Spencer makes history with first winning season in 38 years

Spencer's seniors set one of their goals last summer to make history by earning a winning record for the first time since 1977. The Greenwave guaranteed that winning season Saturday with a 34-8 victory over Kendrick at A.J. McClung Memorial Stadium.

With the win, Spencer improved to 6-3 for the season.

Four-year player Daymeonta White said its feels good to see the hard work pay off.

"A lot of people didn't think we could do this, but we did," White said. "It's a dream come true. We feel we are unbeatable.

"Spencer is tired of having losing teams, and the school wants this to be more than just one year. The coaches, even the school administration, have been great."

Another of the goals set by the senior leadership team was to make the playoffs. Saturday's win was a big step toward doing that.

Spencer is 5-2 and third in the Region 2-AAA standings. The Greenwave can clinch a berth in the playoffs for the first time since 1993 with a win next week over Jordan. A loss would likely leave them in a three-ay tie for third with Westside-Macon and Central-Macon. If that happened, a mini-game would be needed to determine the two playoff participants.

"Because where we are in the region, we feel every game is 'win or go home.' We won and now we have to get ready for next week against Jordan because we know there is more work to be done," Spencer coach Pierre Coffey said after the game.

Spencer took command of the game from the start. With Tyrell Smith most of the work, the Greenwave took the opening kickoff and scored on a 7-yard sweep by Jermaine Hernandez and a 7-0 lead.

On their next possession, another Greenwave drive ended in a second touchdown, this one by Smith for a 14-0 lead.

Kendrick had a bad snap in punt formation that set up the Greenwave at the Kendrick 36-yard line. A key pass to Hernandez kept the drive alive and Khalil Thomas scored on a 4-yard run.

Smith kept things going for the Greenwave later in the second when he burst up the middle on a 20-yard touchdown. The score was set up by White's interception of a Kendrick pass and a 55-yard return. Smith finished with 70 yards on nine runs and two scores, all in the first half.

White also intercepted a pass on the last play of the half in the end zone and ran it out 80 yards as the horn went off for halftime.

Jaharee Mons scored the final TD by Spencer with 4:12 in the third on a 13-yard run, dragging a couple of Cherokee defenders in the end zone and that ensured a running clock for the fourth quarter.

Kendrick got on the board in the fourth due to the play of Adayus Robertson. Robertson caught a pass and went 32 yards to the Spencer 7 and the scored on the next running play. He then ran for the two-point conversion. Robertson finished the game with 101 yards on 23 carries and the one pass reception.

"I was pleased with the way we executed our offense," Coffey said. "Tyrell (Smith) ran the ball well, and one of our young guys, Jaharee Mons, ran hard and scored a touchdown. That builds confidence for the team.

"There are some things we want to work on defensively, and we will work on that next week. Jordan has some game-breakers and we need to be ready. But otherwise on defense we were consistent."

In the 38 years since Spencer went 7-3 in 1977, the Greenwave went 5-5 three times, including 1992 when All-Bi-City player Mo Williams ran the ball for the Greenwave and went on to play for University of Kentucky and the Minnesota Vikings.

Saturday at Memorial Stadium

Spencer 14 13 7 0--34

Kendrick 0 0 0 8--8

First Quarter

S-Jermaine Hernandez 7 run (Hernandez kick), 8:51

S-Tyrell Smith 1 run (Jalen Taylor kick), 2:15

Second Quarter

S-Khalil Thomas 4 run (Taylor kick), 9:54

S--Smith 20 run (kick blocked), 2:49

Third Quarter

S-Jaharee Mons 13 run (Taylor kick), 4:12

Fourth Quarter

K-Adayus Robertson 7 run (Robertson run), 2:54

Records: Spencer 6-3, 5-2 Region 2-AAA. Kendrick 3-6, 2-5. Next: Spencer vs. Jordan, Nov. 6, at Kinnett, 8 p.m.; Kendrick, vs. Southwest-Macon, 5 p.m., at Kinnett, Nov. 6.

This story was originally published October 31, 2015 at 6:52 PM with the headline "Spencer makes history with first winning season in 38 years ."