Mosley wears down Arnold in 49-21 win (See Photos)

PANAMA CITY — If at all possible, the 2009 high school football season in Bay County went out with a bang Friday night at Tommy Oliver Stadium. And a whimper.

Mosley and Arnold staged a highlight reel first half in the first meeting of the schools during the regular season, but the Class 4A Dolphins methodically wore down the 3A Marlins thereafter for a 49-21 victory.

The win snapped a five-game losing skid for Mosley, which finished 4-5. Arnold ended with six consecutive defeats to go out 4-6.

The teams combined for seven first-half touchdowns, three of them on plays that covered at least 77 yards. Mosley used a 20-yard sweep by Jabbar Manning on a modified statue-of-liberty play for a 28-21 edge at intermission.

The Marlins were held to minus-7 yards from scrimmage in the second quarter, and when that carried over into the third they were doomed. Arnold’s injury riddled defense was no match for the Dolphins’ series of sweeps and dives thereafter.

Mosley senior Ethan Davis had a career night in his final game with 14 carries for 193 yards and three touchdowns. He was only one of a trio of backs who punctuated their high school careers in style.

Davis’ teammate Manning had 127 yards rushing and two touchdowns, and Arnold’s superb tailback Jeremy Hester climaxed a storied prep career with 144 yards and two TDs.

When both offenses had extended scoring drives to opening touchdowns it merely was a warm-up act for the main attraction. David Craig and Hester each had short scoring runs before a blizzard of big plays took over.

Davis dashed 77 yards, only to be answered by Hester’s 83-yard burst. When Deric Carter’s 39-yard sprint led to Craig’s second short TD run, Arnold sophomore Jamari Hughes returned Graham Ball’s ensuing kickoff 98 yards and it was 21-21 not even midway through the second quarter.

The second half belonged to Mosley, as two of Arnold’s a three third-quarter possessions were thwarted by first-down holding  penalties. Mosley responded with scoring runs of 45 and 8 yards by Davis, who had a fourth TD negated by penalty in the fourth quarter.

Mosley coach Perry Brown said he was surprised by the scoring outburst early because of all the injuries both teams had suffered on offense this season. Just as obviously, however, the Dolphins and Marlins were limited on defense and special teams.

“We kind of fell apart on offense,” Arnold’s James Hale said of the second half. “Everybody played hard for the most part, but there was just so much we could do.”

The historic first meeting between the schools had been underscored all season by the transfer of talented sophomore Eddie Williams from Mosley to Arnold, amid accusations of recruiting.

That possibly factored into the final 2.1 seconds of the game when Brown called timeout, and Mosley lined up for a 50-yard field goal by Ball that had the distance, but was wide left.

“That would have been the longest of his career,” Brown said, “so we let him try it.”

Whether or not it provides fodder for the second edition of a budding rivalry, it also proved to be the final play of a season where no county school qualified for the football playoffs.

Holmes County wins homecoming 49-7 over Franklin County

• Arnold      14 7 0 0 - 21
• Mosley     14 14 14 7 - 49
• First quarter
• MHS: Craig 1 run (Ball kick)
• AHS: Hester 3 run (Masker kick)
• MHS: Davis 77 run (Ball kick)
• AHS: Hester 83 run (Masker kick)
• Second quarter
• MHS: Craig 4 run (Ball kick)
• AHS: Hughes 98 kickoff return (Masker kick)
• MHS: Manning 20 run (Ball kick)
• Third quarter
• MHS:  Davis 45 run (Ball kick)
• MHS:  Davis 8 run (Ball kick)
• Fourth quarter
• MHS: Manning 1 run (Ball kick)
• INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
• RUSHING — AHS: Hester 18-144, Williams 10-35, DeBoard 1-0. MHS: Davis 14-193, Manning 17-127, Carter 2-43, Craig 12-42, Smith 3-15, Brooks 2-7, Glass 1-2.
• PASSING — AHS: Williams 2-9-0-23. MHS: Smith 1-3-0-41.
• RECEIVING — AHS: DeBoard 1-15, Aultman 1-8. MHS: Black 1-41.