison Wildcats in the annual AAA Benefit Scrimmage.
The game format for the scrimmage against Rison would have no return kickoffs where the teams would allow the kicker to kick the ball away without any contact or kick return.
After the kickoff, the teams would begin their possession on their own 25-yard line.
If the offense was forced to punt the ball away to the other team, the punt would go uncontested with the punter getting a free kick and the receiving team fielding the ball with no return.
The offense would then take possession at the yardage of the fielded punt.
The teams would have a regular first half under a regular season game play format followed by a short halftime period.
After returning to the field after the half, each team would give their first string offense one possession before ending the third quarter.
The fourth quarter would be played with a running clock and would mainly feature what many refer to as the second string offenses and defenses.
Joseph Rojas would kick the ball away for Monticello to begin the contest with Rison beginning their drive at their own 25.
On the first possession of the contest, Monticello’s defense took over control of the contest early, holding the Rison offense to seven yards on the drive with Blaine Hayden and Jagger Hines being in on the bulk of the tackles.
After the Rison punt, Monticello would begin their first drive at their own 37-yard line.
Tye Guthrie connected on his first pass of the contest to Curtis Barrow for a 13-yard completion to the 50, but after an incompletion, a false start penalty, and a second incompletion, Guthrie’s next pass would be deflected into the air for a Wildcat interception at tje Rison 45-yard line with 9:27 remaining in the quarter.
AJ Robinson would get in the backfield on the first play of the drive, dropping the Rison running back for a five yard loss to the Rison 40.
The Wildcats would move the ball into Monticello territory over the course of the next several plays, but would fumble the ball on a loss of yardage with Hayden recovering the football at the Rison 46 with 6:12 remaining in the quarter.
The Billies would advance the ball down to the Rison 24 yardline on their drive, but Guthrie’s pass would be intercepted for the second time in the contest, this time in the endzone for a Wildcat touchback.
Rison’s next drive would extend into the second quarter with the Wildcats advancing the ball down to the Monticello 19 yard line before turning the ball over at the Monticello 19.
The Billies rely on the ground game on their next possession with Joseph Accelus taking the ball from the 19 to the Monticello 34 followed by a pass from Guthrie to Barrow to the 50.
Barrow would get the call on the next carry and advanced the ball to the Rison 18.
Accelus gained three yards to the 15 with Pharrell Lewis advancing the ball down to the Rison 9 on the next three carries.
On the next play, the Billies would get on the scoreboard with a nine-yard pass from Guthrie to Barrow for the Billie touchdown.
Joseph Rojas added the extra point to give Monticello a 7-0 lead heading into the half.
In the third quarter, neither offense could get the ball moving resulting in the start of the fourth quarter with the second string offense and defense taking the field.
Rison would be able to push the ball inside the Monticello five, but the Billie defense would halt the drive forcing Rison to turn the ball over on downs.
Rison’s only score of the contest would come in the fourth quarter after tackling the Billie running back in the endzone for the safety, setting up the final score of 7-2 in favor of the Billies.
Monticello will now focus on the start of the regular season with the Billies travelling to Fordyce this Friday, August 30, to take on the Fordyce Redbugs.
Fordyce is preseason selected to be at the top of the 8-3A Conference with the Billies having a preseason ranking of fifth in the 8-4A.
Monticello began the 2023 season with a 35-12 loss at Hyatt Field to the Redbugs and look to return the favor to start the 2024 season at Fordyce.
The Redbugs and Billies are set for a 7 pm kickoff.
