The No. 9 Hitter

Sugden gives breakout performance in Bearden thriller

William Blount sophomore Kalib Sugden (9) teams with Caleb Redford for the stop against Alcoa in the jamboree. Photo by Jolanda Jansma

By Stefan Cooper
Editor
Blount Press Row

William Blount didn’t get the win, but Kalib Sugden sure got our respect.

The Governors fell in a heartbreaker to Bearden, 28-21, in overtime last Friday at Mike White Field.

Sugden, a sophomore linebacker and the Barley’s/Blount Press Row Player of the Week, led the charge for a William Blount defense that yielded only 68 yards rushing to the Bulldogs. Defensive back Nick Yoakum put points on the board for the Governors with an interception returned 23 yards for a touchdown midway through the third.

The Governors also got four sacks from junior T.J. King, the starter at running back who doubled in a rousing, debut performance at nose guard.

Nobody got off like Sugden, though.

Menacing the Bulldogs at every turn, No. 9 set the tempo with a team-best 15 tackles.

Did we mention he’s a sophomore?

Bearden got the game-winning score on an 8-yard run from Ty Warren on the first possession of overtime.

The Governors, off this week, have some time to regroup and ready for a big, Region 1-6A trip to Jefferson County on Sept. 30. You can get a lot done in two weeks, especially so when you’ve got a sophomore linebacker who’ll go out and get you 15 tackles!