SUCCESSFUL DEBUT: Stanhope Elmore enjoys new stadium with win over Julian

Stanhope Elmore opened its new football stadium at 17 Springs with a victory over P. Julian on Thursday. (Photos by Tim Gayle)

By GRAHAM DUNN

Stanhope Elmore junior running back Dee Barnes didn’t enter Thursday’s Class 6A, Region 2 clash with Percy Julian thinking he might become a historic figure.

Turns out, all he had to do was score a touchdown.

In the inaugural football game played in the new 17 Springs Stadium, Barnes became the first player to score a touchdown, leading the Mustangs to an impressive 40-0 victory over Julian. His 1-yard touchdown run with 56 seconds left in the first quarter set the stage for the rest of the night while etching his name in the site’s history.

“That's what I always wanted to be,” he said. “Somebody that won't be forgotten. I wanted to have my name remembered.”

Barnes’ highlighted a rushing attack that totaled 249 yards. He finished with 129 yards on 23 carries. He scored all five touchdowns for the Mustangs, who opened regional play with a win over the Phoenix after dropping a 22-20 decision last season at Cramton Bowl.

“Tonight, we played with controlled emotion and executed on third and long,” Stanhope Elmore coach Hunter Adams said. “That's what I was really, really proud of. If you look at (Julian) on paper, they were a very dangerous team on third and long, because their' screen game is effective and they've got a big vertical outside receivers and a mobile quarterback.

“We keyed on those things, played those responsibilities well, and didn't give up a single third down conversion all night long, so very, very proud of that.”

The Mustangs also took advantage of Julian’s contributions, particularly in the second half when the Phoenix suffered fumbles on the kickoff and then on the first snap of the half, losing the football on a backwards pass. The Mustangs took advantage of both with Barnes scoring on runs of 1 and 23 yards.

“We won the turnover battle last week against Prattville but we did nothing with it,” Adams said, regarding last week’s 43-13 loss to the Lions. “We had to clean up the efficiency of what we did when we took the ball as far as play calling, drive sequences and time management.”

Like last week, when it struggled offensively against G.W .Carver, Julian managed just 22 yards of offense. Their longest play of the night came on a 10-yard pass play from Ernest Shuford to Rob Manora to end the first half.

The Phoenix suffered two turnovers and had a punt blocked.

The struggles opened up the rushing attack, allowing Barnes to have a big night.

“That did make it easier for the use our running backs,” Barnes said. The (linemen) make everything easy for me. I just put the touches on it. That's that's my job.”

The story was the coronation of the new venue, which replaces Foshee-Henderson Stadium or the home of the Mustangs’ football program since its inception in 1965. The new stadium is part of a 200-acre facility that also houses sports fields for baseball, softball, tennis, soccer as well as a multi-purpose field house. The cost of the facility is estimated at $100 million.

Adams admitted the logistics of playing the first game came down to game personnel.

“As far as game day logistics, a huge amount (of work), in terms of overall staffing to run the facility was huge,” he said. “That part was a major change in terms of our football operations. We do come over here and practice twice a week, so that we're well acclimated to the environment. I haven't done it at night as much as I probably should have to adjust to the lights and the different crowd, but I think the kids handled it really, really well.

“It's a big change for us to get started in that manner. It was good to get out here and getting it going, getting it started, was a big deal. You were being in a pressure cooker until we kicked off.”

Stanhope Elmore (2-1, 1-0) will be back at 17 Springs next Friday to face Park Crossing while Julian (1-2, 0-1) travels to Seale to face Russell County.